Is it really a road trip if it involves an airplane? Well by my definition, anything that gets me where the action is is a road trip.

You’re probably asking, “Just where is he going with this?” Well, when you live in northern Wisconsin, January is no time to climb in the hot rod and go for a drive. We have at least two feet of snow in the yard and the piles from shoveling are almost ten feet high.

With conditions like these, we decided it was time to get outta town. We booked a flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles and reserved a Ford Mustang convertible with hopes for weather conducive to some top down cruisin’. They always say the best-laid plans will go awry, and they were right. It was cold (60 degrees) and rainy. We thought we’d make the best of a bad situation because we weren’t about to let some precipitation ruin what we came here for: The 60th Annual Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS).

The big prize for this event, which is held at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA, is the six-foot tall trophy awarded to “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” (AMBR). This competition brings out cars built with the specific intention of competing for this trophy. Builders spend thousands of hours making every detail on their cars perfect, including making sure that each bolt head is pointed in exactly the same direction and that each bolt protrudes from its associated nut the same amount. Some call this overbuilding, and I tend to agree, even though the final products are beautiful.

This year’s AMBR award winner was a gorgeous black ’32 Ford roadster owned and built by Harry Willett of Orland Park, IL. The car features a Dodge Viper V-10 equipped with a fuel injection system from a LeMans Viper race car as well as a number of other race-inspired features that really helped it stand out from the other top-notch competitors. Not only was the car as impressive as they come, but the components that made up the display were head-turning as well.

An aspect of the GNRS that I really like and hope catches on at other indoor events is letting owners of street-driven cars show off their rides as well. The show is spread out among seven buildings, with all of the AMBR contenders in one, the other show cars in the other six, and the non-show cars scattered throughout the grounds.

Before we knew it, we had to board the silver bird and head back home to the snow and cold. While I was sad to leave, I was pleased to have seen the show and to know that I have a nice warm shop at home where I can prepare the fleet for next summer’s travels. See ’ya down the road.

This year marked the 60th anniversary of the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) and its coveted “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster”(AMBR) award. The more than six-foot high trophy recognizes the best newly built roadsters in the country, and this year 14 contenders were on hand to vie for this coveted award.

The top honors went to Harry Willett of Orland Park, IL, for his vintage race car inspired ’32 Ford, known as the “Hot Rod Special.” This ’50s style roadster, which was built by Willett Specials in Chicago, IL, boasts a 460-horsepower Dodge Viper V-10 backed by a T56 Tremec six-speed transmission. The list of body and chassis modifications is lengthy, with nearly every part modified or custom built. For more details about the AMBR winner and for great build photos, visit willettspecials.com.

Don’t kid yourself into thinking this show is all about the AMBR award, as more than 600 high quality rides were on display, competing for hundreds of other awards. Primered hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles, trucks, and restored classics all have a place at this event. If that’s not enough, the “Drive-In” held on Saturday and Sunday packs the grounds of the Pomona Fairplex with another 500-plus show stopping cars.

To celebrate their anniversary, the GNRS featured a number of previous AMBR award winners, including the only four cars to have won the award twice. Speaking of twice, the entire hall that housed the past winners was decorated to match the old Armory halls of the ’50s.

There are more than roadsters at the GNRS. The show features cars and trucks to suit nearly every interest, and offers spectators the opportunity to meet the legendary people responsible for laying the foundation of our hobby.

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