SEMA SHOW: MOTHERS® SHINE AWARD PRESENTED TO 1969 FORD TORINO TALLADEGA 'GPT SPECIAL'

November 11, 2013 by Ford

Everything is bigger and brighter in Las Vegas, NV and here at the SEMA Show the Mothers® Shine Award is one of the brightest and most coveted achievements within the car builders' community. As always, the 13th annual edition of the Shine Award was selected from, no less than, hundreds of the world's premier cars on display at the most anticipated aftermarket industry event of the year. An international panel of respected members of the automotive world, including seasoned builders, paint specialists, journalists and previous Shine Award recipients, are tasked with selecting a winner. Judging is based on overall appearance, fit and finish, attention to detail, integration of custom and stock elements, creative vision and execution of concept.

Aftermarket industry veteran, John Naderi, hosted the ceremony this year, which was held at the Mothers Polish® booth.

The 2013 Shine Award was presented to George Poteet, Memphis, TN for his 1969 Ford Torino Talladega 'GPT Special.' The Talladega was given a Holman Moody-inspired body treatment as it was widened by five inches, with three inches removed from the front fenders and an inch taken from the wheelbase. The body was Coke-bottled, meaning the rear quarters and front fenders are wider than stock and bulge out relative to the rocker panels. The grille, taillight bezels and other trim parts were CNC'd from large chunks of billet aluminum. The engine is a real deal Boss 429 complete with a rare Ford experimental mechanical fuel-injection intake converted to EFI by Rad Rides. The chassis is a converted Art Morrison unit with C5 Corvette front suspension and a Detroit Speed four-link in the rear with a Watts link and a Mark Williams 9-inch axle. The body was treated to more than one thousand man-hours of paint prep and finished in a BASF Glasurit 90-Line Tennessee Whiskey Gold gloss and Daytona Sand satin paint. The Torino is on display at the BASF Booth #21441.

In addition to the Shine Award, ten Mothers® Choice Award trophies were also presented:

1971 De Tomaso Pantera

Owner: Cheryl Brickl, Middleton, WI

Builder: Ringbrothers, Spring Green, WI

Location: Royal Purple Booth #23713

1965 C2 Corvette

Owner: Alan Woodall, Cary, NC

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Builder: Jesse and Jeff Greening, Greening Auto Company, Nashville, TN

Location: North Hall Walkway

1940 Ford Coupe 'Checkered Past'

Owner: Ron and Deb Cizek, Bennington, NE

Builder: Andy Leach, CAL Automotive Creations, Omaha, NE

Location: Ford Booth #22200

1969 Ford Torino Talladega 'GPT Special'

Owner: George Poteet, Memphis, TN

Builder: Troy Trepanier, Rad Rides by Troy, Manteno, IL

Location: BASF Booth #21441

1972 Chevrolet Camaro 'TT'

Owner: Ron Lallo, Bakersfield, CA

Builder: Steve Strope, Pure Vision, Simi Valley, CA

Location: HRE Wheels Booth #22359

2013 Scion xB 'Strictly Business Cartel xB'

Owner: Scion, Torrance, CA

Builder: Jeremy Lookofsky, Cartel Customs, Simi Valley, CA; Dominick Vitelli, Quality Coachworks, Ontario, CA

Location: Scion Booth #20313

1953 Studebaker Hawk Competition Coupe 'Stupidbaker'

Owner: Paul and Betty Gilliam, AL

Builder: Alan Johnson, Johnson's Hot Rods, Gadsden, AL

Location: ARP Inc. Booth #23259

1957 Chevrolet Pick-Up 'Quicksilver'

Owner: Alan Beers, Owasso, OK

Builder: Jason Smith, Hot Rod Garage, Sand Springs, OK

Location: ARMO Booth #23395

2013 Ford Focus ST 'UTI – Tjin Edition Focus'

Owner: UTI – Universal Technical Institute, Scottsdale, AZ

Builder: Neil Tjin, Tjin Edition, Laguna Nigel, CA

Location: Ford Booth #22200

1966 'Lime Crush' Chevrolet Suburban

Owner: Mr. Gasket, Cleveland, OH

Builder: The Roadster Shop, Mundelein, IL; Mr. Gasket, Cleveland, OH

Location: Mr. Gasket Booth #11617