Where were you 56 years ago? Chances are good that even if you were alive, you probably weren't attending the Grand National show. The event, which added the "Roadster" portion of its name in 1963, has since grown to become the oldest customized car show in the country.
Based in NorCal's Bay Area for five decades, the annual Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS), the "Grand Daddy of Them All," as it's sometimes referred to (or even the Oakland Roadster Show-though not correctly), moved to new digs in Southern California last year with many wondering if the new locale would end up killing the show or make it stronger. Traditionally, it is very hard to bring a new show into the SoCal region (some think there are too many events to begin with, and some don't want to drive even 20 miles to attend yet another car show). Last year's event at the L.A. County Fairplex in Pomona, California, showed promise, but the real test for the show and the location would be the reception of the second show.
As it turned out, those attending the GNRS (which includes many who travel the indoor car circuit around the country) were treated to the best gathering of cars in recent memory, eclipsing recent years of the Detroit AutoRama as well as all other high-profile shows they could name.
And, despite its name, all types of vehicles are shown at the GNRS, not just roadsters. However, the top award at this event, the America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) Award is, as the name implies, only for roadsters, and pre-'38 American cars, at that.
So, in keeping with that roadster theme, this issue of KIT CAR is looking at the roadsters of the GNRS. While some of the cars we're checking out are not kits in the truest sense of the word, all of them can provide a base of ideas to work from in designing or building your own roadster. And that's one of the best reasons to attend indoor car shows to begin with as they offer one-stop shopping when it comes to visualizing how you can build your own. You can do 'em in either 'glass or steel, but one thing is for sure: driving an open-top roadster is one of the best feelings a driver can ever have.
For more on the next Grand National Roadster Show (there's a lot more to it than just the roadsters) check out their Web site at www.hotrodshows.com or call (877) 763-7469.