“Olds Cool” Wins Goodguys 2016 Street Rod of the Year

“Olds Cool” is Goodguys 2016 Street Rod of the Year …

The Goodguys 2016 Street Rod of the Year was announced at this weekend’s Goodguys PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday. Achieving legendary status, the 1939 Oldsmobile Model 60 Convertible owned by Billy Thomas of Corpus Christi, Texas won the Goodguys 2016 Street Rod of the Year Award sponsored by Classic Instruments.  It is the same car that won the 2016 Ridler Award in March at the Detroit Autorama. Builder, Harold Chapman of Hot Rods & Customs of Andice, Texas, told us last week at the Heartland Nationals that he wanted the 1939 Oldsmobile to win here in Columbus. It puts the car they call “Olds Cool” in a category by itself atop the street rodding hobby.

Here is a photo slider of “Olds Cool” from the Goodguys 2016 Street Rod of the Year competition:

The newly crowned Goodguys 2016 Street Rod of the Year winner is now the only car to have won both the Goodguys Street Rod of the Year trophy and the Ridler Award trophy. Should Thomas and Chapman decide to take “Olds Cool” to the Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale this year to compete for the Barrett-Jackson Cup, or to Pomona in January for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award, it would be the only car in history to have achieved all of the top honors a custom street rod could have. It would only have to win one more award to have achieved that “trifecta.”

“Olds Cool” is unique by its very build. Thomas found the only Model 60 Oldsmobile convertible left in the world to start with. Then Thomas found an Oldsmobile 455 engine built by legendary engine builder Joe Mondelo, Sr. They say it was the last engine completed by Mondelo before he passed away. Truly a work of art, the exterior, interior and the undercarriage were subjects of wonderment and careful study by spectators at the Goodguys event this weekend. Words like “flawless” and “cutting edge custom” were always in the conversation.

The winner of the 2016 Goodguys PPG Street Machine of the Year was the 1969 Coyote Mustang, owned by Tim Spencer of Alabaster, Alabama, and built by Goolsby Customs. No trailer queen, this car competed in the Goodguys Autocross races on Friday. See slider here below for detailed photos:

Here are the other cars in contention for Classic Instruments’ Street Rod of the Year:

PPG Street Machine of the Year contenders here on the grounds of the Ohio Expo Center: