2016 America's Most Beautiful Roadster
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The Grand National Roadster Show is entering its 67th year, making it the oldest of the indoor car shows in the world. Once called the Oakland Roadster Show its roots are steeped in the history of all of the famous cars and builders that have gone through its doors.
Now in its 13th consecutive year at the Fairplex in Pomona, it’s also the 11th year of the STREET RODDER-hosted Grand Daddy Drive-In, featuring nearly 700 hot rods that drive in to the show and are parked outside around all of the exhibit buildings. It’s this “drive-in” show that makes the GNRS truly unique in that it is two shows in one … indoor and outdoor. The Grand Daddy Drive-In on Saturday and Sunday will feature a “Nifty ’50s” theme where car owners are encouraged to decorate themselves and their rides to participate.
In building #9 there will be another special exhibit titled “Quest for Speed” that will feature a look at many of the cars that have written history and the records that are the world land speed record cars. This exhibit is hosted by the Southern California Timing Association.
In building #4, the main building, will be the charity pinstriping exhibit that each year brings in thousands of dollars for charity. Many of the SoCal scene hot rod pinstripers are on hand to donate their work, which is used to raise the money given to the charities.
The trophy queen contest is held on Saturday evening and the first three place finishers will be the official presenters during the Sunday evening award ceremonies.
Over the weekend there will be plenty of outside exhibitors for all to view. On display will be their products. There will also be a cacklefest and lots of other interesting sights to behold.
Sunday evening will bring recognition for America’s Most Beautiful Motorcycle and a hundred other awards but the one all of us have come to see is the crowning of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. Last year Larry Olson took home the honors with his black and flamed 1933 Ford roadster built at Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop.
Bobby Alloway is no stranger to the GNRS nor the AMBR award, making this the second time he has won the coveted award. (The first AMBR award was for the 1932 Ford full-fendered roadster belonging to George Lange and based on the last of the all-metal bodies to come from Boyd Coddington and the sheetmetal mastery of Marcel DeLay.)
Alloway has also taken home the Ridler award and countless others but just a few months earlier he won the second annual SEMA Battle of the Builders competition held recently in Las Vegas as part of the annual SEMA show. Alloway took the honors with a PPG-painted 1933 Ford roadster that was on display in the PPG booth. In the end, Alloway’s approach won out over a field of more than 200 car builders and customizers, and the 260 custom cars they entered, to 10 finalists. The finalists then evaluated the entries and decided among themselves who would take Top Builder honors.
So what does this year hold? Stay tuned to www.streetrodder.com and you will find out who wins the coveted America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award along with many other show highlights.
Just moments ago the 67th Annual Grand National Roadster Show presented its iconic 9-1/2-foot trophy for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster to Darryl Hollenbeck. His oh so traditional 1932 Ford highboy roadster was one of the early favorites and under the “weight” of this year’s noticeably higher level of competition survived the gauntlet of judging scrutiny.
The crowd at the show, while dampened by rain and overcast weather, their spirits weren’t. You could see the camps aligning all weekend with many thinking the Tom Lieb 1929 Ford highboy roadster was the favorite, while others had the notion it would be Maureen Magnuson with her Chip Foose-built 1932 Ford (Muroc) roadster as the frontrunner. Other favorites included Chris Evans and his powder blue (BLUBYU: read carefully!) 1931 Ford roadster, yet others were enamored by James Hetfield’s rarely seen 1934 Packard roadster. This was a stellar field of 13 that caused the judges to take a long look, and then a second and third and it wasn’t an easy decision but everyone knew one hot rodder was going home very happy. For the rest of the story on Darryl Hollenbeck’s Deuce roadster you can see it currently featured in the 2016 May issue of Street Rodder and immediately online here.
The roadster has the credentials to be an AMBR winner…and then some. This isn’t a freshly completed hot rod, a show car, a trailer queen…it’s more. It has thousands and thousands of miles rolled into its character, having traveled to the Lonestar Round Up this past April in Austin, Texas for starters. The roadster has proven to be both driver and show worthy, now that’s a feat in and of it! But look closely and you will see lots of hot rod lineage and a roadster uniquely qualified to head home with the prestigious award of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster.
Gone Racin’ … 2016 Grand National Roadster Show. Story by Richard Parks, photographs by Roger Rohrdanz. 31 January 2016.
