It just keeps getting better. The storied past (and future) of the Grand National Roadster Show is something akin to our hobby: There is change, controversy, ups and downs, but in the end we love it. The GNRS is often referred to as the granddaddy of all indoor car shows and for good reason. It has been around since 1949 (Bill Niekamp won top honors in 1950) and continues to this day. The list of winners of the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award is the proverbial list of "who's who" among builders, influential cars, and the show locations are both historic and varied!
This year the 57th GNRS was everything we have come to expect from this event plus several interesting twists. First off, congratulations to the show's new owner/promoter, John Buck (Hot Rod Shows, www.hotrodshows.com)-if the first year is any indication of the future, things are looking bright for upcoming years. Welcomed additions to this year's GNRS were the Saturday outdoor car show for local rodders (over 200 strong this year) to bring their rides and park in between the buildings. They too were up for awards from several of the magazines, including STREET RODDER, which made its three Drive-In picks based on the car's drivability and appearance. (Editor's Note: These selections were made by Technical Editor Ron Ceridono, which probably means if some car owner were to lure him aside with something deep fried or wrapped in bacon he would have been his or her buddy!) Taking home the SRM Drive-In Awards were Jim Hartman for his black lacquer '28 Ford roadster complete with dual-quad small-block Chevy that was once used as a push car. Richard Corbitt was another winner, with his homebuilt '37 Chevy, which belies its Corvette heritage. And, last but surely not least, were Rob and Dianne Robson for their 302-powered '46 Ford two-door sedan with copious miles of recorded mileage.
Another popular addition to this year's show and a venue that will surely grow in size was the Suede Palace. As the name would imply, you had to be sportin' your finest suede finish to make the cut here. Going home with the goodies were Frank Chambers for his '50 Merc and Jesus Vaencia for his '49 Chevy in the custom car ranks, while Peter Guida with his '31 Ford and Kevin Simpson with his Deuce were winners in the rod division. Located in their own building (one of six), the atmosphere, cars, and lifestyle were all theirs.
Making up the remaining five buildings were every description of car, truck, and motorcycle, along with club displays and several items of particular interest. This year the GNRS honored Builder of the Year to California Street Rods out of Huntington Beach, California. A family affair, Chuck Lombardo Sr. (founder) and Chuck Jr. (current president) began the business back in 1974. It was in '83 that Senior's Deuce highboy won the coveted AMBR award with his Deuce highboy roadster.
Another well-kept secret is the Hall of Fame luncheon, which is held on Saturday afternoon. This year three new inductees were announced: Pat Ganahl, Rudy Perez, and George Hague.
Pat is a past editor of STREET RODDER and several lesser-known publications-including Rod & Custom and a monthly mag entitled Hot Rod! He has also served duty as the editor of The Rodder's Journal and published books on Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and Ken Smith, aka Von Dutch. Too Tall Ganahl (at least for a Deuce roadster) is a much-seen sight at rod runs in the SoCal area and will always take the time to talk cars or the history of his chosen vocation and avocation. (Editor's Note: Congratulations Pat.)
Another old-timer (said with affection) is Rudy, who has been around the rodding scene, especially the Bay Area, since General George Custer was a private! (Just kidding!) It is reported that he has documented Bay Area rodding for nearly 50 years (including all the GNRS and numerous other car shows and rod runs) and has well over 75,000 photos in his collection. Yep, 75,000! He has had eight different cars in the GNRS and won the Brizio Family Award in '03 with his Deuce highboy roadster. Oh yes, he owned the car for 36 years and rolled up 185,702 miles-now that's a driver. For the record, Rudy has held the following jobs over the decades with the GNRS: a judge, an exhibitor, a janitor, a photographer-which he still actively pursues with enthusiasm-a car duster (our personal favorite), and a spectator. Not bad for a car guy.