The 56th Annual Grand National Roadster Show - Custom Classic Truck Show

The Grand National Roadster Show debuted in 1950 at the Exposition Building in downtown Oakland, California. Some 30,000 spectators attended the inaugural event, which attracted 100 of the finest hot rods, track roadsters, and custom cars in California. The first recipient of the prestigious "Most Beautiful Roadster" award was William Nie Kamp, a painter from Long Beach, California, who won with his '29 Ford Roadster. The event was moved to other locations in Oakland, before finally settling inside the Oakland Coliseum where it was held for decades. In 2004, the organizers decided to move the event to The Fairplex in Pomona, California, home of the NHRA Museum and NHRA Winter Nationals and World Finals.

This year's Grand National Roadster Show was enormous, occupying five huge exhibition buildings displaying more than 300 pristine customs. The show was tagged as "Hot Rods & Hollywood: Where the Cars are the Stars." The two-day show also featured for the first time custom motorcycles. More than 100 of the wildest two-wheel crotch cruisers on the planet were displayed for all to admire. The professional quality of the customs displayed was astonishing; aisle after aisle was an enthusiast's stroll down memory lane.

During the show, two of the hobby's pioneers were inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame: Larry Watson has set the standards when it comes to painting hot rods and customs that are way ahead of their time, and Dick Falk, a well-known builder, has contributed his skills and unique craftsmanship to the hot rod and custom car culture for years.

With its new location, the Grand National Roadster Show is expected to attract more participants, spectators, custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles as it continues to grow in all it's prestigious glory and heritage.