By D. Brian Smith
Photography: D. Brian Smith
How time flies! There have now been 74 annual Grand National Roadster Shows. The 74th GNRS took place on Friday, February 2 through Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the Pomona, CA Fairplex. Al and Mary Slonaker presented the first GNRS in 1950 in Oakland, CA. In 2004, the Grand National Roadster Show moved from Northern California to its present home at the Pomona Fairplex in Southern California.
74th Grand National Roadster Show
The entire Golden State is the mecca for all things automotive. So, it makes perfect sense that the event that presents the ultimate award in the world of hot rodding, the America's Most Beautiful Roadster prize, would take place in California. Beth Myers earned the AMBR award with her 1932 Ford two-door Phaeton, which was built by Roy Brizio Street Rods. Beth Myers and her fully flamed '32 Ford Phaeton will be immortalized on the 9.5-foot-tall perpetual trophy as the 2024 winner. She also earned a $12,500 check for the win, awarded by ARP Fasteners on Sunday.
Above: Beth Myers 1932 Ford Phaeton won the America's Most Beautiful Roadster prize at the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show. Brizio Street Rods built the Phaeton to resemble a 1932 Ford Tudor sedan in the rear. They also crafted the custom, fully boxed chassis that has a 500+-horsepower Ford Roush 427, which is backed by a Tremec five-speed manual trans and a Winters V8 quick-change rear end.
Above: My favorite roadster among the America's Most Beautiful Roadster contenders for the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show top prize was this stunning Candy Apple Red 1932 Ford Phaeton that is called "Rodster."
Above: In building 9, the crew from Orange County Hot Rods renovated a family-owned, low-mileage 1969 Camaro into a Pro Touring canyon carver, while spectators admired their talented fabrication, engineering, and installation skills. Those Classic Industries fender covers protected the Camaro's paintwork quite well.
Above and below: Check out the way cool engine bay and engine in the 1966 Mustang 2+2 that has been given a full-on Shelby American Racing GT350 treatment.
Above: Byron Spade, of Columbus, OH, has a 1968 Plymouth Formula "S" Barracuda that is a Pro Touring tour de force. The Barracuda sports an Art Morrison Sport Frame that has RideTech Pro Ride suspension bits and Billet Specialties wheels. The interior's trimmed by Recovery Room and kept comfortable with a Vintage Air HVAC system. A Gen III 6.1L Hemi with a Magnuson supercharger V8 powers Mr. Spade's Barracuda. Fortunately, the owner gets to perform his own gear changes, thanks to the installation of a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission. The car's wired with a Ron Francis wiring harness. A 2.5" stainless steel custom exhaust system with Flowmaster HP mufflers takes care of the spent fumes.
For the best non-roadster entry, the Al Slonaker Memorial Award has been presented since 1974. David and Robin Rush, with their 1959 Chevrolet Impala, earned the prestigious Al Slonaker Memorial Award for 2024, which included a billet aluminum trophy and a $12,500 prize, courtesy of ARP Fasteners.
Above ('Cuda) and below (engine): This 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda is owned by Kent and Lisa Matranga. Andy Leach and the team at Cal Automotive Creations crafted the cool 'Cuda with a 707-supercharged horsepower Mopar 6.2L Hellcat Hemi V8 that's backed by a Tremec T56 six-speed manual trans from Bowler Performance.
Above: Dale Jones is the proud over of this 1940 Ford Woody.
Above: You don't see a 1956 Ford Ranch Wagon every day. Tim Bumgarner, of Phoenix, AZ, is no doubt, the proud owner of this baby.
Above: In the Early Traditional Custom Rod - Radical category there was a midnight blue 1947 Buick Super Sedanette that looked superb. Dave Ceccanti, of Castro Valley, CA is the proud owner of the Buick that he has named Bad Company. Lucky 7 Customs built the Buick. Sherms Plating gets all the credit for the miles deep chrome-dipped components. The interior was trimmed by Divines Interiors.
