Local couple wins prestigious Ridler award

BELLEFONTE — In February, longtime custom car enthusiasts Rick and Patty Bird, of Bellefonte, took their 1931 Chevy Coupe, nicknamed “Sho Bird,” to the Detroit Autorama — also known as The World’s Greatest Hot Road Show — hoping to place in the Great 8, for the top eight cars in the show

They did even better than that, winning the Don Ridler Memorial Award, one of the country’s most prestigious automotive awards for hot rod car owners and builders, as the top car at the show.

“It is very prestigious. It is like the Super Bowl (of custom car awards). … It felt pretty good, I have been reading about the Ridler Award since I was 20 years old. I always thought, ‘I am going to build a car for that show,’ and I did, and it did good,” said Rick Bird.

He added modestly, “I didn’t think that we would win. I mean, it is a nice car, but there are other nice cars in its class.”

But “Sho Bird” is not your average hot rod. Rick started with a $300 shell of a car and worked with the team at Pro Comp Custom to turn it into a showstopper.

According to the Detroit Autorama, the more than 20,000 hours of custom work on the car included “a 5-inch chop and a hand-shaped grille and hood. Twin Nelson 72mm turbo intakes run forward off a Shafiroff W-series 509 motor and the radiator was moved to the rear of the car.

Other work included a channeled floor, a myriad of fabricated parts, functional side scoops and cutaway rear fenders that expose a portion of the 20-inch tire’s footprint.

The Chevy rolls on 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties wheels, and tiny bow ties painted into the body’s reveal line are just some of the hundreds of changes made.”

After the big win in Detroit, the car will soon be making its way to shows in Atlantic City and Las Vegas to take part in some exclusive competitions.

It is all in a day’s work for the Birds, who have been in the car game for years. Rick said he has been building cars since he was 18 years old and it has long been a favorite hobby.

They currently have more than 10 restored cars and trucks in their collection.

Just last year, the couple won the hometown car show prize when their 1955 Chevy took home Best in Show at the Bellefonte Cruise.

This year he plans on rolling into the Cruise with his 1937 Chevy pick-up, saying, “It is someone else’s turn to win. I won it once. That is all I need.”

Rick said he enjoys the Bellefonte Cruise because “people come out and they see friends and they see cars. There are lots of nice cars there and then people who are just starting out, they bring what they have and they enjoy themselves.”

Don’t expect to see “Sho Bird” at The Cruise this year, as it is being kept indoors as it makes its way across the national hot rod circuit. It is currently getting some updated modifications to impress the judges.

“Those judges, they look any every corner and look for what is wrong with it. Not what is good about it, but what is wrong with it,” said Rick.

Still, he feels good about his chances heading into the next show.

Rick and Patty will be happy to tell other car enthusiasts all about it if you run into them at the Bellefonte Cruise. Maybe, someday, after it racks up enough awards, they will take it out to cruise the streets of their hometown. It would be sure to turn some heads.

“If you see this car, there is nothing like it,” said Rick.