AMBR Hot Rod Special in Pictures and Video

It’s official, at least it was at about 7:30 Pacific Coast time, 1/25/2009. The “Hot Rod Special” built by Willet Specials in Chicago is the winner of the 2009 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster title. Except for being able to roll forwards and back under their own power, the judging for the AMBR title is like “Riding a unicycle on wallpaper”. (I don’t know what that means either.)

Let’s hope the judges do cause they’re looking for “excellence”. That part couldn’t be a simpler task, really, given that the level of competition for the AMBR is ridiculous. Pretty much every car in the main hall (not just the AMBR contenders) is a “Best of Show” winner at a regular show, but this is the “Granddaddy of them all” the Grand National Roadster show.

When excellence abounds, the judges are forced to find something, “wrong” with the cars. Now there’s a task! Every year, however, a winner is chosen and regardless of any complaining, “AMBR winner” is something that can never be taken away. (even if the car later appears topless in Playboy… in fact, that’s encouraged!)

So here’s the video and pictures I took of the “Hot Rod Special”. The broad details are:

1932 Ford, all steel Roadster done in a 50’s period style with a 460 pony Viper V10 backed by a Tremec T-56 / 6speed. The Costco-like list of subtle body mods also features the more obvious custom fabricated belly pans and head rest. It’s all covered in double-black-back (wanna kiss myself, HEY!) period style paint. Everything rolls on kidney bean style 16 and 17 knock off wheels. Any other details are available at the builder, Harry Willett’s website, Willett Specials.com.

Now the debate begins, was this American’s Most Beautiful Roadster? You can be damn sure it’s one of them!

Labor Day on the Coast – 2008 Primer Nationals

Written by: Erock805 (Erick’s Garage) -Primer National Show Pictures also by Erock

Not sure if there’s a better way of spending a Labor Day weekend then in Ventura, California at the Primer Nationals. Why is that you say? Well first of all, Ventura breathes blue collar. Nestled between the grime, glitz and plastic of LA and the pure money and luxury of the uber-rich Santa Barbara lies a little beach town ripe with local color. Ventura has resisted the flow of dough from its northern and southern brethren. Urban sprawl has yet to conquer its pockets of agriculture, manufacturing, and overall laid back attitude. It remains the sleepy beach town, where both free time and surfing are worked into one’s daily schedule. Sure you can find a restrauntuer who supplies the finest wine and a $30 dollar steak or fufu lorange, but I will stick to a great burger, an amazing shake and unrefurbished bowling alley. Old Town Ventura is still a real old down town that has yet to be bombarded with food and clothing chains. Stroll around to a few of the antique shops and you will find everything from an Oscar Meyer Wiener peddle car to a real live working Commodore 64. Not to mention the wife will have a ball spending your money at some of the many clothing boutiques.

While Ventura is kool…the real reason to roll down on one of our few hollowed weekends is the Primer Nationals. The wife and I have been traveling to this event consecutively for three years now and I must say we have yet to be disappointed. The event itself has been around since 2003. The car show spans over both Saturday and Sunday so you can cruise home or heal up on Monday if you want to. Be warned….this event is different than your local weekend cruise and shine. It is far different than the high dollar celebrity Goodguy’s events. The Primer Nationals caters to cars and trucks pre 1965. Further, it maintains its blue jean, status by laying forth the following rules:

• 1965 & Earlier AMERICAN CARS / TRUCKS Only
• No Billet ANYTHING
• No digital dashes
• This is an old school hot rod show NO STREET RODS, FOREIGN CARS OR ART CARS allowed.
• All cars must be driven in.
• All Cars and Bikes that pre-register MUST send a photo with each entry regardless of past attendance.
• No trailored cars allowed. There is no room for RV or Trailer Parking at the Fairgrounds, please make other arrangements before coming.
MOTORCYCLE QUALIFICATIONS
• 1969 and Earlier AMERICAN and BRITISH motorcycles only. ABSOLUTELY NO EVO HEADS will be admitted
While the rules look strict…the show is laid back in typical Ventura flair. Your wheels don’t have to be perfect. Bring what you’ve got as long as it’s cool and fits in. Although I didn’t count, I heard there were as many as 1,200 cars. Every year it seems to get bigger. As you can see there is everything from home built customs to period perfect coupes. Saturday has the largest turnout of cars, but Sunday has its merits.

Bring some dough to the Primer Nationals. Unique gifts and art that you can’t pick up in your local strip mall is plentiful from an assortment of wild vendors. This year I picked up a tiki mug, two vintage shirts, and signed and numbered prints from Weesner and Max Grundy (you can also look at Max’s car art garage). Live bands playing the best of surf rock, punk and rockabilly help the beer go down and jump start the creative juices. Something about the light, ocean air, sun, cars and environment gets you jonezin to get back in the garage and build your dreams.

