PPG announced that a 1939 Oldsmobile convertible, sporting a custom-mixed metallic PPG ENVIROBASE High Performance finish by renowned painter Charley Hutton, won the 53rd annual Ridler Award at the recent 2016 Detroit Autorama. The Ridler Award is presented to the most outstanding custom car or truck making its debut appearance at the Autorama, an event – now in its 64th year – held every winter in the Motor City. It was Hutton’s fourth Ridler honor. Previous wins came in 2005, 2007 and 2013. It was also the fourth time in nine years that an entry painted with PPG Automotive Refinish products took the prize.
Appropriately nicknamed “Olds Cool,” the custom build is owned by Bill and Debbie Thomas of Georgetown, Texas. The car was meticulously constructed over four years by Harold Chapman and his team of craftsmen at Customs & Hot Rods of Andice, also of Georgetown.
Hutton, regarded as one of the most accomplished and gifted painters in the custom car world, uses PPG Automotive Refinish products exclusively. He painted Olds Cool at his shop, Charley Hutton’s Color Studio in Nampa, Idaho. Hutton is well known for his ability to select and mix just the right colors to match a car’s style and character, giving it a distinctive look.
In this case, the car’s custom color, Kona Brown, was personally created by Hutton. He used PPG Envirobase High Performance waterborne products and the GLOBAL REFINISH SYSTEM brand D8152 Performance plus Glamour Clearcoat to give Olds Cool its unique finish.
“Winning the Ridler is a special honor,” said Hutton. “I always appreciate the opportunity to work with highly skilled craftsmen that have such passion and drive. God blesses everyone with different talents, and the best part is working together to help build someone’s dream. The Olds is beautiful, and the key to our success has been working with PPG’s Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat. Using Envirobase High Performance products made it possible to create the exact finish we wanted. When mixing a custom color, Envirobase High Performance paint always exceeds my expectations; the colors that we’re able to achieve are so clean and brilliant.”
Hutton gained a national reputation with featured appearances on Hot Rod TV, TLC’s Overhaulin’ and the Discovery Channel’s American Hot Rod. His 2016 Ridler Award gives him another credential to add to his resume that includes the Barrett-Jackson Cup along with several Street Rod of the Year, Custom Rod of the Year, America’s Most Beautiful Roadster awards and many other top prizes.
The Ridler Award is officially known as the Don Ridler Memorial Award and was established in 1964. To qualify for the award, a car must debut at the Detroit Autorama. Entries are judged on creativity, engineering and workmanship. From the initial field of competitors, eight cars – known as the “Great Eight” – are chosen as finalists. The winner is selected from this elite group. The owner of the winning car receives a cash award and a special embroidered jacket along with the greater prize of the coveted Ridler Award trophy, representing the ultimate in custom design brilliance.
