2024 Ridler Winner: Dave and Tracey Maxwell’s “TwelveAir” ’53 Corvette Corvair Concept
Every year since 1964, hot-rod builders travel to Michigan to celebrate their craft at the Detroit Autorama. The three-day event is home to the Don Memorial Ridler Award, “the Nobel Prize of hot-rodding.” Any Autorama participant is eligible, as long as the vehicle is operable and has never appeared at any other show. The winner, announced on Sunday, is chosen from eight finalists, announced the day before and known as The Great Eight. You can read about the 2024 finalists here.
The Chevrolet Corvette was first introduced at the 1953 General Motors Motorama show at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The following year, a fastback Corvette concept called the Corvair, a name Chevy would later recycle for its ill-fated compact car, became one of the stars of the Motorama. Chevrolet, however, never put a fastback version of the first-generation Corvette into production. The winner of the 2024 Don Ridler Memorial Award, “the Nobel Prize of hot-rodding,” was inspired by that never-realized concept.
Dave and Tracey Maxwell, of Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, describe “TwelveAir” as being “loosely” based on that Motorama Corvair. Loosely is an appropriate characterization: The original concept had a fiberglass body on a ladder frame and was powered by an inline “Blue Flame” six-cylinder engine, driving through a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. TwelveAir has a bespoke, hand-formed aluminum unibody and is powered by a 9.2-liter V-12 engine, based on GM’s LS V-8 architecture plus an aluminum block and heads, which drives the wheels through an eight-speed automatic transaxle sourced from a C7 Corvette.
The car was built by Kindig It Design, owned by Dave Kindig, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kindig has had a hand in designing prior finalists (aka The Great Eight) for the Ridler, but TwelveAir is his first Ridler winner. While Kindig sees the award as the culmination of 25 years of work, he won’t be resting on his laurels. At the ceremony, held during the Detroit Autorama at Huntington Place, his team members already were asking, “What’s in the shop next?”
When asked what winning the award meant to him, the owner of the car, Dave Maxwell, who runs a construction company and also owns car and boat dealerships, said: “Oh my, it’s over the top. I mean … I’m so happy for the builder and the guys who built the car. I let them do their thing. I gave them some ideas that I’d like to see, and just let them go and they hit everything right on! It’s the guys. It’s all about the guys.”
Maxwell says TwelveAir is going to be a driver. “Dave Kindig knows, like with the truck he built me, and my wife’s Volkswagens, and stuff like that… they all think I’m crazy, but after we’re done showing it then it becomes a driver. We’ll change the wheels from show wheels. The disc brakes are [polished, rather than chromed] stainless steel, so we’re good.”
When asked how much he has invested in TwelveAir, Maxwell chuckled and said, “Quite a bit.”
It’s not unusual for a Ridler build to cost seven figures. TwelveAir took four and a half years to build, so it also represents a significant investment in time.
One of TwelveAir’s notable design features is an almost Zagato-like bubble roof, with a concave character line running from the backlight into the top of the windshield. Putting a crease in a glass windshield like that must also have cost quite a bit, but it is the ambition and execution of those kinds of features that make up a Ridler winner.
Tracey Maxwell said, “What does this mean to me? For him [gesturing to her husband]… I am just so happy for him. He deserves it, the team deserves it. We couldn’t have been here without them.”
TwelveAir
Paint: AzkoNobel sprayed by Kindig
Engine: Race Cast Engineering, all alloy 9.2-liter naturally aspirated V-12
Transmission: GM 8L90E eight-speed automatic
Exhaust: Handbuilt stainless steel with three into two, two into one headers and custom 4-inch exhaust
Body: Hand-formed unibody made of 3003T0 and 6061 aluminum
Suspension: Indycar-inspired single lateral coilover cantilever pushrod
Interior: Sienna leather done by JS Custom Interiors; 3D printed dash, console, and door inserts.
Electronics: Haltec Nexux VCU with CANBus
Wheels: Kindig-designed 8×20 front, 12×21 rear
Brakes: Wilwood Aero6 calipers front, Aero4 rear; custom brake hats; hand-polished, slotted and drilled stainless-steel rotors
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Pretty awesome looking
Did the owners give their employees a pay raise?
Fantastic workmanship and attention to detail. Overall a beautiful car. That being said, my eyes can’t get over an imbalance in the car. This could be because I’m not seeing it in person only in photos. It feels like the top is too small. In the photos, the 20 & 21” wheels appear larger than the top. In fairness, in pictures of the original, the wheels/tires do look large for the side of the car. But the concept’s coupe top is much larger as well. I’m of the opinion (I know, who cares what I think?) the top should’ve been higher and longer.
Beautiful car! Great exterior color. I’m glad to see I chose the right interior color and shifter for my own ’56 Chevy build. I’m not a fan of the giant wheels and o-ring tires, either, but the owner says he’ll put road wheels on it to drive. Those oversize wagon wheels cut the body and wheelwell lines wrong, it looks like the suspension has collapsed.
Beautiful car but I can’t help feeling nostalgic for Riddler winners of the past that were simpler and more personal. This meant that many diverse builders could covet the award. today it’s more about the money. Big (BIG) dollar builds and very little competition that can afford to compete. But then I like stock car racing from the 60s better as well.
Mr Schreiber said “…there are usually a couple of owner-built cars…”
Which is sad.
There ought to be two awards: one for the actual artist, and then another – maybe a little certificate – for the guy/girl that does nothing but write the check.
Still love the original 1953-4 Corvette’s, however everyone has their own idea of beauty. This is an exquisitely built example (Kindig shop) quality, and deservedly garnered the award.
Dave’s fascination with the C1 is clear. Not only should we be applauding Dave’s talent, but for the Maxwell’s business success. Without it, who could afford these builds. Three of Maxwells businesses or a half dozen miles from my home. I continue to search for Max headroom ’67 C10. congrats