By Rob Fortier – Photography by the Author
Still reeling from last year’s Keep On Truckin’ exhibit, I wasn’t sure what to expect at the 74th Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) as far as classic trucks were concerned. But come Thursday following our three-day extravaganza at the MPMC Media Conference in Orange County, California, I was pleasantly surprised to see a pretty strong truck contingent vying for the Al Slonaker Memorial Award at the 2024 GNRS—not to mention a great variety of vintage haulers scattered around the remaining Fairplex buildings.
With the impending “doom” of a forecasted weeklong torrential storm possibly affecting the annual Grand Daddy Drive-In (outdoor) turnout, I didn’t get my hopes up for that. But Mother Nature always has her way—the rain held off for the majority of the weekend, and as such, the display of local classic truck talent was fairly strong—enough so that we were able to at least get our magazine/editor’s picks on Saturday!
Now, back to the 2024 Slonaker competition: While a stunning ’59 Chevy (Dale Rush’s Impala by Steve Cook Creations) would take the 2024 honors, making the judges’ job as difficult as possible were some of the most amazingly built trucks I’ve seen. Among the top contenders were the ’67 C10 from Hot Rods by Dean, John Lamb’s subtle yet stunning ’61 Ford Unibody by Tin Man’s Garage, and Ryan Vicklund’s super-slick ’67 C10 from NorCal Paint and Bodyworks (all of which you’ll be seeing much more of on the pages of CTP shortly!).
All in all, the 74th Grand National Roadster Show was another success, no matter what type of vehicle you’re into! But we’re extra excited to see what Rod Shows has in store for the 75th anniversary! Stay tuned …
