Hot Boats at the Grand National Roadster Show 2025
February 14, 2025
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
THE HYDROGEN HIGHBOY
Enter Carl Casper, a man best known for building custom cars and promoting his huge custom car show every year in Louisville, Kentucky. Casper has long been a self-thinker and innovator with plenty of experience under his belt, and he was intrigued with the concept of alternative fuels, hydrogen in particular. During our conversation with Casper, he summed it when he said, “I feel many of the solutions will come out of the car guys. I want the mechanical wizards who have taken street rodding and auto racing to the highest levels imaginable to start putting their creativity into alternative-energy systems. I’m putting my money on them. Everyone seems to be waiting for the big corporations to pull us out of this energy crisis, and they tend to forget that from the very beginning of time it’s often the little guy with a shop behind his house who creates the next great idea or invention of our time.”
ONE OF ONE
If there was ever a time of automotive wonderment and absolute freedom among designers and enthusiasts alike, it was the early 1950s. This was a special time when automobile manufacturers were exploring new territory previously held by the foremost automakers of Europe, and the Americans were going all out to stake their own claims to greatness.
CIMTEX RODS SUPER CAMEO: PART 8
In part seven of our Cimtex Rods Super Cameo Buildup series, we covered the installation of our Stainless Works four-tube ZR1 headers and Cimtex Rods-fabricated 3-inch custom exhaust system, as well as the fabrication and installation of our Cimtex Rods-constructed 22-gallon fuel tank and the accompanying MagnaFuel fuel system. Now we’re going to cover the mockup of our Powerdyne BD-11A SilentDrive twin supercharger system. But first let’s digress and take a look at the big picture. One of the key criterion in our Cimtex Rods Super Cameo buildup was to elicit that all-important “wow” factor throughout the entire series. When it came to the engine, we didn’t want to install just any old run-of-the-mill, multi-carbureted GM small or big block, much less a late-model GM crate engine straight out of the catalog. Going in we figured that the Cimtex Super Cameo powerplant should be something special.
Spotlighter
Rad Win by Rad Rides
Troy Trepanier Wins 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders with His Fenderless ’36 Ford
We knew this one was special the moment we first spotted it at the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show. Now it’s official—the 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers Polish has crowned Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy as the best overall builder of the year with his jaw-dropping Fenderless ’36 Ford Roadster.
Author
Jamie Dent
Photos by Scott Killeen
A Season of Dominance
We knew this one was special the moment we first spotted it at the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show. Now it’s official—the 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers Polish has crowned Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy as the best overall builder of the year with his jaw-dropping Fenderless ’36 Ford Roadster.
Already one of the most decorated hot rods of 2025, the Fenderless ’36 has dominated the show circuit—taking home America’s Most Beautiful Roadster at GNRS, the Legend Cup at the Chicago World of Wheels, Goodguys Columbus Street Rod of the Year, and TCOR25’s Street Rod of the Year and Best Hot Rod Stance Award, handpicked by Corky Coker himself.
Pure Hot Rod Ethos
Stripped of fenders and any unnecessary fluff, this machine is a pure expression of traditional hot rod ethos, elevated to Rad Rides precision. Beneath its gleaming Porsche Aventurine Green Metallic skin sits a 312ci Ford Y-block with a ’57 McCullough supercharger, delivering vintage punch with modern finesse.
A Bowler 4R70W automatic feeds power to a Winters Quick-change rear end, while torsion bar suspension tuned with Ridetech adjustable shocks keeps the stance tight and responsive. Hidden Wilwood disc brakes behind custom drum covers add a perfect blend of performance and period-correct style.
Handcrafted Perfection
Inside, the craftsmanship continues with a hand-built interior featuring square-weave carpet, hand-tipped leather, and a removable top that ties it all together. The car rides on custom wide-five wheels wrapped in Excelsior rubber—every detail purposeful, every element perfected.
A Well-Earned Victory
Congratulations to Troy Trepanier and the entire Rad Rides by Troy team for capturing the 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders title and reaffirming why they remain at the pinnacle of hot rod innovation and craftsmanship.
For a closer look at this legendary build in action, check out our past photo galleries. From its stunning debut at the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show to its award-winning appearance at TCOR25, these galleries capture every angle, detail, and moment that make the Fenderless ’36 a true hot rod icon. Scroll down to relive the highlights and see why this car continues to turn heads and collect trophies wherever it rolls.
AMBR 2024
Troy Trepanier and the Rad Rides team’s 1936 Ford Roadster is absolutely breathtaking. Shown off in the nude, this ride looks stunning sans paint. CLICK HERE to see our coverage of the 2024 GNRS.
AMBR 2025
Ross Myers and the crew at Rad Rides by Troy dropped the hammer and took home the 2025 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award at the 75th Grand National Roadster Show! That’s right—Myers’ 1936 Ford-based roadster is a straight-up masterpiece, blending next-level craftsmanship, modern engineering, and that undeniable hot rod soul.
CLICK HERE to see our coverage of the AMBR25 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster.
GoodGuys Nationals, Columbus OH
At the Goodguys Nationals in Columbus, the Fenderless ’36 Ford Roadster from Rad Rides by Troy took home the coveted Goodguys 2025 Street Rod of the Year title. CLICK HERE to see our coverage.
Triple Crown of Rodding 2025
Fresh off its Goodguys Columbus Street Rod of the Year win, the Myers Fenderless ’36 Ford Roadster, along with winning the TCOR Street Rod of the Year award (CLICK HERE to see our coverage), made waves at TCOR25 by also claiming The Best Hot Rod Stance, chosen by Corky Coker himself.
SEMA's Battle of the Builders 2025
Troy Trepanier’s 1936 Myers Fenderless Ford Roadster hit SEMA like a thunderbolt, immediately becoming one of the most talked-about builds on the floor. Its radically reworked proportions, open-wheel stance, and signature Rad Rides precision made it a magnet from the moment the doors opened—people weren’t just looking at it, they were studying it.
On a show floor packed with cutting-edge machinery, the roadster still managed to rise above the noise. The flawless metalwork, the in-house-built chassis, and that supercharged 312ci Y-block made it clear this wasn’t just another high-end build—it was a statement piece. By the time judging wrapped, the crowd knew exactly why it walked away as Division Winner & Overall Champion at SEMA’s Battle of the Builders.
ARTICLE SOURCES
