Obviously the wrong car. I want to know who the judges are, seriously. This reeks of Nixonian dirty trickstering, Floridian hanging chads, and....somebody's stuffing the ballot box. There were at least four other cars that surpassed that car; more if I went through the photos to jog my memory. WTF?
So if a hot rod is not built in a 50's style.....it is (choose one or more)....stupid, ugly, gay, makes no sense, retarded, or choose you own negative term. Car shows have typically been about engineering, fit and finish.....and I have been on the receiving end of this, in both good and bad results. If the judges are doing their job...the result will NOT show a preferrence for art or style, because those are personal judgements. Unfortunately, they should be judging door gaps, engineering, dirt, scratches, and so forth, rather than the style the builder decided to base it on. Years ago I started looking at "People's Choice" style awards as reflecting public preferrence. This is the award that will give most of you what you are looking for. If everything is as it should be, major show awards will be about craftsmanship. Otherwise, the awards would be given according to which social group has the most influence over the decisions. I think you will always see a winner, at this event, that shows exceptional building skills, mixed with an element of innovation. This car seems to fit right into the long, long line of winners, that has been evolving for decades. They should not change that to favor one group.
So, I don't know much about the GNRS or shows in general, but my questions are, who are the judges? and where are the rules posted? There must be something between those two things that explains what happened... Ben
My vote woulda been for the Riley Special that Orosco had there. I fell in love with that car. Pre war parts and all the real deal except for the hidden alternator...
Rules to win the Ambr 1. You got to have a tunr table 2. You got to have over 100,000 in your savings account or 1,000,000 in a savings, stock, or 401K account 3. Own more than 4 cars valued a 100,000 or more 4. And the most important thing You have to pay somoene to do all the work. I may get there by the time I am 70 Rusty
After reviewing most of the cars that have won over the years, I'd say that's an award that I wouldn't want. To be in such company would ruin my cars reputation.
I wasn't there but I've looked at over 2,000 of photos. Using my Roadster show judging goggles, I didn't see another car that was in the running.. Why?? Loss of interest?? Who was in the running? My opinion the Ala Kart should have won its third Roadster trophy. AMBR should start a new trend by going backwards. Last year Hollywood Hot Rods should have won the award. There is a lot of builders out there building Hot Rods and Kustoms that look traditional with new ideas. Wouldn't it be kool to award the people that is in love with our grass roots. Happy Trails, Mick
It'll sell a lot of car polish, dusters and insurance... And probably a lot of ad-space in the magazines it graces the cover of... The world has no taste or class... But that's who buys the chingaderas...
I've not seen the "Timebomb" without the top. She looked very kool sitting there. How Kool would that be if a Kustom won the AMBR trophy?? You would need to have a full detailed 100 point undercarrage for a kustom to win. But then you couldn't drive it and thats what Kustoms are all about. Happy Trails, Mick
Aside from Scott's holding the title of "Rod shop with the most cases of civil litigation against it". I think that the bank accounts of the judges should be reviewed for checks to them from Scott's...
If I may offer an observation. To a show judge, the decision of a winner should not reflect..... a social statement,..... a movement within the hobby,.....the cost of building,......whether it was built by the owner, or hired help,......whether it is driven or not,.....how many vintage parts are included,..... whether it ties into their own perceived sense of hot rod history,.....or what percentage of hot rod enthusiasts would agree with the decision.......just the car alone, nothing more. It should be judged, in great detail, and compared with competing cars.
Where are the whiners talking about how they did their own thing with that car and how we should all hug?
I think most of us get that... The point is that craftsmanship without an eye to the total package is worthless... That car has no style, class or any discernable positive qualities other than fit and finish... Although, I'd like to see it in a darker/more challenging color to really be able to judge that. Your average Mercedes convertable that rolls off the line has outstanding fit and finish and build quality too... And arguably better styling...
Agreed. These AMBR winners might have some style, whether it's tasteful or not (not), but they'll never have any class.
the AMBR trophy has nothing to do with stance, coolness, style, traditional looks, taste, or anything else that a normal person would appreciate in a car. it's about fit and finish, details and crap like that. politics and big money prolly play into it also. if it was about detail and coolness the Ala Kart would have won.
disapointing for sure. WOW. that car does absolutely NOTHING for me. and i don't mind big wheels and other modern stuff if it is done right.... that 36 is the cat's ass though! i guess it's not who ya know but who ya blow!
The obvious....show judges don't neccesarily take design and aethetics into account. It seems that they go through with their judging sheets and look for paint issues, clocked bolts, how much chrome and all of the other stupid bullshit that shouldn't really matter. One of these show producers should step up and make the award be about true beauty. Flowing line , pleasing to the eye...you know all of the shit that matters. The car out of Hollywood Hot Rods last year was right, the AlaKart works. The problem as I see it is that the owners of these cars and the builders lose sight of the subjective term and concentrate on the quantifiable(on the judges sheet). The last time that one of the AMBR winners moved me was the Foose built Impression car. Yeah, yeah...I know it isn't traditional, But the car in my oppinion grabs ya and keeps ya lookin. I still can't wait to get the chance to see it in person. Just my 2cents!!!! By the way...WTF is the deal with those ugly seats inside of this years winner!!!!!
You guys need to understand that indoor shows are totally different than regular shows when it comes to judging. They are done on a points system, which all but eliminates the elements of style and taste. It's purely, the more modifications, the higher the score. I run into guys who have the "indoor" mentality all the time at Goodguys events (where most awards are chosen on "hey that's neat" reaction). They come up and accost me about how their car has far more "work" into than the one who won. The judging isn't wrong, just different. Indoor car shows are a totally different animal. I'm not defending (I like style over fit and finish), I'm just saying. Also, I pretty much guarantee that money has nothing to do with the decision. People always go there, but it just isn't the case.
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