The 2015 GNRS AMBR Winner - Bobby Alloway's 1933/34 Ford Roadster owned by Larry Olson.
It's that time of year again! The 2016 Grand National Roadster Show is this weekend in Pomona, CA, and there are a /13 contenders for the AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster) Award (down from 18 last year), and they are all strong, if somewhat traditional, contenders (although there are a few surprises). It seems like there's we're seeing a twist on the known in terms of variety this year, so the competition should be fierce and exciting. One other twist this year? It's the first time that the judges/promoters have allowed cars to return to compete again!
Here are the cars vying for the 2016 AMBR title:
Chris Evans - 1931 Ford Roadster
Chris Evans' 1931 Roadster was built entirely by Charly's Garage in Mesa, AZ. It started out with just a Brookville roadster body and American Stamping repro 1932 frame rails.
James Hetfield - 1934 Packard Roadster
James Hetfield is not only an AMBR contender, he is the co-founder and guitarist for Metallica. This 1934 Packard Roadster is another "one-off" collabroation between Hetfield and builder Rick Dore. Marcel Dulay of Corona,CA built the body which sports an LS1 engine hooked up to a six-speed automatic sitting in an Art Morrison chassis.
Darryl Hollenbeck - 1932 Ford High Boy Roadster
This car is out of Concord, CA and Hollenbeck is known for show-winning paint on numerous AMBR winners and contenders. The chassis fabrication was done by Cory Taulbert at Webb Automotive Art in Burton, MI. It's equipped with an Edelbrock crate small block and T5 Borg Warner transmission.
Tom Lieb - 1929 Ford Roadster
This roadster is an ever evoloving project. Lieb has owned the car for nearly 60 years, and keeps re-invisioning it. This incarnation was first built in 2010 by So Cal Speed Shop, but has been modified over the past five years by Jimmy Shine in Orange, CA. Nothing on this car is newer than 1963.
Maureen Magnuson - 1932 Ford Roadster
This car was originally built by the late Jerry Magnuson, Scott Lacy, and was finished up by Chip Foose for Magnuson. It competed in the 2010 AMBR competition, but was defeated.
Gary Matranga - 1932 Ford Roadster
Matranga first tried for the AMBR title with this car in 1989 and again in 1991 and lost both times. The car was originally built by Dennis King at Kings Fabrication in Turlock, CA. It features a 1957 Chrysler Hemi. The roadster has been restored back to its 1989 version and Matranga has high hopes for this try.
Wes Rawlins - 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup
This red hot roadster was built by Hollywood Hot Rods for Rawlins from North Carolina and started out as a Brookville 1932 roadster pickup body. Under the hood is a Jon Kaase Boss Nine Shot Gun motor. There are many small details, like the windshield that was an early Duvall and was reworked for this car, and the triangulated rear that looks like it's a 4-bar setup.
Phillip Ray - 1933 Ford Roadster
Ray's roadster was entered into the competition back in 2011 and looks exactly the same today. It was built by American Classics Limited in Auburn, CA (Ray's shop). It's equipped with a crate LS2 with a Magnacharger, 4L65E transmission, and 9-inch rear.
Dean Scott - 1932 Ford High Boy Roadster
This jet-black high boy roadster was built by ASR Performance and Customs in Grass Valley, CA. It's been done in a 1960s drag theme and is powered by an injected Boss 302 Ford engine.
Ron Simm - 1931 Ford Roadster Pickup
This car comes from Desert Hills, AZ. Simm is an old dirt track racer who always dreamed of having a roadster pickup. The big block Chevy is a 375hp 396 with a 700R4 and 9-inch rear.
Jack Stirnemann - 1931 Ford Roadster
Stirnemann and his roadster come from St. Louis, MO. Stirnemann is well-known for his early Ford V8 builds, so this is a bit unusual for him, but it's definitely a contender.
Jon Wright - 1936 Ford Roadster
This roadster veers off course a bit for its traditional custom "tail dragger" theme, which has rarely been used in the roadster competition. Wright bought the car in 1992 and was surprised to find that it was the same car he fell in love with as a child in Irwin, PA. It's got a 351 Winsor, AOD transmission, and 9-inch rear.
Jeff Romig - 1936 Ford Roadster
This car wasn't on disply during set up, so it's possible that he wasn't able to bring it. We'll give you an update over the weekend!