Even as the show winds down on Saturday, you know the fun doesn’t stop there. The wife and I felt the best way to finish our blue collar day was to grab a quick burger and shake at the Habit then head on over past the show grounds to the Seaside Park dirt track (http://www.venturaraceway.com/) and catch the roundy-rounds. On Saturday night of the Primer Nationals, Ventura Raceway hosts modifieds, midgets and dwarfs on a little dirt track on Seaside Beach. Bring your jacket; the nights cool down even though the racing gets heated.

If you only desire true luxury, frilly sheets, and polished billet wheels, this may not be the event for you…yet, if love all that is old and traditional with a side of funk, and you feel that Miller High Life is truly the champagne of beers, you owe it to yourself to take in the sun, sea mist and amazing cars on Labor Day weekend in Ventura.

If these are the kind of cars you’re into, then head over to the MyRideisMe.com car picture gallery. Erock took some great pictures and was kind enough to donate those to MyRideisMe.com. Check it out! Primer National Show Pictures

GNRS Suede Palace – more than flat paint

Damn slacker! Oh well, better late then never.

I did take quite a few shots at in the Suede Palace at the 2008 Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA. For those of you who missed it, the Suede Palace is a show within a show featuring vintage hot rods and customs that pushes back against the modern looking 20+ inch-wheeled billet monsters of the main hall. Some might say that’s where all the “rat” rods are, but look closely, there’s more to the Suede Palace than just flat paint. With help from his wife Celeste, Axle from the Shifters Car club puts the best of live music and vintage hot rod movies together with DJ’s playing doo-wop, rockabilly, rhythm and blues and surf. The vendors inside sell the unique items Suede-folk are looking for. Also, 2008 marked the first year that Bombshell-n-Ink will host a vintage style pin-up contest sponsored by PinUpGirlClothing.com. Somehow I missed the pinup contest… don’t miss Pinupgirlclothing.com… it might be better than the Victoria Secrets catalog!

You can learn more about the Suede Palace at their Myspace page: Suede Palace or check out the sister show at the Sacramento Autorama (we already missed it) called the Suede Pavilion. It’s the same idea, just up in Norcal.

So here are a few of the shots I like… the rest are over in the events picture page. Click HERE to go.

If you have any good shots, be sure to let us know, especially if you have pics from Sacramento. Feel free to comment too. Did you know you don’t have to be a member to comment?

(Click on the pic to see it full size…)

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GNRS Show Cars, The Under-over

If you’ve never had the chance to visit a premier classic/hot rod show, then you might be wondering, what’s it take to hit that level? It’s trivial to say, “You need alot of money.” While that’s true, it’s like they say, “Money can’t buy love” and you can see and feel the sometimes years of effort it takes to put a top quality car together. A new friend from over at icwires.com would also like everyone to know that alot of the big builders farm out work too. Not everyone’s an expert at everything! From the concept illustrations to the wiring to the paint and body, these cars must be done right. Alot of times, they define right and set the trends for the next super show cars.

So take a look at the ultimate Under-over. These pics show the detail you could put into your rod or muscle car if you wanted to. Before the “You gotta drive it” crew chimes in, I agree. But if these cars sit on blinged-out rotating displays with their rotors chromed and headers polished and nary the tiniest oil stain on their white engine blocks for a year before being driven, that’s cool with me. It’s your ride. It’s your choice. My Ride is Me, not you.

Start with this 32 from Squeeg’s Kutsoms in Mesa, AZ. I met these guys preparing this car for the microscope of the Grand National Roadster show. They were re-polishing the exhaust because this car had been driven (and enjoyed) by Doug before the November 2007 Goodguys Show in Scottsdale. Dig the scallops with pinstripes, all cut and polished UNDER the car. (Click on any of these pics to see them full size.)

Then, I’m pretty sure this is a 1949 Mercury. If you’re gonna shoot a big show like this, I recommend shooting the show card too! I love the contrast of the paint and chrome. Who’s the tired cat who polished all this?

Then I shot this one to show that you don’t have to be all chrome. The big striping works and is a perfect compliment. Dig the spotless, armor- alled tire tread too!

There were several non-rods on display in the main hall at the GNRS too. This corvette is as nice as they come. This shot through the wheel opening show the details (properly lit for the full effect) under the car even though it was sitting on the ground. (this is one of my favorite shots!)

Then, there’s the mirrors under the cars that help us see the details. I found them pretty much impossible to capture in a decent photo, but they were cool in person. I’ll show a couple so you get the idea. I’m waiting for someone to do a display where folks can walk under and over the car. That’d rock!

Last but not least. Tube frames are cool, look racey and all, but how’d you like to be the guy who painted and buffed it for the bottom of the car?

What do you think? Too much? Great? Let us know. Next time I go into the tailpipe of an actual show winner to see what they had to eat.

