2018 Grand National Roadster Show - First Look at the AMBR Contenders
By RK Motors
- Jan 25, 2018
On Wednesday, two days before the opening of the 2018 Grand Nationals Roadster Show, there are probably a few participant cars that still aren’t finished. But for the cars competing for the prestigious America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award, not only do they have to be finished, they have to be in Building 4 of the Pomona Fairplex, ready for the first round of judging. When we showed up at 10 o’clock the trailers with the AMBR contenders were starting to roll in. The judges had already finished their coffee and were ready to get busy.
There are 15 contenders for the award in 2018 and nine judges who will decide which one of the 15 will leave the show with a smaller version of the 10-foot-tall America’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy that has been awarded since 1950.
To be eligible for AMBR, a car must be a roadster (removable top, no roll up windows, and a removeable windshield) built based on a 1936-or-earlier body style—and they have to move under their own power. When the spectators show up on Friday they will see this year’s contenders carefully posed in elegant display areas—maybe up on stands under spotlights and with mirrors placed underneath to show them off. The judges take their first look with the cars parked with four tires on the ground under the lights of Building 4, for a real world impression and to evelauate stance, ergonomics, and other areas. Each owner or builder has a few minutes to promote their car and answer questions while the judges closely inspect each car.
The comprehensive judging covers several different categories including body fit and finish, paint, engine, interior, chassis/undercarriage, and overall design and flow. This year’s nine judges were selected from all corners of the street rod world to ensure that no element or perspective is overlooked. Notice that budget is not a consideration. The high standard for winning the AMBR trophy can’t be met with spending some money, but spending money is no guarantee of quality or beauty—and the judges are very aware that the B in AMBR stands for beautiful.
Kevin Doyle from the Grand National Roadster Show coordinated Wednesday’s meeting between the roadsters and these judges:
Brian Anderson, International Show Car Association
Bobby Alloway, builder, Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop
Brian Brennan, Content Director, Street Rodder Magazine
Chris Brown, auto designer
Jeff Hyman, appraiser, Classic Auto Appraiser
Jim Karls, builder, Karls Speed & Kustom
Dave Lane, builder, FastLane Rod Shop
Scott Sullivan, builder
Tom Vogele, editor, Street Scene Magazine/National Street Rod Association
Now that you know the judges, meet the competing roadsters:
1930 Ford, black, owned by Bill Nash of Santa Monica, California
1934 Ford, dark blue, owned by Pete Aardema of San Diego, California
1932 Ford, red, owned by Scott Helliesen of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
1927 Ford concept car, copper, owned by Daniel Hostetter of San Diego, California
1932 Ford, light blue, owned by Brian Cruz of New Braunfels, Texas
1936 Ford, black, owned by Dana Elrod or Sunrise Beach, Missouri
1936 Cadillac custom, blue and silver, owned by Rick Dore of Carlsbad, California
1936 Ford, brandy, owned by Chris Parmelee of Norco, California
1931 Ford,dark blue, owned by Dave Martin of Signal Hill, California
1932 Ford, black, owned by Alan Johnson of Fallbrook, California
1932 Ford, black, owned by Bruce Meyer of Beverly Hills, California
1932 Ford, dark maroon, owned by John Leonti of San Jose, California
1932 Ford, dark gray, owned by John Miller of Blacklick, Ohio
1932 Ford, dark blue, owned by Sean Black of Hartselle, Alabama
1929 Ford, dark purple, owned by James Bobowski of Orange, California
What if you were a judge—which of these 15 amazing roadsters would you choose for the big award?
We will bring you more photos and information on each of these America’s Most Beautiful Roadster contenders during the show (as well as the rest of the action from the Grand National Roadster Show). And we’ll be the first to tell you the 2018 America’s Most Beatutiful Roadster when the decision is announced on Sunday.