2012 Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA Here's a short, top five must-do checklist of things to do when you're at the show: 1) Find it! And know your way around. Access to Gate 9 Parking from I10 traveling West and from I10 traveling East Then, a map of the Pomona Fairplex where the show is: The layout of the show changes every year, somewhat, except for the America's Most Beautiful Roadster contending cars are always in building 4 and the Suede Palace (which is building 10) a good place to stop as you enter the show. For cost info, show hours and the other boring details, go to Rodshows.com info page. 2) See the 12 Contenders for America's Most Beautiful Roadster 2011 America's Most Beautiful Roadster This is the 2011 winning 1934 Roadster owned by Daryl Wolfswinkel and built by Squeeg's Kustoms in Chandler, AZ. Here's the 2008 to 2011 AMBR winners. Can't wait? Here's the 2012 AMBR Winner! The 12 AMBR Contenders are some of the best hot rods you'll ever see... all with no roll-up windows as a true roadster must be. Need to know more...

How to Win the America's Most Beautiful Roadster Award In case you haven't already heard, the 1934 Ford Roadster owned by Daryl Wolfswinkel's and built by Doug Jerger and crew at Squeeg's Kustoms in Chandler, AZ won the highly coveted "AMBR Award" or America's Most Beautiful Roadster Award. Those of you who've seen the story posted here at MyRideisMe.com about the 2008-2010 AMBR winners are SHOCKED! (but maybe tickled too!!)   Disagree? Here' your chance to Vote on the AMBR winner yourself!   At the Grand National Roadster Show on Saturday morning, I learned the judging criteria for the AMBR award changed. Guess who told me?  Ironically, it was my buddy Doug Jerger! (I'm in Chandler too) Sniffing a great story, I asked around and found Vic Cunnyngham, the judges coordinator for the 2011 America's Most Beautiful Roadster. (Yes, that's the correct spelling of his name...)   Vic, a long time hot rodder and hot rod builder set me straight on selecting the 2011 AMBR award winner. To sum it up in one, simple sentences, I'd say: It'll be the most beautiful roadster at the show. A quick clarification:...

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...

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...

We already covered the Grand National Roadster Show's big winner of the coveted America's Most Beautiful Roadster award.  The title now belongs to the 33 Ford named, "Possessed". So now, I want you to feast your smoke filled eyes on the "Contenders".  Usually the GNRS has 12 cars running for the AMBR, but this year, only 10 made it.  Here's 4 of them.  Which one's your favorite? The bright orange 32 roadster shown here first is my friend Todd Stevens from right here in Arizona.  Todd's got a gorgeous late 40's or 50's Mercury convertible he runs to the local Goodguys show, but in stark contrast to that cool cruisers is this nasty injected Hemi Hot Rod! Doug Jerger, the builder and another friend just a flew blocks away, runs Squeeg's Kustoms in Mesa, AZ and is no stranger to America's Most Beautiful Roadster competition. In 2008, Doug built is own AMBR roadster and we showed his shop and 32 Ford in this story. I know that just like Doug's 32, Todd will drive this car and drive it hard. Shouldn't that score points some how with the judges?...

Here it is! America's Most Beautiful Roadster, or the AMBR award as it's known.  The AMBR is easily one of the top awards in the country and this year drew 10 roadsters to competition. 2010's AMBR winner is a 1933 Ford, or loosely based on that design, and is owned by Mike and Dianne Dingman.  The car was called, "Possessed" and was built by Scott's Hot Rods, a shop that built another America's Most Beautiful Roadster winner back in 2008. (2008 AMBR Story) Beyond that, you know what?  Not much to say.  This is one of only a couple pictures we took of the car for a couple reasons: First off, it was tough getting decent pictures. On Friday, during our media happy hour and right into the time when the public crowds started rolling in, the Scott's guys were busy setting up the car and the display.  Sure, there were chances to get shots of dudes busily wiping stuff down and placing the display panels, but there's only so much you can photoshop. (We did get one "interesting" video, but that's being saved for the, "how to ruin...

When you intend to compete for America's Most Beautiful Roadster (the AMBR) at the Grand National Roadster Show, you're asking for trouble. The time, planning, design and let's face it, high octane dollars required to build an AMBR contender make it a mission for only the top shops in the country. The folks at The Hot Rod Garage asked for "Double Trouble" and that's what they got by ignoring the lessons learned by recent AMBR winners. Past winners were modern-style show cars with custom milled billet goodies, one-off hand made body panels and alligator skinned interiors. Not for the guys at Hot Rod Garage, for them, it wasn't enough to make a show car, it had to have "Show & Go!" The trouble first started when Steve Kormondy had a Brookville roadster body and an all aluminum, brand spanking new Ardun derived flathead sitting, waiting for the right project. Deuce roadster body, Ardun flathed... yea, that's trouble! Not long after, Steve and the rest of the gang at The Hot Rod Garage out of Sand Springs, Oklahoma decided to pull in hot rod designer and illustrator, Jimmy Smith to...

