Its that time of year again folks. Spring draws nigh, and for hot rod folk, nothing signals the coming change of seasons more than the Rod Show’s Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, at the end of January.
Not only is GNRS the “Acadamy Awards” of hot rodding, but the whole affair is conducted on the lush, manicured grounds of the Pomona Fairplex, the former L.A. County fairgrounds. With streamlined, modern architecture, getting lost on the grounds is a treat in itself. You can feel the buzz of a thousand past events pulsating in the air when navigating the venue.
The 71st Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show is packed many other cool attractions in addition to AMBR. The Suede Palace, a perennial favorite, featured rat rods, primer, rust, and rolling bones builds with a heavy dollop of cool. New for this year was the “Drag Racing Then & Now in Building 9. With a mind-boggling assortment of rails, dragsters, and gassers, this was probably the most extensive gathering of speed ever assembled in one place. Add the outdoor Grandaddy Drive-In, which is a huge show-and-shine that attracts the best local cars from around Southern California, and you can see why GNRS is the most important rod show on the west coast.
America’s Most Beautiful Roadster is the big kahuna event at GNRS though, and Rod Authority editor Dave Cruikshank was on the ground over the weekend bringing you back pictures, up close and personal, of all the contenders for AMBR. We wanted to give a shout out to world-class fastener manufacturer ARP for sponsoring the award this year with it’s $12,500 purse. So, in no particular order, here are the beauties vying for the most prestigious title in the hot rod hobby.
John Ivy’s 1927 Ford Roadster
Gary and Deborah DeVine’s 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup “Warpaint”
1932 Ford “K’s Roadster”
Monte Belsham’s 1932 Kugel Muroc Roadster
Walter and Thenia Sigsby’s “Leg Show” T
V12 1934 Ford Roadster “Lady Laird Lincoln “
Tom Firth’s 1932 “Brownstone Roadster”
Gary Mower’s 1932 Ford “Mower Roadster”
Mike Dwight’s 1932 Ford Roadster
Dustin And Dawn Smith’s “Twin Fan Special”
Who will win? We’ll know Sunday night. Again, we like “Leg Show” as it’s such a breath of fresh air mixed with a heavy hit of nostalgia. Stay tuned to Rod Authority for all the updates of the winner of GNRS AMBR 2020.
Special Mention: Ross and Beth Meyers “Kooky Kar” 1922 T Bucket Pickup
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