Above: Danny Rios, of Salinas, CA, owns a 1972 Chevy K5 Blazer that's painted a custom mix of House of Kolors 'Kandy Sancha Red'. For this reason, the Blazer is called Sancha. The SUV's able to lay frame due to its Accuair Firestone air bags suspension system.
Above and below: Ron Jones Garage, of Windsor, CO, restored the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Corsica Drophead Coupe, chassis #57491, to a Best-in-Class award at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Perhaps this right-hand-drive Bugatti spent time in the United Kingdom. The shop must do awesome work!
Above and below: World famous comedian and actor Kevin Hart had his 1959 Corvette at the 2024 GNRS.
This three-day show has so many amazing hot rods, muscle cars, customs, street rods, low riders, restomods, pro touring, pro street, rat rods, suede palace machines, dragsters, and etc. that any automotive enthusiast could spend the entire three days at the show and still not see everything.
Above: David Lockwood's 1960 Corvette looks like it rolled off the GM assembly just yesterday.
Above and below: Rick Kiel's 1933 Chevy 5 Window Master coupe is built for looks and for speed. We dig the patriotic red, white, blue, wide white, and chrome finish on this sweet street rod.
Above: CI's brand manager displayed his Fox body Mustang hatchback in the Classic Industries booth. The Pony Car was a big hit at the show! Below: CI's brand manager, Gabe Flores is speaking to a Saleen Mustang owner about his low mileage road and track burner, while his son Jude is saying Aloha! This photo was taken at the close of the show on Saturday evening.
There were over 500 individual awards presented during Sunday's closing ceremony. Classic Industries' only regret is that we can't publish and caption all of the 600+ photos that we took at this superb event. If at all possible, you'll want to make your way to Pomona, CA next year so you can be amazed. Until then, you can check out the photos here. You can also check out the list of 2024 award winners right here.
Above: Sean Renteria, of Morgan Hill, CA, the Renteria Brothers & Dad, built a 1965 Plymouth Valiant four-door pro mod that has a 455-cubic inch BAE V8, a three-speed Lenco trans, and a G-Force 10-inch rear end. The body mods include a chopped top, laid down back window, a stretched front end, and the back doors are molded in.
Above: There may be a feature article for Ron Hernandez's Ford truck in the near future. Stay tuned (hint, hint).
Above: After disappearing from the face of the earth for the last 50 years, Galpin Motors' Beau Boeckman has found the iconic, multi-award-winning hot rod named Uncertain- T. The hot rod was found just a few blocks away from Galpin Ford's flagship dealership in Van Nuys, CA. With a body that's comprised of fiberglass and an innovative steel chassis, a 17-year-old kid named Steve Scott crafted the hot rod in his parents' one-car garage in Reseda, CA from 1960-65, and premiered Uncertain- T in 1965. The Uncertain- T has a Hilborn fuel-injected 1957 Buick "Nailhead" engine that's bored and stroked to 384 cubic inches. Beau Boeckmann, and restoration specialist Dave Shuten, plan to restore the car to its 1965 former glory, while also documenting the discovery and the renovation process.
Above: Adam Robinson is the current owner of a 1968 Camaro that the car's previous owner and builder named "Bad Penny" for its Best of Show Coachworks bodywork and paintwork Prowler Flame Orange paint job that has a shiny new copper penny hue. Bad Penny is powered by a 461-cubic inch LS7 and backed by a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission. The Camaro's previous owner, Steve Rupp, built Bad Penny while he was the technical editor at Car Craft magazine. This humble scribe was a colleague of Steve's on Custom Classic Trucks and then as the editor of KIT CAR magazine. All three magazines and many more were part of a giant media company called Petersen Publishing, then Primedia, then Source Interlink Media, then TEN, and finally Motor Trend.
Above: Marc Ballard, of Mesa, AZ cruises and takes on the twisties in his pro touring 1970 Dodge Challenger.
