Custom Hearse Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 And the winner is... And the rest of the contestants... https://autos.yahoo.com/photos/america-s-most-beautiful-roadster-crowned-for-2015-1422389893-slideshow/ What's your opinion?
W-409 Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 I think it looks horrible. Especially those wheels and tires are something that doesn't on a Hot Rod at all. But all in all it looks way too modern to me. This looks really good:
cobraman Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 I like it. Would love to have it in my garage.
mikemodeler Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 They were all beautiful rods and I would be happy to own any of them. I think the right one was chosen as the winner.
Belugawrx Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 I don't know, I'm kinda in love with this one!! Classic flat 8 ... not sure on the swiveling 'aerostar' seats tho...
Skip Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) I think it looks horrible. Especially those wheels and tires are something that doesn't on a Hot Rod at all. But all in all it looks way too modern to me. This looks really good: Wow! Steelies are not modern at all, nor are those hubcaps or beauty rings. That combination has been around forever, I like it a whole lot better than wire wheels, even the Kelsey Hayes "Bent Spoke" wire wheels. Those wheels are probably off of something really "new" like a Forty or something. That combination was popular when swapping mechanical brakes for "Juice" brakes from a Forty or later Ford. Take a look at the "Lakes Roadsters" from the 40's and 50's and you'll see that combination of Big-n-Littles on a whoe lot of them. Nothing wrong with that "Banger" engine either. That car is about as Traditional as they come. If you were talking about the AMBR Winner, that's another well executed Hot Rod. The wheel design is definitely not a modern one, they're either original Halibrand or nice copies of the original Halibrand design. Paint work is right out of the early it mid 60's, in my mind the only thing that deters from the lines of the car is the way the hood is hinged, it's not that bad though. There was just a '33 - '34 in Rodders Journal a few issues ago along the lines of this one, they're hardly billet promoters! This would be a take on '60's Traditional. I'd clear out a spot in my garage for this one to park. Edited due to Autocorrect inserting the wrong word in place of the right word! Edited January 28, 2015 by Skip
Casey Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 The return of rubber running board covers? They're all nicely done, but black paint with flames, 5-slot wheels and big 'n' littles just screams "hot rod" to me.
lanesteele240 Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 They all look the same. With a cap on the year the car that can be built, choices are limited. So you are just left with who can assemble a 32 ford the best and put down a awsome set of flames
espo Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 I think they are all winners in their own right. The wheels on the "winner" remind me of the style of the early 70's like the Ansen Sprints.
slusher Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 I would take any of the but I really love those flames. I like the wheels also...
Motor City Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 silver '32 pickup or the '34 black w/red interior
W-409 Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) Wow! Steelies are not modern at all, nor are those hubcaps or beauty rings. That combination has been around forever, I like it a whole lot better than wire wheels, even the Kelsey Hayes "Bent Spoke" wire wheels. Those wheels are probably off of something really "new" like a Forty or something. That combination was popular when swapping mechanical brakes for "Juice" brakes from a Forty or later Ford. Take a look at the "Lakes Roadsters" from the 40's and 50's and you'll see that combination of Big-n-Littles on a whoe lot of them. Nothing wrong with that "Banger" engine either. That car is about as Traditional as they come. If you were talking about the AMBR Winner, that's another well executed Hot Rod. The wheel design is definitely not a modern one, they're either original Halibrand or nice copies of the original Halibrand design. Paint work is right out of the early it mid 60's, in my mind the only thing that deters from the lines of the car is the way the hood is hinged, it's not that bad though. There was just a '33 - '34 in Rodders Journal a few issues ago along the lines of this one, they're hardly billet promoters! This would be a take on '60's Traditional. I'd clear out a spot in my garage for this one to park. Edited due to Autocorrect inserting the wrong word in place of the right word! That Hot Rod that I posted looks really Traditional to me - also the wheels and tires. On that winner (What I was talking about on my original post), those wheels and tires are not Traditional. I don't know the wheel size, but to me they look too big and tire profile is too low. That paint job is more old school, but the whole car just doesn't look like something that could have been built in the 1950s or 1960s. It looks more like '90s or later Hi Tech to me...And I really don't like that style. Edited January 28, 2015 by W-409
Bernard Kron Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) They all look the same. With a cap on the year the car that can be built, choices are limited. So you are just left with who can assemble a 32 ford the best and put down a awsome set of flames I didn't realize there was a cap on the year of the car. I checked the rules and any reference to a streetable roadster is to "pre-1935". Is this what you're referring to? If so, what a bummer! As much as I thought the Mumford '27-T win in 201 was an inspired choice, I'm now questioning what it actually portended. No pure creativity allowed anymore, just the same re-interpretation of received orthodoxy. No car among the contenders that I've seen seems particularly inspired. But then I guess Traditional means Traditional, even if it's mainly about the donor body, and we need to look elsewhere than the AMBR for a different sort of Dream Car. BTW, those five slots look to be 19" fronts and 20" rears with modern tires. They don't even vaguely look like original Halibrand 5-slots, which I don't think were ever made any larger than 16"... In general that flamed '34 (?) looks like a late 90's throwback. Edited January 28, 2015 by Bernard Kron
webestang Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 For me......the winner is no big deal. Same old, same old.
