Custom Cars and Hot Rods in Sacramento Story Contributed by MyRideisMe.com member: Nick Koljian "Hellcity316" The Sacramento Autorama is “The Kustom Capital of the World”. Believe it. After 61 years the Sacramento Autorama is one of the longest running indoor shows and with 450 custom cars, hot rods and specialty rides of all kinds covering Cal Expo's buildings and fairgrounds. The Sacramento Autorama started back in 1950,  when Sacramento businessman Harold "Baggy" Bagdasarian and his car club, the Capitol City Auto Club Thunderbolts, Baggy convinced club members to, "Settle friendly arguments over the outstanding merits of their personal customized cars." This according to the show's current host, Rodshows.com, the same folks who bring you the Grand National Roadster Show. The original show attracted 22 entries and 500 spectators with the first "Best Custom Car" trophy going to Leroy Semas for his 1937 Chevrolet coupe. (photo courtesy of Kustomrama.com) Once again, the 2011 NorCal car show season is under way! Kicking off the car show season is the 2011 Sacramento Autorama. Bay Area car clubs and car clubs from far and wide come to open the car show season at...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show Bubble topped show cars like the "Reactor" shown here were a staple of the 60's show car scene back then. Now, they stand out as freakishly-radical customs in a room full of classic customs at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!  The gods of custom would strike me down if I bad-mouthed names like Winfield and Roth... But you gotta agree, these are way over the top! I especially like the dragster inspired, and chrome plated of course,  steering wheel. Anyone ever seen a picture of someone sitting inside? (Click on a picture to see it full size) The Reactor, originally known as the "Autorama Special" was a one-off, hand build aluminum bodied custom built by Gene Winfield. The chassis was front wheel drive Citroen with motivation coming from a fully chromed Corvair engine. Hood, doors and lift-up roof were all electrically controlled. According to a website dedicated to the Piranha, Gene Winfield's Reactor made quite a splash on the show scene. So much so, Gene toured Hollywood! Before long, the Reactor was seen on Star Trek,...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show - It's a Driver! Cruisin the GNRS halls until your feet are putty, it pays off when you meet a guy like Jake Moomey. Jake's a soft spoken hot rodder hailing from Michigan. He drove, yea DROVE his killer 1954 Chevy Bel Air out to Mohave, CA for the Gene Winfield and Larry Watson, "Custom Car and Hot Rod Gathering" at Winfields shop. That's an ass-numbing 2300 miles one way! After the show, Jake left his custom with a buddy in Corona, CA then flew back to Michigan. Next, Jake came back for the Mooneye's show in December, then flew back... then one month later, here he is inside at the Grand National Roadster show! You seeing a pattern? Well he ain't done yet! After GNRS, Jake's back to freezing Michigan until March when he'll drive out to the Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up in Austin, TX. From there, he's back on the road once again and making the drive back to Michigan. A cracked windshield worn proud by Jake's fitty-fo. By the ever handy Google Maps, that's a total of 5100 miles!...

Hot Rod Pinup Cara Mia Cara Mia's a tattooed Hot Rod and Pin Up model, hailing from Oregon. She says she likes to add a lot of versatility to her modeling and has a lot of different interests. She has a large modeling portfolio, and I'd venture to say that with her killer looks, it'll be getting a lot bigger. She has a bad girl look, with ink on most areas of her body, but don't let that fool you... Cara has a sweet side, and she's not afraid to tell us she likes to curl up with her man and puppy, watch movies and knit scarves. Whether you like her for her spicy side, or sweet, her pictures are sure to please. STATS Hometown: Portland Oregon. Age: 23 years strong. Measurements: 34-27-36 Height: 5'8 Favorite band: Carrion Spring: www.myspace.com/CarrionSpring Movie: Spirited Away. Empire Records. Drop Dead Fred. The Toxic Avenger. Car: I'm a sucker for a gasser, but my all time favorite would be a Chevy Nomad. We can make our best guess by the looks of you (you're hot) but, tell us how you got your start...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show - For the First Time Ring-ring~ Friday night: A text message pops up on my beat up iphone and to my surprise, its Pikesan from MyRideisMe.com. It turns out that he's currently in California to cover the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona for the weekend! He asks if I'm interested in coming down to the show, and without any hesitation I kindly accept the invitation. Honestly, domestic American cars are not really my thing, but I do share an equal amount of respect for automobiles of all kinds so I start packing my gear. I've been to many domestic (American) car shows, but nothing to this caliber, some cars weren't even classics, they were antiques! Lined up in front of me by the hundreds were some of the worlds most beautiful historical customs of all genres. Upon entry, my jaw just drops. Not only were some of the masterpieces displayed worth more than what some people will make in 10 years, but the quality of the work was without a doubt, world class. And, its safe to say that the majority of the...

Hot Rods and Custom Cars at 2011 GNRS in Pomona, CA Day 2 of the "Grand-daddy of them all" the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show is done. This post shows just a few of my favorite shots from the show and gives a cross-section of the extremely wide array of custom rides. Above is the Hinkles Hot Rods amazing show truck. The gold paint lit up the main hall! Sticking with hot rod pickups, my friend Jim from the Throttle Kings completely transformed his truck! Last time I saw it, it wore suede paint and a pinstriped spade that covered the entire door.  Now, shiny paint and a bunch more chrome later, Jim's inside the Grand National Roadster Show's Suede Palace. This early hemi powered 1926 bodied pickup struck a menacing stance.  Everything about this hot rod says fast. The show card read like a history book of speed starting with drag racing from 1958 to 1961 at famed tracks like Bakersfiled, Lions, Pomona, Fontana and San Gabe. Dan Peterson's "El Gringo Loco" had to be one of my favorites. Built by Austin Speed Shop with a one-of-a-kind interior...