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GNRS 2008: If You Missed This One…

So I’m hanging with my new buddy Brian from Problem Child Kustoms and we run into Chip (the louver guy) and his friend Craig in the Suede Palace of the Grand National Roadster Show. We’d all been taking in the cool as hell customs and old school hot rods. I heard Craig say, “This one was my favorite until we saw that modified. You’ve got that black modified, right?” He was talking about this bitch’n 31 Ford Coupe with Caddy power and my 27 Roadster back in AZ. (click to make it bigger)

I hadn’t seen the trick pearl, metallic white with purple panels modified yet. Where’s that?! So I rushed over to the building right next door, the only building I hadn’t seen yet. Amidst the nostalgia dragsters and some of the coolest rides I hadn’t photographed yet was this killer little roadster.

I was stunned. The detail and finish on this car rivaled anything in the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster hall, plus it screamed old school hot rod and custom show car from the way back machine! Channeled, paneled and white-walled, this car was quickly becoming one of my favorites as well. It’s hard to see from the pics but the white metallic paint actually had a light blue-green pearl to it and it was laid on smooth. It was the perfect compliment to the heavier flaked purple-pink in the panels. The engine kept the cool flowing with finned valve covers and a three deuce intake. I’d love to hear what those headers sound like!

The last detail shot is of the interior. A simple 3 gauge layout below the nifty 3 piece window followed by the twisted shifter and swirled glass knob. The upholstery was done up in a pearly white vinyl that finished things off perfectly. Top to bottom, this thing was too right.

After meeting back up with the AZ crew, we decided this car was on the short list of, “blew my mind” cars. People will be talking about this one. (click to make these pics bigger)

I have a couple more blogs I want to write about this show. There were too many cool cars not to write about them. Please check back or subscribe to the blog feed. RSS 2.0 blog feed

Let me hear your comments! Any new information and discussion are welcome. If you don’t speak up, I’ll assume you were hot for Eddie Munster’s wife seen at the show. And, while you’re here, please JOIN MyRideisMe.com

By the way, all of these pictures are available. If you want one, (Full-size too beacoup for the web) get in touch…

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2008 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster

Make sure to check out the 2009 Pictures of the Grand National Roadster Show!

The votes are in for the 2008 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award from the “Grand-daddy of them all” the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California held last weekend, 1/26-27. Thanks to the show’s promoter at Hotrodshows.com, I found the basic description for the AMBR:

“The judges at this show are looking for excellence in: Display, Engineering, Paint, Engine, Interior, and Detail. All AMBR entries must be able to start under their own power and move forwards and backwards. All AMBR entries will be displayed in 20 X 20’s in Building 4. Winner is determined by a point system from the judging staff, and producer.”

Good luck guys! ALL of the cars looking to win the AMBR are nearly perfect. What am I saying? They are perfect! But let’s break this down a little. Before we do, here’s the winner:

The 32 Roadster owned by Rudy Necoechea called, “Undisputed”

As I’ve mentioned before, writing about another contending car, (previous blog, click here) the judges for these polished wonders have the painstaking job of finding things, “wrong” with these cars. Taste judgments are not allowed, so what else are they gonna do?

I’m curious though, is the requirement, “All AMBR entries must be able to start under their own power and move forwards and backwards” enough for you? I’m not sure. Does this rule mean the cars can be driven? Check out this next picture, look at it closely… (you can click on it to make it bigger)

What do you notice? Amazing polish work? Tires sparkling clean? Polished brake rotors…. what? If it rolled forward, how did it stop to roll backwards without scratching? Ah… who cares! Dig that grill! It looked like cut diamonds the way it caught the light. More than one Oscar nominee will consider wearing this grill with their Versace gown. The builder of this car, Scott’s Hot Rods and Customs also from Cali pulled out all stops and left nothing unpolished. Looking at this car from any angle, there wasn’t one piece on this car that didn’t shine. Check out the back.

I should also mention the display this car sat on was far and away the best of show, end of discussion. I wanted the winner to be slowly turning, just up in the air for me to gaze at in classic indoor show style. It did, but the roulette wheel theme went way over the top. Very cool. I’m wondering two things though… what’s roulette got to do with a car named, “Undisputed” (shouldn’t it be a boxing ring? – copyright pending on that one!) and did anyone notice if the roulette ball had landed in #32?

So there you have it, like it or not. I did pick this car to win although I’m not sure it was my favorite, that’s a discussion for another blog. There’s not doubt though, the combo of the never-ending shine and display works for me. What do you think happens to these cars after they’ve finished the show circuit?

I’ll wrap up by saying that this was the best car show I’ve ever attended. The amazing builds with new measures for attention to detail, the historic customs from Barris and the cools cars and people made this show one I’ll never miss again. There are several more stories coming from this show. Good times.

Feel free to comment on the AMBR, the show, this blog, whatever! Did you dig the show? Which cars did you like? (I probably got a picture of it and they’re on the way to the MyRideisMe.com picture gallery. Stay tuned.

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