For 12 years, the Suede Palace has been a magnet for traditional hot rods and customs from all over the country. At this year’s 68th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show Presented by Meguiar’s Premium Car Care Products, Building 10 of the Pomona Fairplex was once again transformed into a show-within-a-show dedicated to genuinely traditional cars and trucks. What do we mean by traditional? That word has been interpreted and defined in so many ways that has just about lost all its value as a description. The hot rods, customs, and classic trucks the fill the Suede Palace reflect the styles associated with the Forties, Fifties, and Sixties. A few are painted with flat or low-gloss paint—which is how the Suede Palace got its name—but most wear shiny finishes these days, often accented with retro style graphics such as pinstriping, scallops, and lace paint. Tires tend to be skinny bias-plies. Upholstery tends to be tuck ‘n’ roll or other early types. Engine choice leans toward carbureted Flatheads, Nailheads, Cadillacs, Olds Rockets, and other mid-20th Century mills. A large percentage of the rides in the Suede Palace also reflect the old-fashioned habit of building cars home and driving them when they’re done.
The judging, separate from the rest of the Grand National Roadster Show, is largely done by participating car clubs. The hand-built trophies are contributed by the clubs and each is unique. The vendors whose booths line the perimeter of the building sell clothing and artwork that fits the theme of the room. The music fits too. When live bands aren’t performing, DJ Axle is playing vintage rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, and swing—music that sounds the way the cars look. Axle Idzardi has been organizing and hosting the activity in the Suede Palace since its earliest days at the GNRS.
In 2006, the hot rods that packed the Suede Palace were something of a novelty. In 2017, the words we used a couple paragraphs ago to describe these cars could be used to describe most of the cars competing for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy a few buildings away. The Suede Palace is no longer just a reflection of the past, it’s a sign of the present, and an indicator of the future.
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