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.

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.

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