Squeeg’s Kustoms and Nicole Baird’s 1932 Ford Win America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2026

Courtesy Hot Rod.com and John McGann Images Dave Kommel

At the 76th annual Grand National Roadster Show, the prestigious America’s Most Beautiful Roadster is a ’32 Ford built by Squeeg’s Kustoms.

For the 2026 edition of the show, Drag Racing Action Online photographer Dave Kommel traveled to the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona CA to cover the event. Kommel, who has high octane fuel pulsing through his veins, has covered the event in the past and this year, he has captured the show in its beauty and glory.

One of the biggest and most prestigious car shows in the county is the yearly Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS). This show has been going on since 1950. Back then it was just the National Roadster Show, but in the early ’60s “Grand” was added to the mix, and grand it certainly is. Originally held in Oakland, California, it moved to sunny Pomona, California, back in 2005. It’s a massive, mostly indoor show that brings the best of the best from around the country.

Given the top-shelf cars that show up to compete for the AMBR and Slonaker awards, it’s a good place to be inspired; and since engine bays are often the coolest part of a hot rod build, we thought you’d like to check out some of the stunning examples we found throughout the show. So with that, enjoy our gallery of killer engine bays from the 2026 Grand National Roadster Show. Oh, and just because the word Roadster is in the title doesn’t mean the show isn’t full of all sorts of hot rods from modernized muscle cars to classics and postwar rides and even a few boats.

Just about every type of engine and build style you can imagine was on display at the event including this blown pro-street red Henry J.

’32 Ford built by Squeeg’s Kustoms

From its roots in Mansfield, Ohio to Mesa, Arizona and from one generation to the next, the overarching principle at Squeeg’s Kustoms is paying attention to details. At a competition like the Grand National Roadster Show, the smallest details matter, and that’s what sets a winner above the rest. This 1932 Ford, owned by Nicole Baird and built by Squeeg’s Kustoms has been award the prestigious America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) for 2026.

It’s obvious at a casual glance that there’s something special about this car, even among the group gathered here in Building 4 at the Pomona Fairplex. One obvious standout is the striking blue paint with white accents, a motif that is flawlessly carried both inside and underneath the car. Squeeg and son Doug are known for exquisite paint work, and this car is a prime example. Simple, elegant, restrained, yet stylish, this choice of colors and the way the striping is laid out will stand the test of time.

The other captivating detail is just how gorgeous the engine is. Not only do you have the gorgeous symmetry between the polished Hillborn injector stacks, and the mirror-chrome finished headers, but the engine itself wears a nicer paint job than most cars I’ve seen in my life. Rumor has it, the guys at Sqeeg’s ground and sanded the engine block, heads and all ancillary components all the way down to 2,000-grit sandpaper; they essentially polished the engine with abrasives. Then it was metal-finished and painted in a shade of blue that offers just enough contrast to the exterior of the car to really make it pop.

The rest of the car is traditional hot rod fare, with chromed steelies cheater slicks, and that’s not a bad thing. The car just looks right. It’s over the top without looking like it’s trying hard, and we suspect that’s the reason why it was selected as America’s Most Beautiful Roadster of 2026 Congratulations to Doug Jerger and his crew at Squeeg’s Kustoms.

It’s also worth recognizing the eight other cars in competition for this year’s award, especially the Beth Meyers yellow ’32 built by Roy Brizio Street Rods, which we hear came in at a very close second place in the judges’ minds. This was a great group of cars, and there were no losers here by any stretch of the imagination.

After nearly winning the Slonaker Award four years ago with a Beetle, Type One Restorations brought a 1955 Karmann Ghia to the 2026 Grand National Roadster Show and won the Al Slonaker Memorial Award in a bit of redemption for all involved.

Like so many of the cars in competition here, every bit of the car has been modified. The headlights were lowered, and the front fenders were reshaped to fit. The character line at the top of the fenders that extends into the doors was elongated and sharpened. The character lines in the quarter panels were given the same treatment. All the wheel openings were reshaped, and the rear wheel wells were tubbed to fit the big tires. All the fasteners were treated to a machined design, and the highly stylized brake rotors were machined out of solid chunks of cast iron.

n spite of all the changes, Type One owner Buddy Hale said he still wanted this car to be instantly identifiable as a Karmann Ghia. Thankfully, they kept an air cooled flat four under the hood, too. Thankfully, too, the engine was thoroughly worked over. It now displaces 2.4 liters and makes 300 hp, which is a ton for an air cooled VW.

The paint is a custom mix of olive green, highlighted by a darker green on the roof. If you look closely, there’s a hint of gold pearl throughout. Tracy Waver from Recovery Room did the stellar interior. Buddy told us owner Dennis Troggio even took part in helping assemble the car, which was a huge help when things came down to the wire.

Congratulations to Dennis, Buddy, and all of the Type One Restorations crew for snagging this prestigious award.