The 2016 Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) has come and gone and what a contradiction in terms of feelings that fans of the event hold for this epic car show. It is both large in scope and yet one feels the warmth of individual effort. John Buck, the owner and promoter of the show, extends an invitation to nearly everyone. It is electric, ecletic and yet simple. It is a beauty pageant of cars and the car culture without being presumptuous. Even the AMBR category is wide ranging in style and yet formulaic in nature. There are hidden gems within this show that are breath-taking and magnificent. The enthusiasm of the spectators and participants draws people from all over the world. It is neither the biggest car show nor the flashiest, but it is the oldest and one of the most respected hot rod, custom and roadster shows found anywhere in the world.
AMBR
America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award is a prize that many have sought and only a few have attained. Past winners have included Blackie Gejeian, Romeo Palamides, Rich Guasco, George Barris, Leroy “Tex” Smith, Andy Brizio, Boyd Coddington, Erik Hansen and three time winner Ermie Immerso. The list of builders and owners are legendary and the amounts of money, time and talent go beyond what the shade tree mechanic is capable of doing. Yet sometimes for the average car guy it is hard to judge a beauty contest since all the entrants are “winners” in their own right. The judges have to look everywhere, to spot a flaw in the most unobservable locations in order to come up with the winning entry. A dozen or so judges determine who wins the AMBR award, just as a few judges must determine who wins the Miss World beauty pageant and the one we favor hardly ever wins the title.
This year’s entrants were: James Hetfield with his silver toned ’34 Packard with a detachable hardtop; Gary Matranga’s AMERICAN ICE ’32 Ford with a 401 c.i. Hemi; Tom Lieb’s all black AV8 ’29 Ford; Darryl Hollenbeck’s traditional looking ’32 Ford with a cloth top; Chris Evans’ BLUE BAYOU ’31 Ford Model-A; Maureen Magnuson’s ’32 Ford; Jon Wright’s TRIBUTE all black custom chrome ’36 Ford flattie with white sidewalls; Phillip Ray’s NUGGET light gold ’33 Ford with a modern roadster look; Dean and Tammy Scott’s ’32 Ford; Jack Stirnemann’s traditional all black ’30 Ford with a cloth top and gold rims; and Ron Simm’s THE SALT SCORPION ’31 Ford Pick-up with a cloth top that ran at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1957. The AMBR winner for 2016 was Darryl Hollenbeck’s ’32 Ford, a strange but alluring cream colored roadster that had that comfortable, old soft shoe feel to it; as if he had just driven it in from some nostalgic diner.
GRAND NATIONAL ROADSTER SHOW
The interesting thing about the GNRS is that wherever you look there are booths, sponsors and people who look familiar and whom you have most likely have seen from prior shows. Just ordinary people who will willingly strike up a good natured conversation and in a moment or two you will find similarities between their lives and yours. It is a degree of separation that is amazingly short. One such man was Tony Baron, who lives in Woodland Hills and is the owner of Baron’s Automotive Service and Tattersfield Racing Equipment. His father, Frank Baron, owned the business and was partners with the iconic Bob Tattersfield who raced the dry lakes in the 1930’s. The old business was located on Highland and Venice near Hollywood and 8th Street in Los Angeles. Tony grew up working with his father and his booth, though small, was dripping with early California racing history. Also in building 4 were the eager employees of Hot Rods & Hobbies setting up their large display of four cars and hot rod equipment.
Another sponsor of the GNRS was the LA Roadsters; a club formed six decades ago to promote roadsters and includes show promoter John Buck among its members. My father knew Buck when he was working for the Los Angeles County Fairplex and gave him encouragement to purchase the GNRS and follow his lifelong dreams in the hot rod culture. John Buck enlarged the car show and invited many groups within the hot rodding community to participate. The original GNRS began existence a year after the famed SCTA Hot Rod Exposition at the Armory in Los Angeles. Al and Mary Slonaker founded the GNRS in Oakland, California and for years it was the show of shows for hot rods, roadsters and customs. Over the years the show languished and eventually moved to Los Angeles. John Buck purchased the GNRS and the Sacramento Autorama car show and gave it new life and a new direction. Today the GNRS is bigger and better than it ever was.
