2019 Ridler Winner "Cadmad"

And the Ridler goes to ….. “Cadmad”, a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham/Nomad Custom. The degree of difficulty and fit and finish on this ride is beyond compare. If the bigger the car, the bigger the challenge then Jordan Quintal, Sr, of Super Rides by Jordan had his hands full with this build.

“Cadmad” started out as a 4-door Eldorado Brougham, and then the cutting began. The Cadillac lost 18 1/2 inches of length and the body was sectioned 2 1/2 inches. The rear doors were removed and the front were stretched 6 inches. The roof, which was pancaked 2 inches, is from a Nomad. The “Cadmad” had to be narrowed by 4 inches to ensure the perfect mating of the Nomad roof to the Eldorado body.

Cadmad 2019 Ridler Winner Detroit Autorama

The mega mill is a Nelson Racing Engine 632 Big Block with twin 88mm Mirror Image turbos. Pedal to the medal it can put out 1,025 HP, with 950 ft-pounds of torque at 7 pounds of boost.

“Cadmad” rolls on modified 18-inch Evod wheels designed to look like stock Brougham wheels.

The custom frame is made out of 1 5/8-inch round tubing.

That arresting one-off custom color is “Fawntana Rose”. Ron Mangus crafted the interior, which is borderline miraculous. It includes Classic Instruments gauges in a custom dash. And just cast an eye at that flawless wood work.

It is no stretch to believe that this ride took 16 years to complete.

You could look at “Cadmad” for hours and still not see everything. Every inch of this beautiful ride is total custom.

Head over the the Event Coverage Gallery to spend some more eye time with this award winner.

Sadly, owner Steve Barton passed away before “Cadmad’s” completion. It was Barton’s dream car so his brother Craig is showing the “Cadmad” in his honor, and what an honor winning the ultimate title of the Ridler Award.

We will be featuring the remaining “Great 8” finalists over the next few weeks. From subtle to over the top, each car was equally as impressive, with an attention to detail and level of creativity and expertise that raised the bar yet again. For now, take a a quick look at the best of the best hot rods making their worldwide debut in Detroit.