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Couple Conquers Cancer to Win Autorama 2025 Ridler Award with “Gray Madder” ’55 Nomad
The annual Don Ridler Memorial Award for 2025 went to Gray Madder, a custom 1955 Chevy Nomad belonging to Tom and Christy Bresnahan and their son Josh, of Pekin, Illinois, and built by Jeff Shores and his own two sons at Southern Comfort Customs, of Ramseur, North Carolina. The Ridler Award, the top accolade at the Detroit Autorama, goes to the vehicle judges think has superior creativity, engineering, and workmanship. The Ridler is picked out of a selection of finalists called “The Great Eight—” you can see 2025’s finalists here. To be eligible for the Ridler, a car has to be operational, and it cannot have been shown in public before.
Gray Madder is mounted on an Art Morrison frame with a custom hydraulic suspension system. Power is via an almost 700-horse LS3 V-8 fed by a Holley EFI system, driving through a GM 6L90E six-speed automatic transmission. The billet air cleaner incorporates parts of an original 265 small block air cleaner. Evod Industries supplied the one-off 18 x 10 and 20 x 12 wheels. Jeff Shores did the leather interior, which features Vintage Air A/C, Dakota gauges, and a custom steering column by Kevin Fugate. The outside, which features a full custom billet grille, was finished in gray paint supplied by Glasurit.
It took 10 years for Gray Madder to come to fruition, in part because the build was delayed about halfway into the process by first Tom and then Christy getting diagnosed with cancer. After both underwent treatments and their cancers went into remission, their passion for the project was renewed.
After the award ceremony, we spoke first with builder Jeff Shores and then owner Tom Bresnahan. Both Shores and Bresnahan specifically mentioned the importance to them of working on the project with their sons. Coincidentally, I was with my nine- and seven-year-old grandsons.
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Interview with builder Jeff Shores:
Hagerty: What does this mean to you?
Jeff Shores: It means a lot. It’s a big step. It’s an honor to do the build with my boys, my two younger boys there [pointing] is pretty serious to me.
H: Were you aiming for the Ridler?
JS: The Ridler award was the direction.
H: What’s your favorite part of the car from the build?
JS: Everything. Just building a nice, clean, subtle car.
At that point, one of my grandsons asked, “Are you planning on making another car?”
JS: We’re working on other cars already.
Grandson: What kind of cars?
JS: A little bit of everything.
Interview with Tom Bresnahan:
Hagerty: How much input did you have in the build?
Tom Bresnahan: Some of my ideas are the side trim, and the tailgate with a power window, because I grew up in a station wagon with a tailgate with a power window. The project takes on a mind of its own—with a lot of help from Jeff, his ideas coming together on certain items. I’m just at a loss for words now.
H: Are you going to drive it?
TB: It’s still a hot rod. It’s got almost 700 horses under the hood. We’re going to go on [a show] tour with it first. I do intend to drive this car. I have a lot of cars at home that don’t leave the garage, but I told my wife, after this, after our cancer, we’re going to build one, we’re going to show it. My plan is to in a year do the Power Tour, in this car.
I have six siblings. We were a wagon family. When my mom and dad got married, my dad bought my mom, as a wedding gift, a brand new ’63 (Chevy) SS Impala. And within three years us three boys went back to back to back, and then my oldest younger sister came in and we went from that to a four-door Country Squire station wagon, and we had wagons for the rest of the time there was. We’d all pile in and go to church or out to dinner. A wagon family.
H: In a sentence, what does this mean to you?
TB: Oh my gosh. What does this mean to anybody? I’m overwhelmed, I’m happy, I’m thrilled.
H: How long have you been in the hobby?
TB: I’ve been in the hobby since I was 14. I built my first car when I was 15. My older brother had to go pick it up because I didn’t have a license.
H: Do you have a favorite?
TB: I have a lot of nice cars but right now, this is my favorite.
H: Have you shown a car at the Autorama before?
TB: First time. We’re blessed to be here. We’re blessed to receive what we’ve got. Great, great beautiful cars that we’re competing against. I’m just overwhelmed and very humbled.
I got diagnosed with cancer right around five and half years into the build, and we stopped because we didn’t know what was gonna happen. I was going through treatment, going to the oncologist, getting blood drawn and they scheduled my first surgery, and my wife got diagnosed with cancer. So now we’re both in surgeries, doctor’s appointments, I was having my second surgery, she was having her first, my son’s going to high school trying to be a football player, and that kid, there were days I couldn’t get out of bed without his help.
