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With the car show season well underway, the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association swung through Loveland, Colorado this weekend for the 17th Colorado Nationals. The event showcased some of the most amazing builds Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Utah, and more had to offer. It wasn’t all just trailer queens and $100,000 rides on display, as show-goers were treated to a plethora of home-built rides, daily drivers, autocross beasts, and factory performance machines. Check out the highlights below!
For 17 years now, Colorado has played host to the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association’s Colorado Nationals, kicking off the summer show season along the Front Range of the Rockies with a bang.
Every year, hundreds of hot rod and classic car owners descend on the grounds of The Ranch Complex along Interstate 25 for the event, aiming to show off their unique rides and gather ideas for their next build. This year, the show was even more popular than in years past, boasting around 2,000 show vehicles, as well as dozens of cars for sale, a full Vendor Midway, and of course, the beloved AutoCross competition.
From atop the patio at the Budweiser Event Center at The Ranch Complex, hot rods and classic cars could be found as far as the eye could see!
From traditional to street rod, the Goodguys Colorado Nationals had all types of hot rod genres on display.
Instead of having the Swap Meet and Car Corral portions of the event in one of the gravel lots at the back of the complex like in years past, this year’s buy, sell, and trade area was set up in the parking lots adjoining the complex grounds and the sponsor hotel for the event.
Up front as usual, the AutoCross course attracted a lot of attention. This year Goodguys challenged participants with the most complex course we’ve seen to date.
Of course the crowd didn’t complain as this meant for a lot more driver skill and vehicle performance that would be on display.
Show Cars Fit For The King Of Hot Rod Shows
When it comes to the vehicles on display at the Goodguys Colorado Nationals, area participants never fail to amaze judges and show-goers alike with what they’ve brought to share.
Though there were a number of vehicles we’d seen previously, there were dozens of vehicles we’d never seen before at the show, including incredible builds from Kindig-It Design, Pinkee’s Rod Shop, Custom Auto, and even motorcycle great, Paul Teutal Sr. of Orange County Choppers fame.
A good chunk of the nationally-renowned shop builds were front and center as part of the Builder’s Choice circle of contenders, while others remained a bit more incognito among the row’s of show cars brought in by their owners from over five different states.
With so many incredible rides on display, especially among the Builder's Choice contenders, it's a wonder anyone could pick the standouts of the event.
From full builds to intricate details, every vehicle on display had something to offer the scrutinizing eye. While exteriors offered cherry finishes and plentiful amounts of crisp bright work, every vehicle’s interior offered an insight into each individual owner’s personal tastes. From bare-bones and traditional to completely custom with modern amenities, show-goers were hard pressed not to find something they wouldn’t mind incorporating into their own projects.
Vendors From All Walks Of The Industry
With a limited amount of space for vendors along the main walk to the gates of The Ranch, the Colorado Nationals always splits their vendor spots between two main gates and an event hall. On the south side of the complex this year, big names like PPG, Edelbrock, and Airaid all put up massive displays, catering to both the avid hot rodder and the beginning enthusiast. PPG went a step further this year, offering coloring projects for young show-goers, exposing them even more to the world of hot rods.
Filling up the majority of the vendor area in front of the West gate, Dodge put on a huge show of their own this year. They offered event participants the chance to drive a handful of different 2014 Dodge models including the SRT Charger and beloved Challenger. Celebrating 100 years in the industry, Dodge also had a Wall of History on display, a true Dodge Daytona, as well as an early classic.
Inside the event hall, countless more vendors were on hand, offering show participants everything from classic hot rod products and insurance, to pinup and rockabilly fashion and old-fashioned jewelry. Among those vendors enjoying an indoor spot were Speedway Motors and Classic Instruments.
For those looking to pick up much-needed parts for their project at home or maybe even a new project for this coming winter, the Swap Meet and Car Corral areas were chalk full of interesting buys.
Dozens of individuals hawked their wares– from classic car parts and vintage truck tailgates to hard-to-find vintage badges and trim. Even vintage car toys were on display for interested buyers. Those looking for more substantial projects browsed the rows of vehicles for sale, which included everything from rusty shells to rolling chassis with plenty of body work already put into the vehicles.
Piloting his Chevy small block-equipped 1955 T-Bird, Keith Corrigan drove his way to the winner’s circle, taking first place in the Goodguys AutoCross Street Machine class.
The Goodguys AutoCross: A True Test Of Driver’s Skill
While the majority of the hot rod and classic car owners who include their vehicles in the show stick to the quiet rolling landscape of The Ranch lawn, others take to the autocross course for some serious driving fun. This year, even more event participants took part in the autocross competition, making for plenty of friendly rivalries played out on the pavement.
Usually more of a muscle car’s game, the Goodguys AutoCross welcomed a number of trucks, fun entrants, and even a couple hot rods into the competition this year. However, with the Goodguys All American Nationals in Indianapolis taking place the same weekend, the competition list didn’t include any pro autocrossers this time around.
Though the pros weren’t strutting their stuff on the course at the Colorado Nats this year, many competitors that would have certainly given them a run for their money showed up to compete for awards, bragging rights, and of course, that coveted invite to the 17th Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale this fall.
That honor went to Keith Corigan and his ’55 Thunderbird.
One of the most unique exhibitions of autocross fun came from Joel Gonzales, who brought his numbers-matching 1968 Camaro RS/SS complete with bias ply tires out to throw down on the course! When asked why he would do such a thing, Gonzales told us,”They were built to drive!”
Even this 1951 Cadillac, owned by Paul Martin, took to the Goodguys AutoCross course for some cone-carving fun over the weekend!
The Winner’s Circle
With so much going on at the Colorado Nationals, the weekend went by super quick, but not without countless award winners being chosen from the hundreds of contenders on site. Among the awards up for grabs this year were Builder’s Choice awards picked by Pinkee’s Rod Shop owner Eric Peratt, 50th Anniversary awards for Chevelle, GTO and Mustang models, the Goodguys Gazette Pick, Goodguys Staff Pick and Goodguys Pick awards, and even awards for the Hemmings Muscle Car of the Year Finalist, Vintage Air Custom Rod of the Year Finalist, and Street Rod Headquarters Truck of the Year Early Finalist.
Notables from the Winner’s Circle include the 1946 Ford Coupe owned by Charles E. Malone of Bartesville, Oklahoma that took home the Speedway Homebuilt Heaven Award, the 1969 Camaro SS owned by Sterling, Colorado’s Collin Brungardt that took home the Jet Hot/HPC Coatings Young Guys Pick Award, and 1930 Ford Tudor owned by Gary Buehler of Puntneyville, New York that took home the Long Distance Award.
All the award winners from last weekend’s 17th Goodguys Colorado Nationals can be found here.
The 2014 Colorado Nats was certainly a hit, with an incredible number of participants, hundreds of show vehicles, and plenty of performance and talent on display. For more photos from this year’s Goodguys Colorado Nationals, be sure to check out the Rod Authority Photo Gallery below! Also, be sure to stay tuned for the Rod Authority Top Five Picks from the show!
