From a display celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ford's legendary Model T to a spectacular hot rod that earned the title of America's Most Beautiful Roadster, the Sept. 4-7 Food Lion AutoFair at Lowe's Motor Speedway will be a four-day automotive celebration.

Known as the world's largest automotive extravaganza, the fall edition of Food Lion AutoFair will include numerous special attractions, 51 car club displays, a giant swap meet, an auto auction and nearly 1,500 vehicles available for sale or trade.

Headlining a special Trophy Rides display in the 3M Car Care Garage will be a 1935 Ford known as the Iowa Radster. Kevin and Karen Alstott, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, did their homework before commissioning Lakeside Rods & Rides to create the Radster. Kevin Alstott, a car collector and modifier for

16 years, went so far as to interview judges from America's top shows to find out exactly what they look for in a winning entry.

Every component of the car's chassis, body and interior was handcrafted from raw materials or, in the case of the powertrain, assembled by specialists to meet certain aesthetic criteria.

A one-off tubular frame wears Indy-style independent suspension components at all four corners. Starting with flat sheets of steel, craftsmen shaped every body panel with techniques that have all but disappeared since the start of automotive mass production. A pair of adobe-colored bucket seats is the centerpiece of the interior, which features a teardrop design theme with unique gauges, pedals, shift knob and floor treatment.

As the Iowa Radster's two-and-a-half years of construction neared completion, the Alstotts registered for the 54th annual Autorama in Detroit and submitted their car to be considered for the Don Ridler Memorial Award.

Receiving the Ridler trophy, named for the Autorama's pioneering show promoter who passed away in 1963, is the custom car world's highest honor.

Thirty Ridler contenders were chosen from more than 20,000 applicants and graded by a team of International Show Car Association judges.

In 2006, the Ridler Award winner was the Alstotts' '35 Ford roadster.

Ten months later, at the 58th Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, Calif., the burgundy-and-gold '35 Ford also secured the title of America's Most Beautiful Roadster.

Another award-winning Trophy Ride on display will be the 1974 'Cuda owned by Bryon Webber, of Denver, N.C. Webber was inspired to transform the Plymouth he purchased through eBay into a world-class hot rod with supercar power after visiting Food Lion AutoFair in 2006.

After a laundry list of engine and chassis modifications were completed, Webber's dream of driving a Plymouth 'Cuda unlike any other meant the graphics had to carry maximum impact. He had once seen a Cobra replica at the Food Lion AutoFair covered in a deep orange paint so beautiful that Webber asked the car's owner who made it. He left AutoFair with "Tangelo Pearl by House of Kolor" scribbled in his mental notebook.

Once his 'Cuda was wearing several coats of orange paint hand rubbed to perfection, five layers of protective clear paint were applied before Webber's airbrush artist was turned loose. Webber's ideas for the graphics were so thorough that there are mini-murals on parts of the car that will never be seen.

Webber put the final touches on his cool 'Cuda mere hours before it entered the Standard of Mopar Excellence competition during the All-Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pa. To illustrate the thoroughness of the SME judges, all 26 of the invitation-only competitors were docked .25 points because the air valves on their wheels were not consistently matched to specific points on the tires. Only two other cars scored higher than Webber's 'Cuda, but the 97.25 rating earned it the event's highest honor-Gold Certification.

. A Century Celebration: A century has passed since Henry Ford sold his first Model T and put the world on wheels. During the Sept. 4-7 Food Lion AutoFair, a special display will pay tribute to Ford's "universal car" whose name is synonymous with mass-production and American innovation. In October of 1908, Ford eliminated all previous car lines to focus on a plain but sturdy design he called the "Model T." Desperate to keep up with demand for the Model T, Ford instituted its moving assembly line in August of 1913, giving birth to industrial mass-production and eventually trimming single-car assembly time from 12.5 hours to 1.5 hours. More than 15 million Model Ts were produced from model-year 1909 through the end of 1927, when Ford shut down his plants to convert to Model A assembly.

. Model Ts Made in Charlotte: Ford Motor Co. opened a Charlotte service office for its Carolinas Model T customers in 1914. The facility was quickly converted to a small assembly plant, turning out 6,850 Model Ts in 1915, its first full year of operation. In January of 1924, Ford made its biggest commitment to Charlotte when it broke ground on a manufacturing complex off of Statesville Avenue. The main building, designed by renowned industrial architect Albert Kahn, covered 240,000 square feet. The entire project cost Ford nearly $2 million, or approximately $25 million in today's money, and the new plant's first day of production was Sept. 14, 1924. Ford hired 500 local workers and turned out an average of 300 Model T cars and trucks every day in its first year of operation. The plant switched to manufacturing Ford Model As in 1928, but closed in 1932 when the Great Depression killed the company's sales momentum.

