Wow! Another year and the Grand National Roadster Show came and went. For those of you who were lucky enough to go to this year’s 62nd GNRS I’m glad you were there to see it first hand. For those of you who didn’t, hopefully we can shed some light on the show. The Fairplex in Pomona, California, has hosted the event since 2004 and seven buildings are filled with show-quality customs, rat rods, dragsters, lowriders, motorcycles, classic trucks, and vendors. The outsides of the buildings are also jam-packed with several hundred vehicles that are equally impressive in their own right. To the top custom builders, GNRS is one of the best events to show off all their hard work, and over 500 awards were handed out from the judge’s picks this year.
Stuart Birds’ “The Old Gray...
Stuart Birds’ “The Old Gray Truck” was one of the first trucks I saw when I entered the show. A 400hp 351 Windsor with Edelbrock heads and dual-quad intake powers it—talk about a cool motor for a sweet ride.
Riz and I are some of the lucky media who get to wander in an hour early before the show starts on Friday. We tried to get in as many photos as possible before the crowds rolled in, but it’s hard to do so because we are enthusiasts too, and want to stop and look. On Saturday and Sunday the crowds arrived and so did the cars and trucks outside, which is a good thing because with more vehicles come more viewing pleasure.
CT[01] Richard Dinnen of El Cajon, California, made the 100-mile trek to show his ’56 F-100 to the crowd. Dinnen spent a total of 10 years perfecting it, and to us, this ride was a decade’s worth of cool.
[02] "Huntin’ Special" was the title for this ’35 Ford. Paul and Sandy Bonderson’s panel was built by Roy Brizio Street Rods of San Francisco and powered by a GMPP LS6. This should get the boys and their gear to the ducks in a hurry. Pull!
[03] This tribute to AC/DC showed up with no brakes. Why? It couldn’t stop rockin’ and rollin’. The front grille was converted to a playable Marshall amp that jams the band’s greatest hits.
[04][05] Roy Brizio and crew were busy last year building one of the most unique pre-Tri-Five Chevys. I walked by it once and didn’t realize that it had been converted to righthand drive. Check out the grille, too. I would shoot the sheriff but not the deputy to own this English classic truck.
[06][07] Juan and Maria Trevino from Whittier, California, had their beautiful ’65 Suburban on display. Check out the custom but classy touch on the interior that Juan says is not yet finished. Details...
[08] "Atom Tron," a ’49 Studebaker flashes into the future by some of our living legends. It reminds me of the
Jetsons cartoon.
[09] Chopped top and baby blue. I am not sure who owned this truck, but both Riz and I would’ve for sure taken it home.