I met a young couple from France who spoke little English and I spoke no French, but we got along famously, with the car culture and terms our only means of understanding. They were delighted to attend the GNRS and looked forward to seeing the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum as well. In Building 5 I met Penny Pichette who still runs the West Coast Kustoms car show in Paso Robles. This building had a nice selection of custom cars. In Building 6 I met Dick and Beverly Martin, old and dear friends. Dick is a writer and has published many of his stories and biographies in popular hot rod magazines. Dick also has produced outstanding reunions honoring famous hot rodders including Tom Medley and Ak Miller. Larry and Charleen Schuss invited me to see their restored 1915 Ford Model-T Center Door Sedan. A show sponsor, Hop Up Magazine, was a show stopper. Many old fans of the small-sized magazine raved about its reintroduction after a hiatus of twenty years. The Suede Palace housed a younger crowd who were into the retro scene, or what they call the Traditional Style of Hot Rodding. They use little or no chrome; prefer the primered and natural look of the old street cruising genre. It is very popular today and yet it can be just as expensive to achieve that “comfortable, used old look.” Pinky Lee, Kent Reppert and Brookville Bodies were some of the vendors and sponsors. Kent has an art style that is 1950’s comic book style; the haggard wolf or scroungy animal that leers at the audience.
Building 7 had a smorgasbord of vehicles including customs, hot rods, trucks, pick-ups, muscle and race cars. Junior Johnson’s #3 stock car was originally owned by Mickey Thompson and is now owned by Tom McIntyre, who I often see at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Tom is a well-known car collector. The stocker had a 427 c.i. powerplant and ran in the 1962 Daytona NASCAR race. Building 8 had a nice collection of VW’s, a small car with a big heart and loved by many fans. I spoke to Frank Casares, who showed me his beautifully restored yellow painted VW. “We are part of the California Chapter of the VW club, which has chapters all over the world,” Frank told me. I’m sure that Burly Burlile and the 36 Horsepower Challenge was somewhere nearby. He is the secretary of this VW racing club that holds special racing events for VW’s cars around the United States and overseas. Near the VW cars were many outstanding Woodie Station Wagons. Setting up a display of 12 custom cars was the Lifestyle car club which has been around since 1974. I spoke to Cesar Aguirre and Eddie Gonzalez who told me that they have 80 members in and around the East Los Angeles area and they take their custom cars to shows in Las Vegas, San Diego, Santa Barbara and elsewhere. Cesar and Eddie explained that there is a great variety among custom car fans and they enjoy going to a wide-ranging style of car shows.
I met a young man from Finland who was so eager to take back to his homeland as much history that he could that he recorded several people at the show including John Buck and me. Toshi Akatsuka led a contingent of hot rodders from Japan and even though there was a language barrier we had no trouble communicating by means of our common hot rod heritage. Randy and his son Sean Lorentzen were busy photographing and interviewing car builders and owners for their own free-lancing business. I see Randy often at car shows and it is encouraging to see the next generation of young hot rodders come up the ranks. Also at the show were Anna Marco and Mike Basso representing Ol’ Skool Rodz and Car Kulture Deluxe Magazines. Anna is a member of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians and a contributor to our newsletter, which is located on www.landspeedracing.com and www.hotrodhotline.com. David Steele and Jim Miller manned the American Hot Rod Foundation booth and their website is at www.ahrf.com. Andreanna Ditton was at the show in the Hot Rod Hot Line booth.
PIN-UP CONTEST
One of the more popular events at the GNRS is the Pin-Up contest presented by Mitzi & Company. Mitzi Valenzuela recreated the sexy pin-up craze in Southern California by harkening back to the 1940’s and ‘50’s Betty Page style of boudoir and car culture photography. Mitzi is an exceptional photographer who works well with both men and women. She sponsors this annual GNRS pin-up contest and other contests around the country. Mitzi has this unique personality that allows her to get close to her models and to inspire them to create that exotic and erotic cheesecake posing made famous by Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and other Hollywood starlets of the ‘40’s and ‘50’s. I’ve watched Mitzi work and she is a dynamo of energy, forcing her slim figure into the strangest positions as she tries to capture a young beauty in the back seat of a car or in her studio. She provides the cars, background, props and clothing for many of her models and her calendars are extremely popular. There are few photographers as hard-working or as talented as Mitzi.
