SoCal Speed shop wins AMBR award as hod-rodding returns to its roots

In a competition that "took hot-rodding back to its SoCal roots," the SoCal Speed Shop--the entity founded by original hot-rod hero Alex Xydias and now helmed by Pete Chapouris--finally won the AMBR.

That's AMBR, as in, America's Most Beautiful Roadster, the most sought-after title in all of hot-rodding and the crowning glory of the Grand National Roadster Show. There is that competition at the Detroit Autorama that hands out the Ridler Award, but that is open to all manner of kustom kars. The AMBR is just for hot rods--roadsters with two doors and a top that comes off--and it's held in California, birthplace of the hobby.

"We saw stuff here tonight that represented the very roots of hot-rodding," said judge Brian Brennan, editorial director of Street Rodder and a 40-year rodding enthusiast. "The show had gotten away from its roots; it was becoming a custom-car show. Now it's gotten back to where it started."

This was the second year that the AMBR was judged under a new set of rules, replacing the mile-thick book of judging criteria used for decades to separate that which was beautiful from that which was merely kool. Now picking the winner is more subjective, almost impulsive.

"We asked ourselves, 'If you put keys in all the cars, which one would you most like to get in and drive off," Brennan said.

They all pretty much wanted to drive off in the SoCal Indy V8 Roadster.

The car has quite a history. It was originally built by racer and race-car builder Jack Howerton almost 15 years ago.

"I'd spent my life as a racer and a race-car builder," Howarton said. "But when I quit racing and I met Steve Moal and Lil' John Buttera, I really wanted to be a hot-rodder, but I wasn't."

So he built this car. Or what would later become this car. Howarton could never imagine the car as anything but a work in progress. He showed it at Oakland on the 50th anniversary of the show, in 1999.

"I rolled it in and a crowd gathered, everybody oohed and aahed. At that moment I was accepted, I knew I'd never finish it."

One of those oohing and aahing was Texan Bill Lindig. He had been watching and longing for Howarton's roadster for 12 years before he finally bought it in 2007.

As beautiful as it was when Lindig got it, both he and Howarton knew that he'd have to hand it over to the SoCal Speed Shop to finally finish it. SoCal worked on it for four years, massaging every detail until there was almost nothing on the car that hadn't been designed and CNC'd by them. The level of detail on the car is astounding, something all 11 judges agreed on.

We figured there were five strong contenders at this year's Grand National Roadster Show:

-- The Marmon Sixteen was a perfect marriage of the traditional collector-car art with the traditional hot rod.

-- Sylvester III was a restored 1962 Oakland Roadster Show entrant brought back to life and displayed in exquisite detail.

-- Steve Moal's creation of the Dennis Varni '33 Ford was as intricate in detail as it was powerful under the hood.

-- And former AMBR winner Roy Brizio's build for owner and racer Tom Gloy was perfectly proportioned and, we're told, terrific fun to drive.

After viewing all 10 AMBR entries, the judges had it narrowed down to three finalists which, if we had to guess we'd say were the Sylvester III, Brizio and SoCal, but that's just our guess. In the end it was the profoundly detailed SoCal track roadster that won out. But it was also hot-rodding--real, California traditional hot-rodding, not a different spin on the kustom kar kulture--that won out above all else. And in that regard, everyone won.

By Mark Vaughn