DETROIT, Mich. – There were so many great Fords on display at this year’s Detroit Autorama that we’ll have to come back with yet another Quick Look to see still more of the enthusiast-built Ford customs, hot rods, classics and street machines that we found on display there. But there’s another part of the annual Autorama in The Motor City that deserves its own space. It’s called “Autorama Extreme,” and it lives downstairs in the basement level of Detroit’s Huntington Place Convention Center. This show-within-a-show is a place where a nostalgic niche automotive atmosphere prevails, thanks to a mix of uniquely crafted vehicles that feature patina, rust, matte-black paint and tons of imagination.

Known as the area during the Autorama where the automotive subculture is on display, you can tell from the minute you come down the escalators that you’re going to be stepping into a home-grown grassroots experience, complete with live music, rat-rods, offbeat rolling rescues – plus bicycles, mini-bikes and motorcycles. Much more than just having wild rides to see, Autorama Extreme is known for its array of custom artwork that the artists themselves are selling and will sign for you on the spot, as well as many colorful and, shall we say, “offbeat” vendors, plus period-correct displays from across the automotive historical spectrum .As you might expect, there were plenty of Fords to check out down here, so we sent our roving Ford Performance photog, Ford retiree and super-enthusiast Bill Cook, to take a walk around the Autorama Extreme scene with his camera to offer you the photo gallery below -- enjoy!

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY BILL COOK