My grandson asked Besnahan: “Are you better?”
TB: I’m a lot better. I’m doing very well. Thank you. We’re both in remission. We get checked. It’s a terrible disease. We feel very blessed and very lucky. One thing I want to say for sure is, I’m a nobody. Nobody knows who I am. I’m just a hobbyist.
Was not my choice but still nice.
Well customized Nomads are certainly doing well these last few years! My wife hates ’em – I love ’em, so I sorta enjoy showing her articles like this. My favorite detail on this car is those taillight lenses. Congratulations to the builder and the owners – and happy about the remissions!
Hate them or love them it’s a very popular car today and I would have to say I would love to own one but the price is out of the question today .
I liked this car but would have gone with a color other than grey. Of course, then they would have had to change the name. Cool feature that hasn’t been mentioned is that the spare wheel/tire is a functioning gas tank. The son shared this with me on Saturday.
How ’bout “Maroon Madder?”
All Nomads Madder 😎👍
Congratulations to the owners and builder. Beautiful car!
Gray Madder? Is that like Yellow Matter Custard? :^)
I like the car, have a few nitpicks but beating Cancer and winning an award is a great accomplishment.
It’s okay; the workpersonship is nice, top notch even but the Great Eight and then Riddler winner?? No way it’s that nice. Had to have payed off the judges. (and I prefer the ’55/6 of the tri-fives!)
I love nomads. Owned a project 55 in the late 60’s. Went to college after the USAF and didn’t have the money or time to do it. Still miss that car. Not being nasty but that color is just plain wrong. That grey is showing up on a lot of newer cars in the wild. There is no thrill in that color. But that car is gorgeous!
I trace the current trend of grey cars back to when McClaren introduced the 570S at the NY auto show.
Second look at that color, looks better in different pictures.
At a level at which fortunes are spent, the tiniest details are doted upon and there’s not a fingerprint to be found anywhere, how do judges even choose? It seems like an exercise designed to start arguments. I saw that the rules state they must be operational but will anyone really drive one of these outdoors? That first rock chip is just waiting for a place to strike and cause $$$ of damage.
Most of the owners that I spoke with said that they intend to drive the cars once they are finished with the show circuit.
YEP! On the trailer & off the trailer. Until they find a buyer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show winner of this magnitude drive into a cruise in or local car show.
The Nomad is great! Even better, he is humble guy who says I’m just a hobbyist. It’s so inspiring to see an underdog win.
Once again, hyperv6 has to be the first to comment but can’t really say anything to nice about a beautiful car. Congrats to the owners and builders.It’s a real leg wetter and I mean that in a good way.
Right on, Spider. With BOTH comments!!!
This car was absolutely beautiful. All Great 8 cars were worthy. The favorite, the 63 split window, was from Youngstown, near my hometown. So, I was pulling for him. But, the Nomad was just a phenomenal build and very worthy of the Riddler. The overall show was absolutely worth spending half of a Sunday in the D. More than enough top-notch cars to enjoy and it did not disappoint.
Nice 55 but have seen so many lately it’s just another Nomad to me but never the less very nice . The only thing I really didn’t like was the moving of the instrument gauges. In the middle looks a little foreignish to me and something you would see on a low slung sports car like a Bugatti or McLaren or something like that. The color is intriguing and somewhat low tech for paint but it goes with the body style very well. Easy on the eyes. Engine compartment very clean and still somewhat stock looking but not over the top like some I have seen . Overall I would give this 55 Nomad a 9.6 with 5.0 being the very best. The dash is where the stumbling block is for me. Tires and Rims and overall outside is a killer 55 .
Congratulations! An extreme ride. More than thousands of hours on this ride when you include hours when you wake up and are falling asleep with this build that permeates every hour of your thinking. Can’t get away from it.
Some small things that I don’t care for. B column has been narrowed and looks skinny. Looks like the doors may have been lengthened. Would have been better if it was a just a little wider running back to the no slider wrap around side/quarter glass. The drip rail runs full length of the roof. Looks odd not turning down over the doors. Small things, but very noticeable for me. Still outstanding!!
I well remember the 1955 Chevy Nomad in my younger years. it was a great looking car way back when.
That is when they built cars to last for years to come. I owned a 1956 Chevrolet Belair 4 door teal color and
white top. the car had a 265 V8 and standard 3 speed column shift. that was my first car my Dad bought me.
it was a great first car for me.