First Look – the 2026 Grand National Roadster Show
While the majority of the country is dealing with sub-freezing with ice and snow wreaking havoc on the roads and travel, we’re happy to be bringing you coverage of the 76th Grand National Roadster Show from Pomona, California! It was a stellar first day at the show with plenty of amazing cars filling the building while Saturday will bring even more to fill the outdoor spaces for the Grand-Daddy Drive-In under the southern California sun.
The Grand National Roadster Show is known for two historic awards; America’s Most Beautiful Roadster along with the Al Slonaker Memorial Award. This year brought nine absolutely amazing roadsters into building four in hopes of adding their name to the historic, perpetual trophy as the 2026 Most Beautiful Roadster along with some bucks from the fine folks at ARP Fasteners.
A couple buildings over, you’ll find an eclectic gathering of cars (and one truck) competing for the Al Slonaker Memoria Award (along with even more cash from ARP). These include:
While the AMBR and Slonaker get the headlines, there’s plenty of other cool happenings and displays to check out at the show. This year the show brought in a huge collection of ’35 – ’48 cars for the Fat Attack display with cars ranging from nose up gassers to customs, pro streeters, classic street rods and event west coast cruisers. The Suede Palace is a favorite to find traditional hot rods and car culture including bands, cool art, rodding threads and good times.
Of course there are plenty of top tier parts manufacturers, pro builders, the pinstriper charity auction and so much more! If you’ve never been, it’s time to scratch the show off your bucket list and make it out next year – and if you’ve stuck at home shoveling snow, here’s look at what you’re missing this year.
Photo by Damon Lee and Todd Ryden
