America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2014 Is Wes Rydell’s 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton!
The AMBR Trophy, or America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2014, goes to Wes Rydell who’s Foose Designed, Rad Rides by Troy built, 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton came out on top of the heap after some incredibly stiff competition. Winning the AMBR is a HUGE honor as it is one of the most highly regarded trophies in the show car world. Builders who have won either America’s Most Beautiful Roadster or The Ridler will tell you that these two are the highest honors you can achieve in show cars. On behalf of BangShifters around the world, we extend our heartiest congratulations to the entire group who built and assemble this amazing hot rod, it is most certainly deserving.
With names like Foose and Trepanier involved in the design and build respectively, it’s no wonder that this beautiful 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton ended up on top. Throughout the weekend this car has had an insane crowd around it, and for good reason. It’s one ultra bitchin hot rod. As you’ve come to expect from this team, there were no shortcuts, not design elements that happened by accident, and no detail left out. When you combine that with the incredible rarity of this particular car, it truly is spectacular.
We also want to send our congratulations to all of the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Contenders as each of them has obviously put all their heart and soul into each one. We want to send out a special thank you to two of the Contenders because they embody hot rodding at two of the extreme levels. First we want to congratulate and thank the Roseville High School auto shop for their super bitchin Mad U Sa project. What a beautiful Roadster Pickup they put together and what an amazing job they did. This car is on par with anything at the show, and they should be incredibly proud to have been in this competition. We also want to send a special thank you to Paul Gommis who’s 1932 Ford Phaeton is unlike anything else at the show. Paul was kind enough to give us a personal tour of this car, and share some special moments and memories with us, and for that we are grateful. We look forward to hooking up with Paul for a ride in this bad boy shortly.
America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2014 Is Wes Rydell’s 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton and if you missed out on who all the contenders were, use the link below.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE CONTENDERS FOR America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2014
America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2014
Wes Rydell’s Black Bowtie 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton
Designed by Foose, and built by Rad Rides by Troy, the Black Bowtie is definitely one of the most talked about cars at the show as well. Super subtle, almost factory in fact, in may ways makes this a car that a lot of people don’t get. The fabrication, design, and execution are what you would expect from names like Foose and Trepanier, and we dig a lot of this car. What also makes it special is the fact that it one of only a few hundred. Some say as little as 200. When a car is that rare, there has to be some serious drinking going on while trying to decide whether to restore it or hot rod it. Obviously in this case hot rodding won out. This is a car you would love to show up at a Hollywood Premier in.
America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2014 Is Wes Rydell’s 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton!!
Congratulations to Wes & Vivian! What a job by The Toy Shop Crew – Doug, Al & Tom – you should be very proud! As always, incredible work by Troy and Chip.
I just don’t get the sky high convertible top
Masterpiece as always!! Great to see some local talent take that prize !!
During the early 30s men wore tall hats
Hubcaps? Really?
Billet Wheels with a small center hub cap
Good chioce! The last couple of winners have been lame. I liked this one at first sight…and for once, it’s a Chevy!
I just don’t get it! Although nice work, it reminds me of a Resto Rod.
It is a RESTO ROD, pure 70’s style. Roof is stock height not chopped. Firewall has been changed. Hate the wheels 17 & 20″ wires would suit car more. They only made 217 of these in USA and 3 in Canada in 1935.
Yaaaa a Chevrolet won this for first time ever. I am working on 35 std series roadster called SHAZZBOTT, don’t know if I can get it RIDLER or AMBR standards
mike lynch
The Top is Chopped and the shape has bin reworked and if you sit in the rear seat and are 5’11” or taller your head will hit. Their are allot of subtle changes to the car but without a stock one next to it its hard to see, that’s the beauty of it.
Interesting comments quick86gn…..and you know the top is chopped because wes rydell or troy trepanier told you personally that it is ???
As a 6 foot tall person YOU have sat in that back seat and actually hit your head on the top bow.????
That top looks stock height and windshield also too me and I have pictures of a lot of 34-35 standard series phaetons/ tourings .
I have a friend in Australia who has an orange with blue flames one, I could ask him if he hits his head at 6’2″ in his car.
mike lynch
Mike
Yes I do Know for sure I was part of the final assembly team at Rad Rides. Troy and I both sat in the back seat and were commenting on the head room.No I’m not 6 ft tall I’m 5’11” Troy is taller
Dale Cherry
Congrats to Wes and Chip, that’s a slick looking car.
I met Wes last year at the Detroit Autorama, very nice gentleman and a true car guy. He mentioned he had Chip working on another car, but wouldn’t divulge any details lol
as a side note on this , the roadster and phaeton bodies 1929—1935 were *** not**** made by GM FISHER BODY, they were produced by an outside supplier, I call Chevrolet body works. For 1934-1935 the door hinges, latches , strikers, door opening hardware, dash panel are different than fisher bodied cars. The roadsters, the angle over the rumble seat lid is different on the quarter panels. The trunk/ rumble seat lid is 2″ narrower than a coupe. To build either of these you better have all the parts.
mike lynch
Fantastic the way the Chevrolet “tiger tooth” accessory wheel trim rings of around ’40 were created in billet and painted to work with this overall. The mind of Foose is ever verdant.
How about a little credit for the team at Wes Rydell’s Toy Shop! They did a lot of the fabrication on this car.
While I know the work is top notch and flawless it just looks too stock for me I know there is a huge push for traditional looking rods a the ambr this thing looks to be a concours car or a European generals staff car from the war ……..
