At the Grand National Roadster Show, a black t-shirt is always a safe fashion choice. Better is a black t-shirt with the logo of a Southern California speed shop or similar business. Best is if you actually own that business. A gray ponytail is a nice complementary element for those into accessorizing.
The Grand National (GNRS for the cognoscenti) has been annually since 1950 excepting things like pandemics. It’s three years older the Detroit Autorama. That’s 73 years. And that makes it the longest running major show car exhibition in the United States. Within it is the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) competition and it’s one of the most extraordinary events in the automotive universe.
AMBR may seem blue collar and downscale, but it’s really a high-stakes artistic contest. The cars that compete are all putatively 1937-or-earlier roadsters based on American production models, but in fact they’re scratch-built sculptures commissioned by connoisseurs with the wherewithal to handle the high-six or seven-figure design and construction costs. Think of it as the world’s most expensive creative art contest where it costs a million bucks to enter.
Chip Foose designed and/or built cars have taken the honor at least eight times. The winners list includes other legends like Boyd Coddington, Chuck Lombardo, Richard “Magoo” Megugorac and Ermie Immerso. Not household names, but big damn deals in the hot rod universe.
Not all of the cars are roadsters and there are even VWs and at least one Porsche among the throngs. But core here is obviously American metal from pre-war up until the early-1970s. Yes, this attracts a lot of old guys. Still there were many youngsters in attendance and the ethnic diversity of the crowd expands every year. If you’re a custom car misfit, who never knows how to behave amongst polite society, this is your tribe.
If that it isn’t enough to hold a roaming viewer’s interest, there are dozens vendors exhibiting their wares (lots of black t-shirts), food vendors offering fare that threatens cardiac flutter, and people dressed in ironic ‘50s wear and full-sleeve tats. Another popular event is the mobility scooter vs. pedestrian dodge-and-demo derby which goes on the full three days of the show.
The AMBR winner gets a check for $12,500 from ARP Bolts which should be enough to cover a third of the cost of transporting the car to the show. Also, there’s a really tall trophy.