2008 Grand National Roadster Show Winner It's official, at least it was at about 7:30 Pacific Coast time, 1/25/2009. The "Hot Rod Special" built by Willet Specials in Chicago is the winner of the 2009 America's Most Beautiful Roadster title. Except for being able to roll forwards and back under their own power, the judging for the AMBR title is like "Riding a unicycle on wallpaper". (I don't know what that means either.) Let's hope the judges do cause they're looking for "excellence". That part couldn't be a simpler task, really, given that the level of competition for the AMBR is ridiculous. Pretty much every car in the main hall (not just the AMBR contenders) is a "Best of Show" winner at a regular show, but this is the "Granddaddy of them all" the Grand National Roadster show. When excellence abounds, the judges are forced to find something, "wrong" with the cars. Now there's a task! Every year, however, a winner is chosen and regardless of any complaining, "AMBR winner" is something that can never be taken away. (even if the car later appears topless in Playboy... in fact,...

There's too many rocking hot rods... the customs... they're oozing coolness into the ultra-chromed and engraved super-show low riders. It's too much and perfect all at once. The aftermath is several hundred photos of who knows how many of the toughest cars anywhere. This is the Grand-daddy of them all, the 60th annual, Grand National Roadster Show. We're still arranging the hot rod and custom car pics and all there is to say from the Arizona crew that attended the 2009 Grand National Roadster Show. Starting out, we hit the road for Pomona on Saturday at 2 AM then we motored non-stop the whole weekend to try and take it all in. Only the mariachi band provided some relief. The pictures we took from the show are now loaded: Hot Rods and Customs from GNRS So stay tuned for these stories. The American's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) winner: The Harry Willett of Willett Specials built "Hot Rod Special" (pictured here) - Read it now: "Hot Rod Special" AMBR Winner in Pictures & Video Nihon in the house! A Japanese magazines, blog and a pinstriper were in town for the...

If you've never had the chance to visit a premier classic/hot rod show, then you might be wondering, what's it take to hit that level? It's trivial to say, "You need alot of money." While that's true, it's like they say, "Money can't buy love" and you can see and feel the sometimes years of effort it takes to put a top quality car together. A new friend from over at icwires.com would also like everyone to know that alot of the big builders farm out work too. Not everyone's an expert at everything! From the concept illustrations to the wiring to the paint and body, these cars must be done right. Alot of times, they define right and set the trends for the next super show cars. So take a look at the ultimate Under-over. These pics show the detail you could put into your rod or muscle car if you wanted to. Before the "You gotta drive it" crew chimes in, I agree. But if these cars sit on blinged-out rotating displays with their rotors chromed and headers polished and nary the tiniest oil stain on their...

Grand National Roadster Show Pictures So I'm hanging with my new buddy Brian from Problem Child Kustoms and we run into Chip (the louver guy) and his friend Craig in the Suede Palace of the Grand National Roadster Show. We'd all been taking in the cool as hell customs and old school hot rods. I heard Craig say, "This one was my favorite until we saw that modified. You've got that black modified, right?" He was talking about this bitch'n 31 Ford Coupe with Caddy power and my 27 Roadster back in AZ. (click to make it bigger) I hadn't seen the trick pearl, metallic white with purple panels modified yet. Where's that?! So I rushed over to the building right next door, the only building I hadn't seen yet. Amidst the nostalgia dragsters and some of the coolest rides I hadn't photographed yet was this killer little roadster. I was stunned. The detail and finish on this car rivaled anything in the America's Most Beautiful Roadster hall, plus it screamed old school hot rod and custom show car from the way back machine! Channeled, paneled and white-walled, this...

2008 Grand National Roadster Show Winner Make sure to check out the 2009 Pictures of the Grand National Roadster Show! The votes are in for the 2008 America's Most Beautiful Roadster award from the "Grand-daddy of them all" the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California held last weekend, 1/26-27. Thanks to the show's promoter at Hotrodshows.com, I found the basic description for the AMBR: "The judges at this show are looking for excellence in: Display, Engineering, Paint, Engine, Interior, and Detail. All AMBR entries must be able to start under their own power and move forwards and backwards. All AMBR entries will be displayed in 20 X 20’s in Building 4. Winner is determined by a point system from the judging staff, and producer." Good luck guys! ALL of the cars looking to win the AMBR are nearly perfect. What am I saying? They are perfect! But let's break this down a little. Before we do, here's the winner: The 32 Roadster owned by Rudy Necoechea called, "Undisputed" As I've mentioned before, writing about another contending car, (previous blog, click here) the judges for these polished wonders have...