It's the Granddaddy of them all, and it didn't get its name without merit. Winning the big cheese, the highly coveted America's Most Beautiful Roadster award, has carried significant weight for over half a century. The notoriety and subsequent publicity can literally make or break a shop and shape styling trends for years to come. For that reason, the Grand National Roadster Show has few peers.
This year lived up to the esteem. First, the big news: George Lange got his name on the big trophy for his Bobby Alloway-built '32 Ford. But Lang's award wasn't a shoo-in, by any stretch of the imagination. A complete underdog, Ralph Arias (no relation to the piston manufacturer) gave all the pro builders something to think about. Arias showed up with a home-built, textbook example of a hot rod that showed every bit of innovation, skill, and detail as any pro-built AMBR contender.
This year's event certainly marked the year for customs. While John D'Agostino didn't build a contender for this year, Richard Zocchi held up the honors with not one, but two cars: a '57 Ford and a '62 Pontiac, the latter a clone of a car he built that won in '62, but this time with a chopped lid.
Jim "Bones" Noteboom displayed his radical '39 Lincoln Zephyr woodie wagon, Bud Millard resurrected one of Bill Cushenberry's heavily worked pieces, a '58 Chevy. On the resurrection theme, Jim and Stacy Breazeale found the "Busonic" '55 Buick, wrenched it from its three-decade dormancy, and had it on the show floor, as well. One of the New Guard, thirty-something builder Andre Carey, brought out his latest creation, a Jim Rydelius' '60 Ford, which you can look forward to seeing a lot more of on future pages of CUSTOM RODDER!
Each year, the GNRS exposes up-and-coming builders, thereby promoting fresh talent. This year they named Santa Rosa, California's, Creative Concepts as Builders of the Year. You'd be hard pressed to find talent this good and established any younger, though; proprietors Dennis Hartwig and Zane Cullen barely cracked the 30-year mark as of this writing. They've won or placed consistently in the past decade with everything from cruisers to AMBR-contending roadsters. They've even moved into the manufacturing arena with their proprietary windshield that they displayed last year on Rich and Terri Stadelhofer's class-winning roadster.
So you could say that even after five decades and competition with a Raiders-hosted playoff game the same weekend, the Grand National Roadster Show still packs enough punch to still maintain its top dog ranking. We'll see you there next year!
 Jim Rydelius' '60 Ford has...  Jim Rydelius' '60 Ford has a chop that not all cars can boast: an slight angle chop with a recessed windshield trough. Andre's Customs and Rods built the mild cruiser, dubbed "Lo Liner," with bags on the stock running gear and 18- and 20-inch Colorado Customs to show off Stainless Steel Brakes' gigantic binders. |
 Proving two was better than...  Proving two was better than four, Pontiac outfitted their '59 offerings with not two, but four fins. Proving you don't have to do much to a four-finned GM creation to make it stand out, Chuck and Jeannie Cushner left more alone than they changed on their Poncho. The standout coupe sets itself apart with a close shave, creamy metallic-orange, pearl-white trim, and some well-chosen wires. |
 Although they found it resprayed...  Although they found it resprayed green and stored since 1968, Jim and Stacy Breazeale brought Roy Abendros' "Busonic" back to its 1963 incarnation. They replicated the Watson-applied spray, but in modern candies, metallics, and flakes. The car ran in several magazines, including Popular Hot Rodding twice and Car Craft four times. |
 Last year, Salinas Boyz' Cole...  Last year, Salinas Boyz' Cole Foster made waves and won Sweepstakes with Sal Tarantino's '56 pickup. He even picked up a Chip Foose Design Award, as well. This year, he proved that he's even more versatile; words fail to describe how right his latest Custom Chrome project bobber is. What isn't polished is satin, and it runs 21- and 18-inch Akront alloy wheels with a vintage M&H slick out back. The little scoot is everything a two-wheeled digger should be: tough, yet spare to the point of almost being delicate. |
 Richard Zocchi faithfully...  Richard Zocchi faithfully reproduced the '62 Pontiac he showed in 1962, but with one major change--he chopped this one's top. The bigger-than-life cruiser sports one of the smoothest orange fade sprays, period-perfect open-lug chrome wheels with spiders, and crazy taillights. |
 Even with the '62 in attendance,...  Even with the '62 in attendance, we couldn't overlook Zocchi's latest: a '57 Fairlane. Dig on the tasteful small-tube grille, Lincoln wheelcovers with bullets, and the heavy chop. Even the plates match the car. |
 George Lange and Bobby Alloway...  George Lange and Bobby Alloway certainly earned their spot on the big trophy--their work in conjunction with Paul Atkins, Jim Rench, SAC, Carriage Works, and Classic Instruments. For more on the over-the-top roadster, find your Feb. '02 Street Rodder--it's a stunner. |
 Bill Cushenberry would be...  Bill Cushenberry would be proud; Bud Millard paid master to the custom god by bringing this '58 Chevy back to life. It's got the period stuff, too, like the heavily sculpted nose and tail and tunneled headlights. Probably one of the biggest feats was the dash: a winged blade for a dash and a '56 Olds cluster for a center console. |