Builds
We were back in the Motor City for the 72nd Detroit Autorama, held from February 28 to March 2, 2025, at Huntington Place. Over 800 custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles filled the halls, showcasing everything from high-dollar, jaw-dropping builds to gritty, backyard-bred machines. But the biggest prize? The Don Ridler Memorial Award, aka the Ridler, handed out to the one car that stands above all others for design, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.
If you know anything about hot rodding, you know the Don Ridler Memorial Award is the big one. The best of the best show up to the Detroit Autorama every year, hoping to take home that trophy, and in 2025, it went to a killer ‘55 Chevy Nomad called “Gray Madder.” Owned by Tom and Christy Bresnahan and their son Josh, this thing is an absolute showstopper, built with insane attention to detail and packed with killer custom touches.
When we first began publishing back in 1999, I wrote about my friend’s ’32 Vicky. That car, and a ’57 Chevy, was photographed by Scott Killeen and graced that issue’s cover. This helped serve as our coming-out statement for our company—the rest is history.
If you’re into the kind of machinery that makes your heart beat faster and your palms sweat, then Dan Webb’s reimagining of the 1926 Panhard Razor is something you need to see. The original was a marvel of interwar-era aerodynamics—a sleek, teardrop-shaped racing car designed for top-speed competition by Panhard et Levassor. Now, Webb, the man who blends old-school craftsmanship with modern engineering, is breathing new life into this legendary machine with a chassis that’s as much a work of art as it is a feat of engineering.
The Grand National Roadster Show 2025 was an all-out horsepower spectacle, packed with jaw-dropping rides and elite craftsmanship. But one booth that truly stole the show? Brizio Street Rods. These guys don’t just build cars—they create rolling masterpieces that blend power, style, and history into one breathtaking package.
The Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame is where hot rodding’s biggest names get the recognition they deserve. Since 1960, it’s been the ultimate nod to the builders, visionaries, and die-hard gearheads who’ve left their mark on the scene. This isn’t just a list of names—it’s a legacy of the innovators who’ve shaped the custom car world and made the Grand National Roadster Show the powerhouse event it is today.
Hot rod history hit overdrive at the 2025 Grand National Roadster Show, celebrating its 75th anniversary with a killer lineup in Building 9. The big deal? A special exhibit packed with a gathering of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) and Al Slonaker Memorial Award winners. Teaming up with the Petersen Automotive Museum, GNRS pulled together some of the most legendary roadsters ever to roll out of a garage.
The Suede Palace at the 2025 Grand National Roadster Show was, as always, the ultimate hotspot for anyone who lives and breathes traditional hot-rodding. Tucked into Building 10 of the Pomona Fairplex, this gathering wasn’t about high-dollar billet builds or over-polished show queens—it was a raw, authentic tribute to the early days of hot-rodding, where creativity, attitude, and a little grease under the fingernails mattered more than a six-figure paint job.
The mastermind who turned wild ideas into rolling legends. At the 2025 Grand National Roadster Show, organizers pulled out all the stops to honor what would have been his 100th birthday, showcasing some of his most legendary and jaw-dropping creations.
If you thought the Grand National Roadster Show was just about hot rods and customs, think again. Tucked away in Expo Building 8 was a full-blown horsepower fest on water, with a killer lineup of vintage drag boats, Grand National circle racers, and custom-built speed machines that make as much noise as they do waves. If you love anything that rips, this was the place to be.
