For the last 30 years, the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association has brought amazing events to the hot rod and custom community. But the famed hot rod association isn’t just about vintage metal anymore. Starting a few years back, Goodguys opened their event gates to late-model, American made and American powered vehicles at several All American Sunday Shows (previously known as Super Sundays) across the country. Growing in popularity among all ages, Goodguys now offers this special event to all American classics at almost every one of their national events, including last weekend’s 16th Colorado Nationals.

All’s Fair In Love And Hot Rods

If you’ve ever attended a Goodguys Show, you know that the focus is on pre-1973 vehicles on Friday and Saturday, but when Sunday roles around, anything American goes. Not only does this allow those enthusiasts who have newer American vehicles to participate in the fun, it also opens the doors to younger generations of gearheads.

Last year, we talked to Goodguys’ own Harry Daviess who explained that younger gearheads don’t always have the means to buy a classic hot rod, so the All American Sunday events open the doors for their vehicle passions as well.

Nothing held more true this year at the 16th Colorado Nationals where we found plenty of Millenials taking advantage of the late-model experience at the show, but we also found many vintage vehicle owners stretching their wings with their modern performance machines as well.

Forget Lawn Chair Parking

With some of the out of state rodders heading home after the long weekend, the All American Sunday event in Colorado seemed a bit barren at first, but as we quickly found out, it wasn’t for a lack of next generation enthusiasm. In fact, we found most of the late-model guys out on the auto-cross course tearing up their tires and aiming to prove which late-model vehicles were best at carving cones.

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Even on the auto-cross course, the Bowtie and the Blue Oval continued their long-lasting rivalry.

Among the competitors, we found two Camaro ZL1 owners locked into a friendly rivalry, several fourth and fifth-generation Mustang guys and even a couple late-model Challenger owners, none of which even blinked an eye at the perspective of taking out cones and burning up some rubber.

The competition also brought out a C5 Corvette, two third-gen Camaros, a killer 1984 Trans Am, fifth- generation Camaro convertibles, a Ford Focus, a 2010 Lingenfelter Camaro and even a 1973 Ford F-100 pickup built for sand dune crawling giving the course a go.

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It's easy to have a brand new Camaro that's nice, but not many thrid-gens have impressed us as much as this one. Owned by Brandon Pursley of Windsor, Colorado, this sleek black and blue 'Maro boasts a 5.0L TPI engine, T-56 six-speed transmission, custom interior, upgraded brakes, suspension and wheels.

While many guys and even a few gals battled it out on the course to the tune of high 40-second and low 50-second times, Max Brewster pulled out the win in the end with his 1979 Triumph Spitfire with a 2.3 Turbo Ford engine swap. His fastest course time was 46.45 seconds, just 0.19 seconds faster than Joel Gonzoles and his bright red 2013 ZL1.

Rather Be Relaxing

While many of the late-model owners were out on the auto-cross course most the day, many others enjoyed their time sitting in the shade of the event complex grounds and taking in all the sights and sounds of the Colorado Nats.

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From the front of the lawn of The Ranch to the auto-cross course out front, Mustangs were the most represented model at the show, followed in a close second by Camaros.

Just like last year, we found many unique vehicles on The Ranch’s lawn, including a Callaway-prepared 45th Anniversary Edition Camaro, a Wounded Warrior Project fifth-generation Camaro, a ‘79 Special Edition Trans Am complete with screaming hood bird and even a 1985 GTP Corvette racecar clone signed by American racer Doc Bundy.

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The owner of this rare and unique car, Muff Davis of Niwat, Colorado, told us that he just recently purchased this bad boy at auction to add to his already stellar car collection.

Although most of the late-model vehicles that showed up for the All American Sunday were well along the performance lines, others stuck out as a bit different, including a flame-painted Chevy SSR and a Jeep Wrangler. A bit different from the typical Goodguys show cars, these vehicles were just as welcomed and looked at during the show as their more performance-minded counterparts.

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Not your traditional performance vehicles, even this SSR and Jeep Wrangler found their spots among the modern machines at the Colorado Nationals All American Sunday.

Another odd-ball vehicle we found on The Ranch lawn was a 1962 Volkswagen Truck with a shortened bed. Nicknamed Stanley the Short Bus, this vehicle may not qualify as “late model” but it surely brought new and unique ideas to the show that spectators just couldn’t get enough of.

Adding to the modern feel was the countless modern engines we saw crammed into just about every type of hot rod imaginable throughout the weekend.

While the first couple days of every Goodguys show remains classically inspired, more and more rods today could qualify as more modern than anything else thanks to their newer powerplants, drivetrains, suspension systems and even brand new fiberglass and metal bodies. Builds encompassing performance, comfort, and reliability – all rolled into one killer package.

Hitting the Winner’s Circle

All American Sunday Awards:

Tony Priborsky – Lyons, CO – 2006 Mustang

Randy Brauchler – Evans, CO – 2002 Camaro

Shawn & Brandi Leighman – Fort Collins, CO – 2007 Mustang

Muff Davis – Niwat, CO – 1985 GTP Corvette

Alex &Jenn Chavez – Fort Collins, CO

Goodguys Autocross All American Sunday Winner – Max Brewster  – Thornton, CO

 No matter what your preference, be it old-school or modern-cool, the Goodguys events offer something for everyone. And with the notable 30th year anniversary celebrations taking place all year long, we can only hope for another 30 years of the same!

For more exclusive shots from the Goodguys Colorado Nationals All American Sunday, check out the GALLERY below: