As a rule, when it comes to writing a magazine article, it's always considered a good practice to write it in second person rather than an "i did this, and I did that" story in first person. That said, I'm writing this story in first person because I believe there must be a least a million people out there who will identify directly with my experience as a lifelong fan of the Grand national roadster Show and with all the nostalgic elements associated with it.
When I was a kid we just simply called it "Oakland." Anyone who was cool knew exactly what you were talking about. One of the coolest full-custom trucks ever built debuted in 1958 in Oakland, California: George Barris' "ala kart." The pretty little Pearl White, hemi-powered roadster pickup reappeared in '59 to take home the monstrous ambr (america's Most Beautiful roadster) trophy for a second year in a row. This was only the beginning for the "ala kart." More was to come, including an appearance on the October '58 cover of hot rod. Then in 1961 it was shrunken to 1.25-scale and immortalized in white polystyrene plastic by AMT.
One half century later, for the 59th annual gnrs, the "ala kart" was on hand in all of its restored glory-complete with a show display that echoed the original. Even the jackstands were wrapped up in aluminum foil-and the public-restroom-style mirror displaying the fully chromed undercarriage was in place.
Today there are still a lot of us who continue to call the Grand national roadster Show "Oakland," even though it has moved to the Pomona Fairgrounds, in Pomona, California. Producer John Buck has taken the event from its first-year debut in two buildings, on to a second year with five buildings, and then ultimately to a whopping seven buildings for 2008. Next year the gnrs will be celebrating its 60th birthday, and there is no doubt the granddaddy of them all will be a must-do for anyone, anywhere on this planet, to attend. For you european residents, we suggest that you sell all of your personal belongings and fly trans love airlines to Pomona, California ... it will be worth it.