Grand National Roadster Show 2022: AMBR Contenders, Slonaker Award Winner and Suede Palace
The Grand National Roadster Show is one of the oldest and most storied hot rod shows in the world. Builders have been vying for that 9-foot trophy awarded to America’s Most Beautiful Roadster since Bill Niekamp first earned the honor in 1950. The 2022 edition of the show brought out some amazing cars, all vying to have their owners’ names added to that famous trophy.
Here’s a quick rundown of the AMBR contenders as well as the winner of the prestigious Slonaker award. Also, there are a few cool cars from around the show that weren’t up for the big awards, but caught our eye nonetheless.
America's Most Beautiful Roadster, 2022
Since its inception in 1950, only one other Chevy has been crowned with AMBR honors. Here’s the second-Jeff Breault’s ’34 Chevy, called "Lucille." The crew at Devlin Rod and Customs in Wichita, Kansas screwed the traditionally-styled yet thoroughly modern roadster together and the interior was stitched by the talented Chuck Rowland. It sports an LS engine that’s been dressed with one-off bits and stack fuel injection to look at home in the vintage engine bay.
The AMBR Contenders
The Slonaker Award Winner, 2022
It's been said that there are no new ways to build a '32 Ford, and then a car like Pat Gauntt's 3-window shows up and proves that idea to be very wrong. We've been watching this car come together on the Hollywood Hot Rods Instagram for some time now, and in fact it's been 15 years in the making. It features clever details throughout, including a trick suspension system that allows it to be raised and lowered by pressurized oil from inside the car. It's powered by a 331 Cadillac.
Suede Palace
The Suede Palace is always one of our favorite buildings a the Roadster Show. It's a gathering of traditional hot rods, customs, and motorcycles that's always inspirational. Here are few of our favorites from this year.