hot rod culture
If you weren’t at the 2025 Detroit Autorama, you missed out on a pure, unfiltered dose of horsepower, chrome, and custom car insanity. From February 28 to March 2, Huntington Place (yeah, the old Cobo Hall) became ground zero for everything loud, fast, and meticulously built. And smack in the middle of it all? The Cavalcade of Customs—a no-holds-barred showcase of the wildest, cleanest, and most mind-blowing custom rides the country has to offer.
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.
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 was packed with eye candy, from high-dollar show cars to garage-built hot rods, but one of the coolest parts of the event wasn’t about horsepower—it was about artistry. The Pinstriping Charity Auction has become a staple of GNRS, bringing together some of the best pinstripers in the game to sling lines, lay down color, and raise cash for a great cause.
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.
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 75th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show, presented by Meguiar’s, once again proved why it’s the crown jewel of indoor car shows. From January 31 to February 2, the Pomona Fairplex was loaded with the meanest, cleanest roadsters in the country, all gunning for the top prize: the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) Award. This wasn’t just some polished-up car show—this was a throwdown of craftsmanship, power, and pure hot rod passion.
Boom! Andy Leach and the Cal Auto Creations crew have done it again, taking home the 2025 Al Slonaker Memorial Award with one of the slickest Pontiacs to ever roll through the Pomona Fairplex. This isn’t just another custom—it’s a full-blown, no-expense-spared masterpiece that took seven years to perfect.
When you’re located far to the North, as in north of the United States border, it isn’t always easy to gain the attention needed to grow a hot rod shop through creative statements alone. Then again, quality workmanship is difficult to miss and is rarely overlooked by knowledgeable people.
Carl Casper’s name has been synonymous with the custom car movement for a long time. As a teenager, Casper created his famous ’51 Chevrolet custom, the Exotic Empress. The car went on to win the 1961 NHRA National Custom Car Championship. (You know it was a long time ago if NHRA was promoting car shows!) Carl Casper is a talented guy who can perform virtually every task required to build a world-class custom car, from metal fabrication to paint and upholstery, and while many of his creations took the form of wild custom cars, they were all driveable.
