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Builds January 15, 2026

GRAND DADDY

It doesn’t matter whether this event is held in Oakland, San Francisco or San Mateo—it still gives builders the incentive to strive to win the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) title. For the past two years, the Grand National Roadster Show has been held in San Mateo, just south of San Francisco and across the bay from Oakland. This year there were 300 vehicles on display, and a good percentage of them were high-quality, creatively built roadsters. Along with the roadsters, there were closed street rods, customs, street machines and custom trucks. The show also is well known for displaying some of the finest motorcycles in the country, and this year there was a separate room just for the two-wheelers.

Street Rods January 14, 2026

SENSUOUS AT SUNSET

It’s a mammoth effort—building world-class street rods, that is, and to accomplish the goal generally means employing the skills of craftsmen from all across the country. Dave Tucci Jr. is one of the “young gun” rod builders on the scene right now, but he has enough experience to know that finding the right people is more important than where you find them, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit here.

Builders January 12, 2026

REVVIN’ UP AT THE ’07 AUTORAMA

Regardless of our residential location, there seems to be a specific show that we just can’t stand to miss. It’s a show we anticipate all year long, and we can’t imagine a season without attending it. It certainly isn’t the city it is held in that’s alluring; it’s the quality of the cars that show up, and there are always a few surprises, as builders spend millions of dollars competing for the prestige of winning the coveted Ridler Award.

Builds January 9, 2026

THOROUGHLY MODERN MUSTANG

As a longtime automotive enthusiast, Susan Alonso was looking to make a statement with a car she had admired ever since it set off the pony car craze over 36 years ago. After all, the 1965 Mustang still has a fresh a look today, and being that this particular example is a convertible, it is equally prized for its rarity.

Builds January 9, 2026

LITTLE DEUCE COUPE

LEGENDARY. For something to become a true legend (which actually may be a contradiction in terms), it must survive a certain amount of time. Our Funk & Wagnalls tells us this: “Legend (lej’end) n. 1. An unauthenticated story from earlier times, preserved by tradition and popularly thought to be historical. 2. A body or accumulation of such stories as those connected with a people or culture.” Under these guidelines, the famous blue coupe on these pages is legendary by definition. The fact that it survives today perpetuates the legend.

Builds January 8, 2026

TWO WORLDS CONVERGE

Nick Barron is no stranger to building fine performance vehicles. For more than 40 years, he has been the catalyst in handcrafting some of the finest performance machines around, a clockwork of components powered by nasty big-block Chevy engines and outfitted with the finest in custom appointments. The results of his handiwork have been seen racing on the quarter-mile and in other tortuous events. His vehicles have received many recognized awards for product innovation and consumer excellence. With a reputation for quality workmanship, performance, speed and superior handling, the success of Hallett Boats can be attributed directly to Barron. The boats Hallett has produced over the last four decades have afforded him the opportunity to involve himself in a number of new, exciting adventures. Barron is not only the owner of this new, beautiful Jerry Kugel-created full-fendered ’32 Muroc II roadster, he is also the owner of and innovator behind Hallett Boats, a high-end custom performance boat manufacturer located in Southern California.

Hot Rods January 8, 2026

WHATZIT?

Our first thought was to try to figure out which make and model the custom started out as. Generally, there are enough clues that can enable you to determine the origin of a custom. This one, though, was so radically modified, yet nicely done, that it was particularly difficult to pinpoint exactly what vehicle the customizer started with. The custom had all the right proportions, and it flowed gracefully from front to rear.

Hot Rods January 8, 2026

The Other American Musclecar

American Motors was an extremely conservative automobile company, happy with building basic transportation cars and small, economical compacts. When Pontiac stunned the world with the sales success of the ’64 GTO, many of the other car manufacturers also wanted to cash in on the new emerging muscle car movement. If strong-running cars could bring additional cash into the coffers, they were all for it. All except conservative American Motors, which denounced the idea of building fast cars because they wouldn’t be safe in the hands of young buyers. AMC continued on, content with building Ramblers. That idea lasted for about two years, but after seeing the sales success of the other auto manufacturers, AMC finally decided to cash in on the youth movement.

Hot Rods January 8, 2026

TEAM EFFORT

Vic, Jr. and his wife, Nancy, had been entertaining the idea of building a ’57 Chevy when they happened upon one of the most innovative builders around, Posies. It didn’t take long for them to strike up a conversation, and right then the plans were set into motion. While the challenges of being located on opposite sides of the country could have been a problem, teams Posies and Edelbrock were able to come together from the initial planning stages all the way through to the turn of the key and the first of many cross-country adventures.

Trucks January 7, 2026

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: 1973–1979 Ford Truck LED Digital Gauge Panel by Intellitronix

Time to stop staring at that dusty old dash and upgrade your cockpit like a boss. The Intellitronix 1973–1979 Ford Truck LED Digital Gauge Panel isn’t just a swap—it’s a straight-up modern takeover for your classic Ford. Clean, mean, and screaming tech.