Wilwood at the 2022 Grand National Roadster Show

The Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS, as many call it) in Pomona, CA, was one of the last significant events on the automotive calendar in 2020 before Covid, so the 2022 edition feels like the world has returned to normal. The GNRS, as many call it, isn't just a place for topless two-seaters in the traditional roadster sense; it's one of the premier shows for all types of cars that fit under the hot rod umbrella these days. You'll find everything from rat rods, low riders, restored classics, muscle cars, street rods, drag cars, and, yes, a large selection of nicely built roadsters. This year being the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Ford, the show featured an extensive selection of that classic roadster.

Surprisingly, the winner of America's Most Beautiful Roadster (often seen as AMBR) was not a 1932 or Ford roadster based, but a 1934 Chevy named "Lucille" built by Devlin Rod and Custom for Jeff Breault. Under the hood was an LS V8, with individual injection stacks and smoothed header style exhaust manifolds, with details so well done it was as much a work of art as the rest of the car. They are hard to see under the Halibrand Indy-style 16" wheels, but it is stopped by Wilwood Dynalite calipers on a Roadster Shop custom chassis.

The most beautiful car that isn't a roadster, known as the Al Slonaker Memorial Award, went to a chocolate brown 1932 Ford coupe built by Hollywood Hot Rods for Pat Gauntt. Under the hood was an early Cadillac 331 V8 with a pair of two-barrel carbs and a truckload of shiny polished and machine-turned metal. In keeping with the pre-war European race car style of the build (wire wheels, lever shocks, quarter elliptical leaf springs), the brakes are finned early Lincoln drums with skeletonized backplates for better cooling.

Wilwood's display booth was there too, with several tech team members to answer questions all weekend long and ensure people get the right brakes for their builds. Our extensive list of applications, adaptable componentry, high performance, and variety of available factory finishes, makes Wilwood brakes the favorite choice of more top builders and racers worldwide. There were many Wilwood brake equipped cars at the Pomona Fairplex, so we may have missed a few in this slide show, but here are some of our favorites.

If you are building a street rod, muscle car, race car, sport compact, or anything else that needs brakes, chances are Wilwood can help. Our application experts travel to many major events each year, and our race gurus can be found at the track every weekend. You can find their schedule on our online Event and Show calendar which is constantly updated. If you can't talk to us in person at a show or track, give us a call at (805) 388-1188 during business hours, or email us at customerreply@wilwood.com