. Edsel's 50th Anniversary: It is often called "Ford's famous flop," but when the Edsel celebrates its 50th anniversary during Food Lion AutoFair, a special display might convince spectators the controversial car was simply a victim of bad timing and its own hype. Establishing a new automobile brand meant creating a 1,200-dealer network, building a division headquarters and scheduling production time at plants in five states. As Edsel's national launch on Sept. 4, 1957, grew closer, the division's optimistic general manager claimed buyer demand would "exceed the originally announced first-year sales goal of 200,000 units." But Ford Motor Co. lost $350 million betting on a car named for its founder's son. It is most likely the case that Ford sank its new division with its own hype. Adding to this psychological letdown was the 1957-'58 economic recession that stifled new-car sales, especially those products in the intermediate and upper categories.

. Rare Pair: The word "rare" is used in the vintage car world to describe vehicles built by the dozens or hundreds, but Tim Lingerfelt, a collector from Davidson, N.C., will display two cars at Food Lion AutoFair whose production numbers measure in the single digits. Part minivan, part airplane, Lingerfelt's 1936 Stout Scarab is an automotive crowd-pleaser of which only five are known to exist. His other curiosity is a 1928 Worldmobile 8 six-passenger sedan, a car so rare that automotive experts often argue whether it exists at all. Only one Worldmobile has surfaced since the manufacturer came and went 80 years ago.

. Tractors Galore: Hosted by the Stumptown Tractor Club, dozens of antique tractors will be on display. The event offers tractor owners the opportunity to display such machines as John Deeres, Minneapolis-Molines and Allis-Chalmers alongside the likes of the Kaisers, Studebakers and Chevrolets that are mainstays of the world's largest automotive extravaganza.

. Vintage Dragsters: In advance of the Sept. 11-14 NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway @ Concord, Food Lion AutoFair will include a display of vintage drag racing machines. At designated times throughout the four-day event, officials plan to conduct what is known to vintage drag racing enthusiasts as a "cacklefest." This is when the powerful engines on one or more of the historic dragsters are started, allowing fans to hear the "cackle" of the exhaust pipes.

. Car Club Spectacular: Fifty-one car clubs will bring nearly 2,000 show cars to Food Lion AutoFair on Saturday, Sept. 6, and Sunday, Sept. 7, as part of an Antique Automobile Club of America regional meet.

. Automotive Art: Famed automotive artists Dan McCrary, David Snyder and Roger Blanchard will have a mini-gallery in the 3M Car Care Garage.

. Tom Mack's Auction @ AutoFair: Lakeside Classics, of Denver, N.C., has selected 20 rare vehicles from the collection of longtime automotive aficionado Johnny Foster to be put up for bid Saturday, Sept. 6, during Tom Mack Classics' Auction @ AutoFair. Among the cars from Foster's collection scheduled to cross the auction block are a fully restored 1941 Packard 110 convertible; a 1948 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine; a 1964 Plymouth Fury convertible; and a 1916 Dodge Brothers Touring Truck. Auction @ AutoFair is a two-day event that starts at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, and resumes at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6. For consignment information or to obtain a complete list of auction cars, contact Tom Mack Classics at (803) 364-3322 or visit www.tommackclassics.com.

. Book Signing: Automotive author and car enthusiast Tom Cotter will greet fans and sign autographs in the 3M Car Care Garage from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The Davidson, N.C., resident will have copies of his popular books, "The Cobra in the Barn" and "The Hemi in the Barn," available for sale. Cotter will also emcee Food Lion AutoFair's closing ceremonies Sunday afternoon.

. Huge Car Corral: More than 1,500 vehicles available for sale or trade will circle the 1.5-mile superspeedway and the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles will have an on-site office to process the paperwork.

. Giant Flea Market: One person's junk is another person's treasure and 7,000 vendor spaces, located both inside and outside the speedway, will offer an extraordinary array of automotive parts and memorabilia.

. Manufacturers' Midway: The NASCAR Sprint Cup garage and its surrounding parking areas will be filled with manufacturers and distributors of aftermarket parts and accessories. From welding equipment to car care products, the Manufacturer's Midway is the ultimate shopping destination for automotive aficionados.

Food Lion AutoFair hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at the gates on event days. Admission is $10 per day for adults with children ages 12 and under admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Parking is $5.

Information can be obtained by calling the Lowe's Motor Speedway events department at (704) 455-3205 or visit us online.