Last year’s winner was Jenny Dame, a petite brunette with a soft Latin look so popular in the Traditional Hot Rodding culture. Jenny is this year’s hostess and she will announce twelve sultry contestants and give the audience a summary of each models attributes. The contestants train under Mitzi & Company and also buy their own nostalgic apparel and make-up. These ladies come as close to the 1940’s and ‘50’s styles as possible and even affect the mannerisms and charms of those old days. The contestants in the 2016 GNRS Pin-Up contest are; Amanda Rose, Anna Pretty In Pink, Bella Mari, Christini Martini, Haylee Holiday, Jazie Doll, K Von Spun, Millie Michelle, Rosa De Fuego, Ruby Star, Vikki Fahrenheit, and Zelda. While the names are racy the young ladies are your everyday students, housewives, office workers and normal women who just happen to find modeling a fun and often profitable part of their lives. Last year I interviewed Miranda Barrie and I hope to bring you a story on Jenny Dame soon. For sheer fun and a bit of the flamboyant past be sure to see next year’s GNRS Pin-Up contest. This year’s GNRS Pin-Up Queen was K Von Spun.
PINSTRIPERS REUNION
The pinstripers reunion has been a mainstay at the GNRS for years. Some forty or more pinstripers from all over the country participate in the show at their own expense and they will pinstripe any object for a donation which goes to a charity. They also hold several auctions of their artwork and that money is also donated to charity. I spoke with Karen Knapp, a pinstriper and airbrusher of forty years from Chesterfield, Michigan and her husband Marshall Knapp, who has been pinstriping for thirty years. “I learned pinstriping from my wife, Karen,” said Marshall. “We also donate our time to raise money for charities at the Right Coast Nationals in Syracuse, New York and the Detroit Autorama,” he told me. Janet and Richard Westlake came from Hallsville, Missouri where they are pinstripers. “My husband, Richard, is also the auctioneer for the pinstriper’s auctions and this year the charity that was chosen is a local California group called Everyone Free,” Janet added. Steve Heller is a pinstriper from Woodstock, New York and has made a living as a pinstriper for forty years. Howie Nisgor is a pinstriper from Poughkeepsie, New York, one that I have met at previous GNRS pinstriper’s reunions. In a thick East Coast accent he told me how glad he was able to be here and help promote the art of pinstriping. Also at the reunion were local favorites Jimmy C, Jeff Styles and Tom Kelley.
SCTA QUEST FOR SPEED
John Buck always reserves Building 9 for a special event; something unique and different to draw in the crowds. This year it was the land speed cars under the auspices of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). Land speed racing, along with road course racing is the oldest of all automotive land sports. It has always lived out on the margins of society with a small but zealous group of racers and fans. It is a primal urge to pit man against the elements, indeed against time itself; time, which erodes all things, metal, hope and life itself. To fling a car down a long straightaway and time the effort from point A to B is a simple goal, with an impossibly difficult outcome. So much can go wrong, but men and women experience this utter thrill of speed and exultation. It is addictive as men like Craig Breedlove and Skip Hedrick continue to race in their sixties and seventies. The SCTA has been in existence since 1937 and this year they worked with John Buck to produce a special show called the SCTA Quest For Speed.
Ron Main and David Fetherston produced a special two volume book entitled “SCTA Bonneville National Speed Trials; 1949 to 1968.” Sales of the book will be donated to the SCTA to use to protect and save the Bonneville Salt Flats from further destruction by mining operations that are depleting the National Monument. Fetherston is the author and Main provided the financial backing for the project. Both men are instrumental in the fight to save a precious national treasure before it is destroyed. Fetherston is also working on a five volume history on land speed racing. Some of the cars on display were Stephanie and Douglas Adler’s 1950 sprint car and their 2010 diesel streamliner. They are members of the Sidewinders car club in the SCTA. Bill Lattin exhibited the famous #4 Schenk streamliner that raced in the 1930’s and ‘40’s under the Albata car club.
Other cars were the Old Crow, a 1952 Belly Tank raced in the BGL class; Eddie Miller Jr’s gorgeous Pontiac 6-cylinder Lakester; Sam Wheeler’s 999 E-Z Hook streamliner bike; The Phoenix G-BFMR Sloan & Zimmerman entry; a 1930’s sprint car; the #8 lakes sprint car; Jim Lattin’s #7 sprint car that ran under the Centuries car club and raced by Warth and Hilborn; and Ken Elliott’s ’28 Ford Model-A Pick-up. In addition there were Rod Riders car club’s Scott Oliver’s V4F class 1948 Hellcat Belly Tank; Rhett Butler’s Texas Forever ’27 Model-T modified roadster on ’32 rails; the Blanchard/Bacik/York Adrenaline Rush Lakester; the Klos/Sutliff/Spacek circle track sprint car; and the Poteet/Main Speed Demon streamliner that replaced the previous Speed Demon that crashed at Bonneville.
Gone Racin’ is at [email protected].