The Grand National Roadster Show moved to Southern California’s Fairplex in 2004.
The exhibition began in 1950 in Oakland, California, after organizer Al Slonaker’s earlier automobile-show success. It became known informally as the Oakland Roadster Show and later moved among Bay Area venues, including the Oakland Coliseum.
Between 1998 and 2003, the show was held at several locations around the San Francisco Bay Area. Its 2004 relocation to the Fairplex in Pomona marked a major geographic shift from Northern to Southern California. The show has continued there as an annual showcase of custom cars and hot rods.
A common mix-up is confusing the 2004 Fairplex move with the 1967 move to the Oakland Coliseum. Another nearby fact is that the event is also known as GNRS, while its signature competition is the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award.