They must have expanded the definition of a roadster over the years. I always thought it was a two seat car with convertible top. It’s not that I care, I would rather have the expanded and new vehicles come in. How many ways can you build a duece and ’34 roadster before it gets boring?
I see why some people don’t get this car and I will admit there are a few things I might have done differently too, but I get where they where going with it. For several years now it’s been all about agressive looking cars with big wheels… you could put 19 or 20″ wheels and a nice rake on just about anything and people would drool over it. This is more about overall design. You can’t just keep building the same cars over and over, styles change and guys like Foose and Trapanier are usually the ones on the forefront of that change… just my humble opinion
WTF A Phaeton is NOT a Roadster. Nothing against the car, it’s absolutely Beautiful and certainly is probably Americas Most Beautiful Phaeton, but NOT AMBRoadster
I judged that award for 22 years, there have been at least 3 other tourings winning the
AMBER award. One in particular was Larry & Judy Murry with the HOT ROD CONNECTION. Built by Boyd Coddington. I think Jim Vasser won it before I was involved
How exactly is a Phaeton not a Roadster? My understanding of the definition of the word roadster is basically that it defines a car with a removable top and no side windows…..
Great car – but I can’t help but comment on how much better it would look BLACK all over?
I’ve never really been into 2 tone cars – but that’s just me.
As above AMBR and a Phaeton wins ? MMMMM
Actually one in total black, paint ==top–interior, same year 35 phaeton Chevrolet was just finished couple of months ago with McClean wires plated. Was a 25 year or so owner build. Car looked great and impressive. takes some getting used to the 2 tone as back then body was diff colour than fenders, nothing like foose designed.
mike lynch
forgot to say the black one was featured in an AUSTRIALIAN street rod magazine, jan or feb issue 2014. Car is an auzzie gm HOLDEN body , slightly diff than usa stampings and car was built in Australia.
mike
This is not a Roadster, beautiful car but not a Roadster…. Did it win because of the names involved?
I agree!!
I would hope that each car is judged by the QUALITY of the work done on it. The fit , the finish, quality of plating, quality of interior work, how straight is the body, how are door gaps and on and on and on.
Why should it matter to the judges whether boyd coddington, john buttera, magoo, brizio or any other name builder had a hand in it……..its all the above criteria ==Quality
.
If it isn’t a ford, if it isn’t a 32 deuce mentality , should not enter into it.
mike lynch
Thank you for that Mike…I think this car is absolutely fabulous and well deserving of this award. I admit to being a Chevy fan…have a ’35 sedan myself…but why is it that there were 5 ’32 Fords in the running? Surely there must be many other marques out there.
Works foe me . On every level imaginable . Some have expressed doubts about the tall top and wheels . I’ll say .. on nine tenths of all cars neither would work . But on this …. they fit to a tee . Quite apposite in fact ! ( look it up before commenting 😉 )
That IMO being the overwhelmingly major positive aspect of this Rod . They paid tribute to the past … but with creativity … while not following tired worn out formulas or simply creating another pastiche of whats gone before it
Two thumbs up to ALL involved … A worthy addition to the AMBR trophy if there ever was one
Not a roadster…..but you knew that, you called it a phaeton! Get it right or we’ll be seeing america’s most beautiful shit spreader.
Congrads to Wes and the everyone involved in the build. Chip and Troy are some of the best at designing it like it should have been there. Their work is amazing to say the least. Doug, Al and Tom at the toy shop are down to earth grade A car guys and true craftsmen. Honors well deserved for all. Ray
Bob sbarbaro also won the ambr title with A phantom . Can’t rember what year
Bob Sbabaro also won with A phantom . Can’t remember year
Bob Sbabaro also won A M B R title with A phantom . Can’t rember year
I googled the AMBR winners list and what they won with :
1958 roadster PICKUP alacart
1959 roadster PICKUP alacart
1967–1968–1969 custom bodies..doesn’t give exact body style probably track roadsters
1970…1923 ford roadster pickup
1971 ..1923 ford roadster pickup
1974…touring 1914
1975…ford roadster pickup
1976 1923 ford touring
1977…ford 1923 roadster pickup
1985 …1933 ford phaeton
1995 … 1937 ford roadster
mike lynch
I saw this car in the flesh,to win an award like this the colors should be matched panel to panel this huge defect shows up in the photos also. My question is how much were the judges paid? And no I did not have a car in the show, it was such a glaring flaw I came to the only conclusion that was possible.Too bad for the other contestants.
Since when is the fresh prince a car guy? There has been plenty of discussion on the paint. It shows subtle tone changes with the viewing angle. Do you really think the guys that painted this car are so stupid as to allow actual mismatch?
I saw this car in bare metal at the toy shop. 99% of the people who view the finished car have no idea of the level of hand fabrication and quality detail that is built into this car. In fact it is so good that even real car people don’t notice a lot of it.
The work and craftsmanship that went into the building of this car is OUTSTANDING! I’m not privy to the details of which they judge the contenders at the GNRS but as a HOT ROD build goes this has all the quality’s of an outstanding car. This award is not just haphazardly dolled out! It takes a perfect vehicle to take that trophy home! Well deserved! CONGRATULATIONS to all involved!
Congratulations Wes and Family. Another example of your talent and ingenuity dating as far back as 1969 when you received the award for the Best Engineered car at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Dallas, Texas. Keep up the excellent work. Wayne & Carole Lang. London, Ontario, Canada.
look at any of the other photos of red cars there,their panels match,in person the effect was the same except for the weiner… er winner congrats troy for pulling it off you are a powerful man in your village
Congrats Wes & Vivian. Good job Toy Shop.