Yet another indoor car show? Nothing can be farther from the truth when talking about the Grand National Roadster Show, the oldest indoor custom car show in the country. Called the Granddaddy Of Them All (as it has survived countless fads and trends since its inception in 1949), the event is more than just an inexpensive way to spend some quality car time with the family (as if they don't get enough of that with you living in the garage!). It's a great way to see many types of cars you'd otherwise never find driving down Main Street.
But for car people, indoor car shows are a great way to catch up with old friends, check out the latest trends, discover a new way to build or paint something, and generally immerse themselves in American car culture. Though customizing your ride can be traced back to the ornate horse-drawn coaches of 18th-century Europe, no one takes automobile design as seriously as the custom car builders in the United States, and they've been doing it for more than 100 years.
For the past 57 years, the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) has catered to those who have a fanatical dedication to custom car building. Mislabeled the Oakland Roadster Show for much of its life (due to its former location in the NorCal city of Oakland), the GNRS has been run by three different owners in the past six years, but it seems the current location (the Fairplex in Pomona, California) and new owner/promoter John Buck are certainly more committed than the previous promoter to continuing the show's great legacy.
Nearly anyone who is into building cars, especially the hot rod crowd (which includes kits, replicars, and original-steel rides), seems to already know about the GNRS and its America's Most Beautiful Roadster (or AMBR) award. First handed out as the Most Beautiful Roadster award back in 1950 when the show was known as the National Roadster Show, it is the pinnacle of achievement for both a car's owner and/or builder. But the AMBR, which helps draw an extraordinary group of cars to the show, is only a facet of the overall GNRS experience.
Spectators can be assured the group of cars and motor-cycles on display are among the finest anywhere, so it is with great pride when you find a well-built kit or replicar amongst the show's participants, demonstrating that kits and replicars have come a long way in build quality from only a decade or so ago. Though some people still hold to the antiquated notion that kit cars are either Cobra or VW-powered '29 Mercedes clones, the current view is that a much larger group of cars falls under the kit and replicar umbrella.
Both 'glass and new-steel '32 Ford roadsters were everywhere, as were a smaller group of handcrafted one-offs. The 'glass T-bucket crowd, one of the oldest representatives of the kit car market, had many examples on display, with quite a variation in build styles (and why even today the car remains a popular build for car enthusiasts). But yes, even the Cobra crowd participated, but not with some of the ill-fitting contraptions of yesteryear, but rather highly crafted examples of today's build techniques and standards.
And maybe that's why these indoor car shows continue to be so important. They offer the builder of tomorrow points of reference to base their next project on, as you can always learn what to do, or not do, by viewing a vehicle that is farther along in the build process than your own! Sure, the alcohol-injected Funny Car starting its motor on the hour between the show buildings will always be fun to watch, hear, and smell, but having a place to display your vision of a kit or replicar is great, too! For more on the GNRS, as well as the other shows promoted by John Buck Enterprises, check the Web at www.hotrodshows.com.