CorvairJim Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 Not being too familiar with the Grand National Roadster Show or the "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" award, I may be speaking out of school here. The way I see it, though, if the name of the award is the criterion they're using, then it should go to the most beautiful roadster in the opinion of the judges, regardless of the era or style of the build. If they consider a more modern take on a traditional car the best looking one, then that car should be the winner. I'm sure, like any of us, the judges have their own take on what makes a car "Beautiful"; Some prefer the "Old School" style while others look for more cutting-edge features. I like cars that make me go back for another look for any reason, be it a traditionalm style executed particularly well or a new innovation I'd never seen before or even thought of. Most (but not all) of the finalists fit MY criteria. There are only a few of the finalists that would ahve disappointed me if they had won. By and large, I'd be proud to have any of these cars in my garage - if I had a garage! There were a couple of faux pas that caught my eye - The Packard grille shell on one car didn't seem to fit in with the design of the rest of the car, and the car with the full-custom body and the engine that over-filled the engine bay had flanges around the engine bay for a hood that would have no possible way to fit on the car without looking completely out of place come to mind right off.
Deano Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) Where did the concept that to win AMBR the car had to be "Traditional" come from? Now, I'm a great fan of "Traditional Rods and Customs" but this link https://www.flickr.com/photos/fredsredt/sets/72157623195547014/ takes you to an album of some of the past winners and a great many of them are far from "Traditional" Edited January 28, 2015 by Deano
Bernard Kron Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 For me......the winner is no big deal. Same old, same old. Where did the concept that to win AMBR the car had to be "Traditional" come from? Now, I'm a great fan of "Traditional Rods and Customs" but this link https://www.flickr.com/photos/fredsredt/sets/72157623195547014/ takes you to an album of some of the past winners and a great many of them are far from "Traditional" There seems to have been a major revision in judging rules in 2011. But I wasn't able to find any discussion as to whether a specific cap on the year was instituted then. Certainly the pure show cars of the late 60's and early 70's, cars like Don Borth's Invader, Art Himsl's Alien, and even Joe Wilhelm's Wild Dream are hardly even quote a specific year's Traditional body style. They share the Traditional roadster's open wheel, side-window-free elements, and perhaps quote a roof style, but the builder's palette is pretty wide open. These cars are a far cry from the rigid criteria evidenced in current cars. I think the last time we saw a truly impactful design change may have been with the "High-Tech" and billet movements starting with Buttera and Coddington's cars in 1980 and culminating 15 years later. The Brizio shop and Rodder's Journal, along with the HAMB, have really influenced trends since, although the glitzy bib-bucks look of the late 90's certainly refuses to die! So I agree that this sort of thing has been going for quite some time now and to that extent it's the "same old same old". But, as I said, maybe we should look to some other shows for more cutting edge design work - if it even exists...
Scott Colmer Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 Thanks for posting this. I missed the show for the first time in years. It was good to catch up. I agree with the desire for something different. The ones that struck me most in the last few years were the Foose Impression and a rootbeer colored, lo slung pick-up that I wish I remember the name of. It got a lot of ink for the car mags. That truck was very innovative. There is a good model show there too. I'll bet there is link to pictures floating out there somewhere. Scott
chunkypeanutbutter Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 The greyish-blue highboy is my favorite out of all of them.
ZTony8 Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 This car seems so familiar-like I've seen several like it through the years.In fact it reminds me most of the California Kid minus the roof and plus the aluminum wheels.
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 Not all hot rods appeal to everyone equally, and in the absence of real originality and outstanding design, quality of workmanship is often the factor that determines a winner. Originally known as The Oakland Roadster Show more than 60 years back, the Grand National Roadster Show has given the overall winner's title "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" to some incredible cars, and some so-sos. This year's winner also instantly made me think "topless California kid", and looks nice, but doesn't do much for me in the "wow" area. The Ardun-headded V8-60 powered '27 track-nose car of a few years back is, to me, the high point of recent winners, and is the epitome of what the AMBR title meant in the early years. Problem is, once it's all been done 100 dozen times, it's really tough to be original.
chunkypeanutbutter Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 Whats so special about it? Seems like a "roots" rod to me. Nothing new and fancy... like how the first hot rods may well have looked like.
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 Seems like a "roots" rod to me. Nothing new and fancy... like how the first hot rods may well have looked like. Absolutely. Many pre-war hot-rods had a similar look. A 4-banger model-A engine with a trick head under the hood of that little T would make a pretty potent car for the day. This little T was built by a SoCal mechanic, and was reputed to have smoked Clark Gable's Duesenberg. The story goes that Gable tried to buy it repeatedly and was refused. In frustration, he's said to have had a similar car built by someone else, but the performance just wasn't there.
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