On Saturday, August 6, Billy and Debbie Thomas’ 1939 Oldsmobile convertible, built by Harold Chapman from Customs and Hot Rods of Andice, won the coveted Hot August Nights Cup in Reno, Nevada.
One of the remarkable things that sets apart Hot August Nights from most other car shows is the incredible opportunity to win awards. In addition to the action that takes place in downtown Reno (site of the Summit Racing Equipment Show-n-Shine), the show extends to numerous casinos all over the adjacent cities of Reno and Sparks. Most of those casinos have their own judging and awards programs so it’s possible for an outstanding car to leave Hot August Nights with two or three “Best” trophies.
The Hot August Nights Cup, presented by Downtown Reno, is the most prestigious of all the awards at Hot August Nights. With more than $100,000 in cash and prizes available, the Hot August Nights Cup boasts the largest prize purse of any similar show on earth. As you’d expect, the competition draws some of the most elite collector cars in the country. We typically see Ridler Award contenders and other top shelf cars in this competition, and this year was no exception.
The trio of Hot August Nights Cup judges was comprised of experts in the street rod hobby: builder Steve Mank, co-host of MuscleCar on Spike TV; builder Eddie Potestio of Eddies Rods & Customs in Pueblo, Colorado; and promoter Reggie Tibbets, co-owner of the SuperNationals Auto Show.
On Friday, these judges pared down the 50-car field of top shelf cars to their 10 selections. On Saturday, these “Top Ten” finalists were taken from downtown to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to be displayed. At the end of the day, those 10 cruised back to Virginia Street downtown, where they were ranked. The First Place “Best Of Show” car received the Hot August Nights Cup.
Best of Show
1939 Oldsmobile Series 60 Convertible | Billy & Debbie Thomas
Builder: Harold Chapman/Customs and Hot Rods of Andice
Billy and Debbie’s 1939 Oldsmobile Series 60 Convertible has been enjoying some success this year. The Kona Brown Olds from Robstown, Texas, was the winner of the Ridler Award. Harold Chapman at Customs and Hot Rods of Andice oversaw the build. The handbuilt body sits atop an Art Morrison chassis. The Thomas’ ragtop is appropriately Olds-powered, with a 455ci engine built by Joe Mondello with a custom intake and EFI set-up. There is a lot more to say about this amazing Olds, and STREET RODDER has the full feature in the October 2916 issue (on sale at the time of this posting). You can read the story online at hotrod.com.
Second Place
1962 Chevy Impala SS | Howard & Susan Groff
Builder: Andy Leach/Cal Automotive Creations
In 2015, Andy Leach from Cal Automotive Creations took home the big prize at Hot August Nights with a 1962 Chevy “bubbletop” Bel Air. This year he was back to clinch the first runner-up spot with an ewually awesome 1962 Chevy Impala owned by Howard and Susan Groff. Leach kept the car’s identity while treating it to a complete makeover. The Roadster Shop provided the chassis. The engine is an aluminum 509ci W motor from World Products. Find in-progress photos and more details at hotrod.com.
Third Place
1955 Chevy 210 | Paul Schulz
Builder: Leonard Lopez/Dominator Street Rods
You could almost say that the paint was still wet on this ’55 Chevy when it showed up at Hot August Nights. The car was started about four years ago and finished with days to spare. The body has been sectioned three inches inn front and four iun the back. The fabricated brass trim is a smaller version of factory pieces in order to look right proportionally. Dominator Street Rods put the much-modifed body on an Art Morrison chassis with Budnik wheels, and used stacks to top the injected LS3 engine. The completely redone interior was covered in dark tan leather at Elegance Auto Interiors.
Fourth Place
1969 Chevy Camaro | Alex Short
Builder: Cam Miller/HS Customs
The muscle car in the mix is this beautiful ’69 Camaro. Owned by Alex Short and built buyu HS Customs, it blends Pro Touring and custom car styling. Alex likes his cars white, hence the eye-catching paint, contrasted by gold Evod wheels. Body modifications include an extended hood, widened quarter panels, modified rockers, custom grille, and a forward-reaching cowl induction system. The Camaro is packed with a twin-turbocharged LSX 427.
