8 great Chevys from the first-ever Grand National Truck Show

22 September 2023

The inaugural Grand National Truck Show kicked off last weekend in Pomona, California and it brought a wide variety of pickups and SUVs to the city’s Fairplex. We’ve already shown you eight of the contenders for the first-ever America’s Most Beautiful Truck award (that happened to be Fords, including the amazing winner). So, in the interest of universal balance, here are eight Chevys that were among the top 18, as well as a huge gallery of some of our favorite C10s, K10s, Apaches, 3100s, and other GMC and Chevy pickups that cruised into the show.

1953 Chevy 3100 “Silver Ghost”

Tim Hampel’s 1953 Chevy 3100 is practically understated compared with many of the wild paint jobs we saw at the show. The flawless silver finish earned it the nickname “Silver Ghost” and under the hood, the 6-71-supercharged and fuel-injected big-block Chevy V-8 makes more than enough power to make this pickup a formidable sleeper.

Luxurious and LS-powered ’57 Chevy

Jay Greenwell’s 1957 Chevy takes a similar, subtle approach. Its LS powerplant and luxurious interior transformed the utilitarian truck into a powerful grand tourer. Dorsett Speed Shop is responsible for the build.

Supercharged 1956 Chevy Cameo

There’s nothing understated about Lorraine and Pat Graham’s 1956 Chevy Cameo. The vibrant red, sprayed by David Lopez, was glowing under the show lights. Pat Graham had his hands on several aspects of the build, including the chassis that uses a Moser 9-inch rear axle with a Watts link. The powerplant is a Whipple-supercharged LS3.

Big-block 1970 Chevy El Camino

One of our favorite engines among the America’s Most Beautiful Truck contenders, the 572 big-block in Scott Cooper’s 1970 El Camino is topped by Hilborn EFI and is backed by a Tremec T-56 transmission. The interior is just as impressive, with rich brown leather from Gabe’s Custom Upholstery that took home the award for Best Interior.

Kiwi-owned 1971 Chevy C10

Coming all the way from New Zealand, Todd Collins was hoping to take the AMBT trophy to the Southern Hemisphere. His 1971 C10 (wearing a 1969 grille) is powered by a Chevy LSA V-8 and has an impressive chassis with a Porterbuilt rear suspension and a Heights IFS. The bed included a sizable cooler, making this a great choice for a tailgate party.

Dazzling 1984 Chevy S10 Blazer

From bumper-to-bumper, Guillermo Villagrana’s 1984 S10 Blazer was a work of art. We spent quite a lot of time taking in all of the intricate customizations. There wasn’t a square inch that wasn’t polished, painted, pinstriped, upholstered, or engraved. We had been marveling at the lines of the Blazer without the rear portion of its roof and the airbrushed murals for several minutes before we realized that the cut lines of the doors had been moved up. There are just so many modifications and so much detail that it’s hard to even take it all in.

Slammed Chevy C1500

A former Truckin‘ magazine cover truck, Brian Hill’s C1500 wears GMC Yukon headlights and a fully custom interior. It’s so low that its wheel wells are nearly flush with the bed rails.

Bondurant-bred 1989 C1500

Ron Bondurant is the original owner of this 1989 C1500. The crew at Chassis by Aaron Iha, along with some help from students at Covina Trade Tech Academy, transformed the truck into a gleaming hot rod with a subtle chop and a whole new chassis, complete with an independent rear and inboard brakes. It’s powered by a 454 big-block Chevy V-8.

Of course, the show was more than just the top contenders. There were plenty of vehicles inside to drool over, and Saturday saw hundreds of trucks show up for the Truck-In located in the lot outside. We were happy to see a tremendous turnout of 1960-1966 Chevy and GMC trucks and SUVs, so here are some of our to Chevy trucks from the 2023 Grand National Truck Show, sorted by generation to help you find your favorite: