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2023 Grand National Roadster Show Mega Photo Gallery | Hot rod heaven

POMONA, Calif. — From an outsider's perspective, it would be easy to assume that the Grand National Roadster Show has always been a Southern California institution. After all, it celebrates the diverse postwar car culture of the region — hot rods, lead sleds, lowriders, and more. However, the show had its roots in NorCal in 1950 when Al Slonaker and his hot rod club showed their custom cars at the Oakland Expo. The GNRS moved to Pomona, California, in 2004. By then it had grown exponentially and seen about a dozen more car customization trends come and go. However, the show and its centerpiece award, the America's Most Beautiful Roadster prize, celebrate what is perhaps the first of those trends: the American hot rod in its purest form. Today, in its 73rd year, the GNRS is the oldest indoor car show in America. Annually it welcomes 500-800 cars, gathered into special themes like Tri-Five Chevys or Volkswagen Bugs. At this year's show, which was last weekend, a special hall was dedicated to pickup trucks built between 1948-98, including mini-trucks, groovy camper bed conversions, and resto-mods.  However, of all the vehicles presented, only nine are eligible for the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award. Winners get their names engraved on a 9-foot-tall perpetual trophy that was, according to The Ultimate Hot Rod Dictionary, the largest in the world when it debuted in 1950. Slonaker chose the word "roadster" initially because "hot rod" bore slightly negative outlaw connotations in 1950. Only American cars built before 1937 of certain body styles — roadsters, roadster pickups, phaetons, touring cars — are eligible, and they cannot have roll-down side windows.  Cars in the running for the cup cannot have been shown anywhere else before their debut at the GNRS.  Contestants for this accolade essentially build their cars to the a platonic ideal of a hot rod. This year the honors went to Jack Chisenhall of San Antonio, Texas, for his "Champ Deuce," a 1932 Ford Roadster. It's exactly what you picture when you think of a hot rod, but distilled to its absolute essence.  Other standouts included "Green Eyes," a two-tone green 1959 Chevy El Camino  with a heavily metal-flaked bed, "Blue Monday," a 1964 Buick Riviera lowrider, and a personal favorite, "Purple Reign," a purple and black 1951 Mercury. Cars may have started out as tools, but there aren't shows like this filled with custom refrigerators.

2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Drivers' Notes | Wide awake

Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore — I've always wondered how Dodge would evolve the Challenger. There was only one real generation, not counting the rebadged Mitsubishi. Past and present, it's always looked the same. With the Hellcat, Demon, and now my personal favorite, the Hellcat Redeye Widebody, it makes total sense. There's no need to redesign it every few years. Just tweak it and add cool features — like flared fenders and the 797-hp Hellcat engine. It's all you need. This thing makes a statement. The Redeye is the car your neighbors want a ride in. I parked in our office building's basement, and co-workers heard me gunning the engine — two stories up. It's a growl. It has bass. It's angry. It gets a little metallic sometimes, depending on how and when you lay on the gas. I launched fairly hard at every traffic light. Sometimes I'd rev at idle. The Monroney that came with our test car lists the fuel economy as zero (it actually gets 13 city and a respectable 22 highway). But still. You get the point. I've always liked how the Challenger drives. It's big. It's heavy. The hood looks like the deck of an aircraft carrier. It's not trying to be a track rat. Go fast in a straight line. That's what you do. Take a hard left and maybe you skid a little bit. Maybe that's the idea. You don't eat cheeseburgers because they're good for you. You eat them because they taste good. Hey, cheeseburgers have protein. And vitamins. Healthy isn't the right description, but there are some benefits. The same reasoning applies to this Challenger. The interior is attractive, well-furnished and comfortable. The leather-trimmed seats are supportive. I love the saddle brown color. I used to say the coupe's low roof and bulky A-pillars were a problem. Then I got over that. You're driving nearly 800 hp, so sit up and be on your toes. The trunk is huge, too. I could have put a car seat in the back, had I needed to. You can live with the Challenger. And the Redeye is perhaps the best version yet. The starting price is about $60 grand. That's a steal. The price of our tester is $92,290. That's insane. The $6,000 widebody pack is the thing I'd recommend most out of all the options. Get the nice leather, too. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Widebody Challenger Hellcat spotted with no camouflage

Well this is a mightily mysterious muscle car. One of our photographers caught this Dodge Challenger out testing without any camouflage. At first glance it looks like an SRT Demon, since it has the same widebody flares and front spoiler of the hellacious Challenger. However, the hood is from a garden-variety Hellcat (as if such a thing existed...), the rear spoiler has an SRT Hellcat badge, and the wheels don't come from the kitty or the Hellspawn. We have two theories as to what this SRT mishmash may be. Our first is that this is perhaps a next-generation Hellcat that takes advantage of some of the Demon's developments. It could have a more potent engine under the hood, perhaps with the extra fuel pumps and air-conditioned intercooler, along with the Demon's beefier driveline. It would be a way to keep the Hellcat relevant, and a way for people who might miss out on the one-year-only Demon to get the next closest thing. Our other theory is that this is an all-wheel-drive Hellcat. The wide fender flares and chin spoiler appeared on an all-wheel-drive Challenger concept before they made their way to the Demon. And with the introduction of the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, we know that Mopar has an all-wheel-drive system that can handle the grunt of the 707-horsepower Hellcat mill. If an all-wheel-drive Hellcat is in the cards, it would be another way to keep the Hellcat line fresh without too much investment, and would be a treat for fans of the old all-wheel-drive concept. It would also probably be a great seller here in snowy Michigan. Oh, and it would certainly post some amazing 0-30 acceleration times. Related Video: