Pomona, California
Article and photos by Ben Smithson
Edited by Larry Crain
It’s no secret that California is known for its abundant car scene, so it just makes sense that the “grand daddy of them all” is held right there in Pomona. And on top of that, the coveted “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” award is given away here as well! Needless to say, the 68th Annual Grand National Roadster Show, which makes it the longest running indoor show in the world, was everything it’s built up to be! Running from early Friday morning until Sunday evening, this eclectic show boasts vehicles of many styles and colors. Between seven themed buildings, you may find anything from tri-fives Chevrolets, to channeled Model A Fords, to bagged C10s, and everything in between!
During the days the show takes place if you can’t find what you’re looking for inside one of the buildings, the Grand Daddy "Drive-In" on Saturday and Sunday is its own outdoor car show bringing in hundreds of classics, hot rods, customs, muscle cars, and totally awesome rides.
If you get tired of looking at all the magnificent show cars, there are plenty of attractions for the entire family. Rockin’ live music will keep your feet tapping while you check out the talented Pinstriper’s Gathering, or head on over to take in the model car contest in building 5. If you’re lucky, you might just get to meet Hollywood celebrities such as Candy Clark from American Graffiti or Ray Evenham from Americarna roaming around one of the buildings!
We had a blast in beautiful and sunny Pomona, California for the 68th annual Grand National Roadster Show! The AMBR contestants were out of this world, and to say the show cars were amazing would be an understatement. Congratulations to Hollywood Hot Rods builder of the 1936 Packard roadster known as the “Mulholland Speedster” and to its owner Bruce Wanta for winning the highly sought after award as “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster”. If you’ve never been to this wonderful gathering of rolling works of art, put it on your bucket list and maybe we’ll see you in 2018!