Different Ways to Win at GNRS

With all the talk going on about the AMBR winner at the Grand National Roadster Show, I wanted to take the opportunity to show you some of the other great award-winning cars on display. There must have been well over 100 awards given out during Sunday’s award ceremony! This is not including awards given out  in the Suede Palace (those cars don’t run in competition with the others, it’s more of a  low-shine exhibit if you know what I mean.)

To start with, this sweet 1952 Chevrolet Coupe won the George Barris Kustom D’Elegance Award. I dug it for it’s cool green paint by Gene Winfield as well as it’s cam shaft front grill.

There were lots of nice wagon’s at the show, as I’m partial to wagons they really drew my eye. This 1963 Falcon Squire stood out to win in it’s 1955-1979 Conservative Wagon class.

I’d heard about this 1932 Ford roadster, dubbed the Platinum Bomb, as it was progressing. I hoped it would take home first prize, but it only got class recognition (this is, however, the most competitive class in the entire show!) Built by owner Zachary Norman along with Troy Ladd of Hollywood Hot Rods… be watching for an in-depth story on this baby!

While Lowriders aren’t my style, I’ve at least got to recognize the money and hard work put into these pieces of art. I was very surprised when I saw this 1988 Volkswagon Jetta pimped out! Dubbed “The Passion,” it was covered with crosses and Jesus murals. Evidently others were impressed too, it was awarded the Full Lowrider Compact Custom Award.

The ‘88 Jetta wasn’t the only place for Jesus to be seen at the 2010 Grand National Roadster Show. I spotted him (along with Mary) on this sweet ride out in the Greaser’s Alley. It was all the more classic  that mariachi music was booming from inside, along with a custom light-bar beneath the radio keeping beat with the music! I don’t think this one took home any awards, but it was one of my top picks! I wouldn’t mind rolling around my East LA neighborhood in this!

I definitely don’t want to leave out the Suede Palace picks!  This beauty 5-window was the chosen winner of my favorite car club fellas, the Throttle Kings. Extra points to them for picking a car based on it’s drivabililty! This one’s owned by a fellow Grease Girl and gets driven all around, including destinations like El Mirage and Bonneville Salt Flats along with her Bean Bandits crew. Stay tuned for more on this one later also.

Lastly, I don’t want to ruin it for you, but there will be a few spectacular cars highlighted in detail here at MyRideisMe.com that took top in their classes. The only clues I’ll give ya is the classes: 1955-1959 Semi Hardtop class and Early Street Roadster – Topless Pre 1935. Keep checking back, as we’ve got plenty more to report from the 61st Annual Grand National Roadster Show!

2010 GNRS AMBR Contenders – 4 Winners at Any Show

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?

Speaking of experience, this is the Foose-built, or more accurately, Foose-finshed roadster that ran for the AMBR.  Jerry Magnuson of Magnuson Products Inc built most of this car himself, but at the end wanted to make a run at the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award, so he called in Foose.   Based on the rules for the AMBR, I thought this one was going to win. Damn if it ain’t beautiful!!

The only reason it might not have won, in my eyes, was the display. Pretty ordinary, overall, and it didn’t hit the “Mardi Gras” theme (or slowly rotated and blind you with chrome sparkles) like the Scott’s Hot Rods entry did.  Beyond that, I heard people wondering if this car should be able to run for the award since it was already displayed at SEMA.  I’ll have to check into that…

Then check out the only roadster pickup in the crowd, appropriately named, “Goldenrod”.  I’ve already read somewhere else where the author said, “Gold isn’t my color”, but it’s mine! I’m trying to figure out colors for my Falcon wagon up on the roof and this gold is sweet. The pictures barely do justice to the stunning appearance under the hall lights and the sunshine in California.

I really screwed up on reporting about this car! My apologies to the true builder Wayne Halabura.  Wayne’s out of Saskatoon Saskatchewan and I mistakenly reported that Duane Mayer from Boyd’s “American Hot Rod” TV show.  Those guys had NOTHING to do with this car. Sorry Wayne!

So which is your favorite or do you have another?  Should one of these have won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster title?

Cacklefest’n Nitro Burning 1930 Ford Coupe

When Canada natives Ken and his partner Frank Bevacqua from Top Ten Hot Rods and Customs build a hot rod, they follow their motto: “Bad Done Good”. That exactly describes their ground pounding, nitro burning, fuel injected, hemi powered, twin McCulloch blown, tube frame 1930 Ford Coupe. Do I have your attention?

