Huge Gallery! More Than 100 Hot Rods and Customs From the 2023 Grand National Roadster Show
The Grand National Roadster Show is called “the Grand Daddy of Them All.” Check out our comprehensive photo gallery to see why.
Tim BernsauWriterJorge NunezPhotographer
According to the calendar, the new year starts on Jan. 1. But ask a hot-rodder and they might give you a different answer—the unofficial new year for many of us arrives when the hot rods come back to Pomona for the Grand National Roadster Show.
Al Slonaker created the National Roadster Show in 1950 (it officially became "Grand" in 1963) and watched it quickly expand into a huge success. He would be proud, but probably not surprised, to know that the GNRS is the longest-running indoor car show in the world (and beyond) and that the 2023 73rd annual O'Reilly Grand National Roadster Show was as grand as it's ever been.
More than 500 hot rods, muscle cars, customs, lowriders, race cars, trucks, and motorcycles filled seven buildings at the Pomona Fairplex, the event's Southern California home since 2004.
More From GNRS 2023: The Suede Palace Is Where Traditional Hot Rods Rule / 50 Years of Hot Rod Trucks
That number doesn't include the hundreds of cars and trucks that participated in the outdoor "drive-in" portion of the event.
Building 4 is the main hall of the Fairplex and the "center ring" of the Grand National Roadster Show. That's where the best-known pro builders and manufacturers display their latest projects—and where the contenders for "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" can be found. The AMBR Award has been a tradition at GNRS since the first show in 1950. Nine roadsters from across North America were competing to win the 9-foot trophy this year. All were deserving, but Jack Chisenhall's Indy-inspired 1932 Ford was the 2023 winner.
One building away, eleven non-roadsters were vying for the Al Slonaker Memorial Award. The Slonaker Award has been presented since 1974, but the prize got a boost in prestige (and value) in 2020, elevating it to the level of AMBR and top awards at other national events. George Eliacostas' 1960 Buick Invicta, built by CAL Auto Creations, was this year's Slonaker winner.
HOT ROD was at the Grand National Roadster Show all weekend, enough time to visit every building, including the Suede Palace (dedicated to traditional rods and customs) and the 2023 "Keep on Truckin'" exhibit of some of the best 1948-1998 trucks and vans ever built. We could have used a few more days to soak in all that makes the Grand National Roadster Show officially grand.
Watch the Full Episode! Winter Road Trip in a Topless Deuce Roadster
On season 3, episode 2 ofHOT ROD Unlimited, Thom Taylor drives a channeled, topless Deuce roadster in the dead of winter from Nashville to Los Angeles, encountering what you would expect in the middle of winter: ice, rain, cold, frost—did we mention cold?? Watch the roadster slip, slide and spin 2,000 miles as Thom takes Interstate 40 through eight states and 70 degrees of temperature change, taking breaks for burnouts, breakdowns, bad weather and junkyards. Sign up for a free trial to MotorTrend+ and start streaming every episode ofHOT ROD Unlimitedtoday!
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