Suede Palace Beauties at 2011 GNRS

Posted by GreaseGirl on Mar 2, 2011 in Featured, Shows & Events | 4 comments

Feeling at Home with Custom Cars and Hot Rods at GNRS

So many great classic cars appear in every hall of the annual Grand National Roadster Show – from hot rods to lowriders to custom cars, dragsters, and of course the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Contenders. But of all the halls, I have to say I feel most at home in the Suede Palace. Maybe it’s because my own Studebaker hot rod would be most at home there.

The Suede Palace was created for those cars that, although perhaps fabulous examples of workmanship and ingenuity, might be lacking some of the more traditional “show quality” characteristics. Such as a shiny paint job – thus the “Suede Palace.” So if you missed out on the 2011 GNRS, let me take you on a little walk around my favorite building, the Suede Palace.This 1930 Ford Model A Five Window Coupe has a pretty vicious stance.

Not only customs, roadsters, and rat rods claim suede. This 1940 Chevrolet Gasser Coupe of the Devil’s Car Club is showing off the suede well.

This 1950 Oldsmobile is still in it’s original paint! It’s in great condition but does wear a pretty patina in spots.

Suede cars definitely like custom touches too – like this great pull-knob front grille.

Speaking of details, this 1953 Mercury Monterey had a few fun ones. Not only a cool Turks Car Club plaque…

but a very unique, fade-like or Watson-esque suede paint job along with a chopped top. Cool!

Rolling along with the details was this unique moon disk style hubcap with a traditional Ford cap in the middle.

Also sporting moon discs is the 1955 Studebaker President. I was VERY surprised to see another ’55 Studebaker (like my own of course, even matching moonies!)

Surprised, but maybe a little disappointed that this Stude was shown before being more thoroughly finished… I do enjoy seeing a Studebaker coupe with louvres in the hood.

Another racer, this one out of the showing of Pasadena Roadster Club cars has all sorts of great things going on.

This 1959 T-Bird is a  tribute to the great Watson, of course.

Nearby the T-Bird, over in the Beatnik’s Car Club corner, is Norton Dewayne’s 1936 Ford five-window coupe.

It’s lines and color were irresistible.

I couldn’t get enough of it!

Another car that nobody could seem to get enough of was this custom 1950 Ford Shoebox. It made the drive all the way from Florida just hours after being finished. When it came time to dish out awards in the Suede Palace on Saturday night, this car picked up seven of them! (Look for more of the story on this car coming soon!)

Speaking of awards, although the Grand National Roadster Show gives out many awards (including the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award of course) the Suede Palace hosts their own award ceremony… and this one’s sure a little more “colorful” then the Grand National Roadster Show’s official awards ceremony! Various car clubs and others create their own unique trophies and choose the car of their liking.

One club even awarded, Axle, the “curator” of the Suede Palace, with a lit bomb trophy to recognize all of the work he contributes to making the Suede Palace portion of GNRS a huge and growing success!

Another award winning car was this 1930 Ford Roadster powered by a 1947 Ford Flathead connected to a Banjo rear-end.

Moving right on to another recognized award-winning roadster is Steve Garrison’s “Metamorphosis” 1929 Highboy with an interesting extended firewall hiding all the more unsightly aspects of its more modern engine.

Also taking in an award is  Throttle Kings member Jim Ramirez’  beauty 1936 Ford Pickup. Jimmy’s truck changed a ton since we first shot it in 2007 at the LA Roadster Show.

Good lookin’ and well-powered!

Just because its in the Suede Palace doesn’t mean that it can’t have a finished paint job. This 1956 Plymouth Belvedere rides in style with blue on white flame job.

And this beautiful custom could also never be accused of “not being done” either. Wow!

But then, of course – there’s beauties like this 1934 Ford Cabriolet. A garage find if I ever did see one. Bought from an original owner and hot rodded in the 50’s… its sat in a garage since the 60’s until it was found in 2008. Its been brought back to running condition and is intended to keep on driving  just as it is.

This sort of variety and fun is what makes the Suede Palace one of my favorite spots at the Grand National Roadster Show. If you missed the show this year… try to put it on your car calander for January 2012!

If you were there, what were your favorites?