Built as Top Ten’s calling card of badness, Frank told me he loves the funny cars and front engine diggers you usually see at the popular cacklefest events, but where are the coupes? At drag races and for the first time at the 2009 LA Roadster Show, cacklefests are awesome. If you’ve never seen and more importantly heard a “cacklefest” then you’re missing out. Imagine 5-20 nitromethane or “fuel” burning beasts from the not-forgotten yester-year of drag racing’s lined up, and lit up, usually at night or just dusk to see the signature yellow flames shooting from the exhaust pipes. You know you’re in the right place when the push cars used are 1960’s vintage too. But that’s another story!

This car’s built for show, but damn it would be fast! Featuring a 1957 392 Hemi with Enderle fuel injection force fed by matching, twin (yea 2 of them!) 1957 McCulloch superchargers modified to run without clutches to feed about 20lbs of boost, EACH… to the 7:1 Hemi. Frank says about 1000hp on gas and maybe 2 large on fuel. All that runs through a Chrysler 4 speed.

The talk of the SoCal Speed Shop’s Friday-before-LA Roadster open house, this car was heard by many. My friends and I all mistook the McCulloch blowers for turbos because of the ear piercing whine they made when Ken romped on the throttle for a grinning and growing crowd of onlookers. Anyone who heard it knew it was not ordinary “rat rod” as it barely idled, popped and whined begging for the nitro that would’ve sent us all gasping for air. Perfect!

Construction on this fuel coupe, while rough-looking at a glance is all professionally done and appears race ready. The Hemi is supported by a custom full tube frame and cage built from cold rolled 20 gauge. A 9 inch trac-loc with 4:11 gears is found out back with a vintage army surplus oxygen tank that looks right at home. Walking from front to back, looking closely you’ll see the full length belly pan and get stopped in your tracks by the wild 22″ wheels up front.

Those 22’s are from a horse drawn International Harvester sickle mower. Highly modified to fit the Ford spindles and motorcycle tires, the Top Ten guys say they might make more. They must have answered, “What are those wheels from” about 10 times a minute! The back wheels are 19-inchers, also from a tractor (of course?!) widened with Ford Centers.

Other cool details? Dig the1947 Canadian Cockshutt grill (yea, another tractor) and the 1936 Oldsmobile accessory steering wheel mounted on the swing away steering column. It’s a tight fit in there and it looks all business.

A great as this car looks with natural rusty patina offset by the polished fuel injection tubes and unmistakable Hemi valve covers, this will be a finished, painted car with chrome and polish enough to be a sure hit at any cacklefest.

I’d link to Top Ten’s website, but I can’t find it! I’ll be emailing Frank and Ken to tell’m about this story and beg them for regular updates. We’re close friends now see… I introduced pinup photographer Mitzi from Mitziandco.com who was there shooting with the lovely pinup model Mimi La Minkz (http://www.myspace.com/Mimilaminkz) and we grabbed a few shots. If I ask Mitzi nicely, maybe I’ll features all of those shots in our pinup picture gallery.

You dig’n this too? Let me know by leaving a comment and be sure to encourage the Top Ten guys to keep feeding us regular updates. Thanks for reading!

.

SoCal Cube with Cues from VW Bus

It’s green and creme and low. Oh, and it has a sliding rag top, crank-out style windshield (power-operated on my concept) to mimic the old VW busses… rear door has additional swing-out glass panel, all to complement the open-air approach. The sliding rag could even be replaced by a full glass roof (with water drop-look pattern etched in!) for more exposure to the paparazzi. As it sits, the sliding rag would be power-operated, and close when the key is moved over 20 feet away.

The remaining custom touches are pretty minimal, but include a grill filler panel to smooth the lines out, louvers in the front fender (right-side only to play-up the asymmetrical design of the Cube in general), and small “nerf-ettes” (small nerf bar-inspired trim pieces) at the fascia corners to give a slight “retro” touch and visually extend the new chrome grille bar in the lower opening. This also assists in making the car look a bit lower and wider yet!

Slammed stance over classic 5-spoke wheels sets the laid-back cruiser tone. The theme here is California sun and fun, and opens up a world of aftermarket accessory possibilities, like bamboo roof racks, the sliding rag top, window kits, lowering kits, interior seating options (waterproof and beach-ready seat covers, etc), grille inserts, trim add-ons and more. My hope is to inspire hot rod-minded folks to grasp just how big of a blank slate these are for customizing, and that you can think well outside of the “tuner” look on the Cube.

Get this cube and the crazy “Surfite” concept at Problem Child Kustoms