Announcing the Kragen O'Reilly
Grand National Roadster Show
2011 Builder of the Year:
Scott Bonowski of Hot Rods and Hobbies

The 62^nd Annual Kragen O-Reilly Grand National Roadster Show, happening Jan. 28-30, 2011, is proud to announce the famed Scott Bonowski, of Hot Rods and Hobbies, as the 2011 Builder of the year. The event will showcase Bonowski's celebrated work in Building 4 at the Fairplex in Pomona and honor him during the awards ceremony on Sunday night.

Owner of Hot Rods and Hobbies, Scott is also the man behind the paint gun on cars like Steve Frediani's '51 Ford Convertible, Pandora's Box - 2006 World's Most Beautiful Custom, Blackie, the '36 Ford Coupe for Bruce Rossmeyer,  Helleanor, the '68 Mustang Fastback for Gary Haw and, for Matthew Fox, the ghost flamed  '50 Mercury - 2009 World's Most Beautiful Custom.  

Today, a celebrity in the car world, Bonowski began his very first paint job on his '77 VW van.  After finding the auto body class in college, he lowered, shaved and customized the van. It went on to win awards at the VW Jamboree and other shows, and he "became the teacher's pet" and started painting cars in class.

He was officially hooked after working for Performance Paint, and was soon out on his own, with projects from Redondo Beach to Torrance.  Scott did some work for some independent Ferrari restoration shops which got him into the "Concours" World - Pebble Beach, Concourso Italiano, and so on, where his cars won awards for best paint and quite a few platinum awards. He started and, over the years, expanded Hot Rods and Hobbies to accommodate some of the most beautiful builds, from the vintage to modern exotics.

Currently running the shop in Signal Hill, California, Scott says, "The crew I have is fantastic."  They do custom metal shaping, full fabrication, all mechanical and full body shop, with Bonowski as the painter. Running a shop centered on service, Bonowski says, "The way I see it, if you meet a great customer and have a great relationship with them, you will end up with a great car.  Talking and understanding what the end result is will make the car look as if it was meant to be."

Come see Scott at the show with Gary Meadors 1948 Town and Country Woody Convertible, Steve Frediani's 1951 Ford Convertible, David Martin's 1931 Ford Roadster, other legendary vehicles and current project cars. The Grand National Roadster Show recognizes Bonowski, along with the staff at Hot Rods and Hobbies, for their hard work and dedication to the hot rod hobby. We all look forward to the many stunning builds to come.