Fifth Place
1959 Rambler American Two-Door Wagon | Dean Osland
Builder: Doug Jerger/Squeeg’s Kustoms
Before it was a Hot August Nights Cup finalist, Dean Osland’s Rambler was a Ridler finalist, a Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year finalist, the Minnesota Hot Rod Association’s Custom of the Year, and a runner-up for STREET RODDER’S 2015 Street Rod of the Year. The exterior shows off a lot of custom elements, with an Art Morrison chassis underneath and an LSI with Arias Hemi heads under the hood. For all the details, see the full feature at hotrod.com.
Sixth Place
1957 Chevy Bel Air | Jerry & Lorrie Jacobs
Builder: Leonard Lopez/Dominator Street Rods
In addition to receiving a STREET RODDER Top 100 award in Reno, Jerry and Lorrie were finalists for the Hot August Nights Cup (see more at hotrod.com/articles/painless-performancestreet-rodder-top-100-winners-hot-august-nights-part-1/). The candy brandywine ’57, built at Dominator Street Rods, is powered by a 573-inch Keith Black engine and rides on a Chris Alston Chassisworks chassis. Look for the Jacob’s incredible ’57 Chevy at Shades of the Past, where it will enter the competition for STREET RODDER Triple Crown of Rodding presented by Painless Performance Products.
Seventh Place:
1949 Cadillac Model 62 Convertible | Tracy & Harold Chapman
Builder: Harold Chapman/Customs and Hot Rods of Andice
Tracy’s Cadillac was built by the same builder who created the Best Of Shw Oldsmobile: her husband Harold. That’s no surprise, judging by the excellence of both cars. Tracy’s convertible started out as an original-condition barn find before getting the full treatment at Customs and Hot Rods of Andice. That includes a Roadster Shop chassis underneath, and a stunning 950hp Magnuson-supercharged 454ci LSX in the engine compertment. Best of all, this stunning show car has covered some cruising miles since it was finished.
Eighth Place:
1937 Ford Tudor Convertible | Brent Schieder
Builder: Leonard Lopez/Dominator Street Rods
Brent Schieder’s 1937 Ford has been collecting awards at big time shows for five or six years—longer than any of the other 10 finalists for this year’s 2016 Hot August Nights Cup. This third Dominator Street Rods entry in the group is distinguished by a beautifully reshaped and reproportioned body on a stretched frame. The engine is a turbocharge Kinsler-injected LS1 rated at more than 800 horsepwer. Sid Chavers provided the knockout custom interior. Read more about it at hotrod.com.
Ninth Place:
1937 Ford Coupe | Dan Wathor
Builder: Kenny Welch/Kenny’s Rod Shop
Dan Wathor’s 1937 fat-fendered 1937 Ford coupe is another gem that made its debut at the 2016 Detroit Autorama where it earned its way into the Pirelli Great 8 as a Ridler Award finalist. Created at Kenny’s Rod Shop in Boise by Kenny Welch, the coupe is loaded with impressive details. The sloped nose and constant curved side glass contribute to the round flowing lines of the coupe. The stroked 351 Windsor engine is equipped with new Arias hemi heads and a Hilborn 4-port and EFI.
Tenth Place:
1938 Alfa Romeo Club Coupe | Bart Bartoni
Builder: Ron Crume of Infinity Motorsports
Bart’s mile-long ’38 Alfa added some Continental flavor to the Hot August Nights line-up. It’s hard to believe the car started out as a four-door converted to two suicide doors—and that the spare tire cover cove has been coverted into a truck. Ron Crume’s Infinity Motorsports built a custom chassis and made a million body mods. On the inside, the hand-fabricated dash is dressed up with CNC-created gauge pods. The Alfga Roma has come a long way since Bart bought the body off a trailer. Next stop is the SEMA Show.
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