12 Hot Rod Roadsters at Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA Vote for your favorite below. (Click any picture to see it full size) Read about the new AMBR Award judging rules. It's that time... 12 judges in an ENTIRELY NEW judging format (more info on that coming soon...) will face the difficult task of picking the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show's "America's Most Beautiful Roadster". The AMBR award, as it's known, is given out every year at the Grand National Roadster Show to a true roadster (one that does not have roll-up windows) that has never been shown at an indoor show. Sounds simple enough? You choose your favorite in a poll below. America's Most Beautiful Roadster Contender #1 Pictured above is Russ and Lora Freund's 1923 Ford Roadster from Postfalls, Idaho called, "The Takeout T". This is the only "T-bucket" competing for America's Most Beautiful Roadster and it is outstanding. 1948 Ford Flathead powered, chromed to the max and featuring a striking, custom shade of Planet Color Purple paint. I'll have to get the name of the color for the feature I'll have to do. This...

Hot Rod Pinup Gia Genevieve This smokin' hot redhead made her way onto the scene in 2009 at VLV 12. She was noticed by a photographer and was put into the running right away to grace the cover of Ol' Skool Rodz magazine where you might remember seeing her. Gia's career has blossomed since then, winning the title of Ink and Iron Queen, and showing us what she does best  on the cover of Retro Lovely Magazine issue 3. I had the pleasure of getting to know Gia a little bit better when I interviewed her last year, and I'm happy to be able to work with her again, and bring her to you here on MyRideisMe. She is a sexy, curvaceous, sultry, red hot girl with hair to match. I look forward to a lot more wonderful photos from Gia, and seeing her around the Pin Up and Hot Rod scene for a while. Shout out to Pin Up photographer Roy Varga for these stunning shots of Gia, and for the great work he does in the pin up and hot rod community. Anyone into the Pin Up lifestyle,...

Debuting at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show Going to the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show? Besides the amazing roadsters, including the ones after the "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" award, there are other custom cars at GNRS that should never be missed. This Ford Econoline van is one. The purpose of this post is NOT to show or tell about the van, only to let you know to see it in person yourself at the show. I'll follow up with a detailed story and pictures... What you're seeing is "Van Go" the creation of artist and publisher Coby from Church Magazine. What started as a 1963 Ford Econoline van is now a one-off masterpiece of creativity and custom work. This van oozes cool from every polished and painted pore and I know it reflects a ton of work from Coby and from KA Custom, Tim Conder and Pablo Perez, who Coby says, "Are the 3 who truly made it happen..." Here's where this Econoline started: To say it doesn't impress says it correctly... that is, unless you're Velma or Daphne. With the stance drastically improved, the van already looked...

Past America's Most Beautiful Roadster Winners AMBR Award Judging Explained - Click here 2012 America's Most Beautiful Roadster I picked it! I was pulling for Bill Lindig's "Indy Speedster" and was lucky enough to get an interview and pictures before the crowds started pouring into the Fairplex on Friday of the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show.  I started the interview by saying I think the “Indy Speedster” is this year’s AMBR winner. Bill humbly replied, “If the other nine cars don’t win, we will.” Guess what Bill, you did it! Read about the 2012 AMBR Winner here. 2011 America's Most Beautiful Roadster Built in my home town, Chandler, AZ, by Doug Jerger and the gang at Squeeg's Kustoms, this 1934 Ford Roadster stole the show with the new judging rules for the AMBR. Displayed for most of the show with the hood, doors and trunk closed, some claimed the details of the build were hidden... or did that show the true "beauty" of the car. You decide... 2010 America's Most Beautiful Roadster 2010 America's Most Beautiful Roadster Winner - Some controversy followed this winning roadster. Read about it and...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show From Rodshows.com the hosts of the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show, here's some info about a very special hall at the 62nd Grand National Roadster Show or you might have heard of the "GNRS" and the home of the "AMBR Award" or "America's Most Beautiful Roadster".  This is the show and it's not one you want to miss! 62nd Annual Kragen O’Reilly Grand National Roadster Show Customs: Then and Now Featured at this year’s Grand National Roadster Show will be a classic collection of the most notable and historic custom cars. Building 9 at the Fairplex in Pomona will be filled with over 75 different members of custom car royalty. It promises to be a room full of chopped up beauties, dripping with impeccable colors and intricate paint. Aesthetic detail and flowing body lines will please the eye as you stroll through the exhibit and feel the history of the cruisin’ custom days. This exhibit is sure to represent this car class with pride and will, without a doubt, bring you back to the days when the era began. Though it won’t take place...

Hot Rod Art It started as an email to MyRideisMe.com to see if I would grant permission for an artist to use a photo he found. Thanks to artists Paul And Kimberly Buford for doing the right thing! Turns out, it wasn't my photo, it was taken at Viva Las Vegas by Paul "Swanee" Swanson. Turns out, this is a popular photo: Cars like this Chevy fit right in at Viva and original "Patina" has never been more popular. So I asked Paul some questions about his artwork. Keep in mind, about all I know about artwork and painting is what I like... Why watercolors? - I've worked in several different media, and always come back to watercolors. The idea that you are staining the paper is what I love, and the way the colors mix together either in the palette or on the paper. Why this image (and others similar)? - I have always been drawn to decayed or decaying items (whether it be old buildings, collapsed barns, or abandoned/aged cars). The more I studied them and thought about what it was I got from them the more...