Grand National Roadster Show
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The Grand National Roadster Show (a.k.a.: GNRS, or sometimes referred to as ''Oakland Roadster Show'' but never officially called that), started in 1950, and is one of the oldest and longest continuously operating exhibitions of custom vehicles in the United States.


History

In 1949, while Al Slonaker was preparing for his first automobile show at the Oakland Exposition, an
Oakland, CA Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
area
hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...
club convinced him to exhibit ten of these cars at the show. The next year, Slonaker decided to focus on just the hot rods but concerned over possible bad press, it was instead called the "National Roadster Show." In 1962, the "Grand" was added to the event's name, making it the Grand National Roadster Show. In 1967, the show moved to the
Oakland Coliseum Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...
From 1998 until 2003, it was held at a variety of other San Francisco Bay Area venues. Starting in 2004, it has operated in
Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...
, at the
Fairplex Fairplex has been the home of the L.A. County Fair since 1922. Known prior to 1984 as the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, it is located in the city of Pomona, California. The L.A. County Fair is held during the month of May since 2022, but the fa ...
.


Award

Starting in 1950, the grand prize at the show was the "Most Beautiful Roadster" award. It is a 9-foot "megatrophy" that engraved the winner's name on it. Though it's unclear what year it happened, the name of the trophy was lengthened to "America's Most Beautiful Roadster", which is how it reads today.


America's Best Competition Car Award

From 1957 until 1971, there was a separate "America's Best Competition Car Award" given out at the show.


Further reading

*


References


External links

* {{Official website, http://www.rodshows.com/ 1949 establishments in the United States Auto shows in the United States 1949 establishments in California