Sunday, January 28, 2018

Grand National Roadster Show 2018

(Updated, Monday, January 29, 2018)

Mike Reeves hosted me again at the 2018 Grand National Roadster Show, continuing an annual  tradition of making the journey from San Diego to Pomona in his 1932 Ford Roadster.  Mike enters his car for display, making the drive up in the early morning hours (still dark outside) arriving at the Pomona Fairplex at 6:30 AM.


This year I decided to wear my matching shirt!




We spent the day looking at amazing cars.  Every year I come home reminding myself that some day I need to get a 1933/34 Ford like this one.  Herman and Darryl, what do you think???


Every year I also challenge myself by asking, "Is there a car here that I would rather have than my 62 Corvette?"  This year I found one!



The most amazing part of the GNRS is the competition for "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" or AMBR.  Each year about a dozen cars are entered for the judging, the $25,000 prize, a huge trophy, and bragging rights for the shop that builds the car and the car's owner.  This year there was a record number of entries -- 15.  

Each year Mike and I pretend we are judges and try to guess which car will win.  This year our favorite was the "striped car", a 1931 Ford.  Some of the entries have drifted a bit too far off from a traditional "Hot Rod" for our tastes, but this car held true to what a "real" Hot Rod should look like (in our opinion, anyway).  Here is the photo from my phone:



For the second time in three tries, Mike and I guessed the winning entry (maybe we should be judges?)!

America's Most Beautiful Roadster 2018



The best part of the day is the drive back home.


 It's a great feeling riding in the Roadster with the barest essentials of Crusin'!



Heaters are for Sissies!


Thanks, Mike, for another fantastic day at GNRS!  I'm looking forward to our next trip together.