You've probably seen Scottsdale's Westworld on TV even if you've never attended the Goodguys Southwest Nationals there, as it's the venue for the Barrett-Jackson auctions that push the price of collector cars so ludicrously high. It's a great venue for a Goodguys Nats, though, because it's primarily an equine venue, which means there's plenty of grass to park on, in addition to asphalt, while the mountains that surround Scottsdale and neighboring Phoenix make for a picturesque backdrop. Add in fantastic weather for November and a great swap meet, and the bowl-like venue is perfect. Vendors have the luxury of setting up shop inside the building that houses the B-J auctions, and out of the still-hot-for-November Arizona sun.
Early arrivals on Thursday could partake in a tour of local shops hosted by Over The Hill Gang Phoenix, ending at RB's Obsolete open house in the afternoon, while Friday night saw the 1st Goodguys barbecue and new location grand opening for Hot Rods by Dean, leaving Saturday night free for participants to sample Scottsdale's restaurants.
First we select Don and Carolyn Smith's '32 sedan for a Top Tin pick, then it gets selected for a Boyd Coddington Pro's Pick and the Judy Murray Memorial Award.
Scottsdale is also close enough for us SoCal journo-types not to have to hop on a plane to attend, and it's surprising just how much swap meet treasure you can cram into a rental car when you have to, though even we drew the line at strapping a bargain '57 Chevy hood to the roof of an almost new car for a six-hour drive!
Being the final show on Goodguys' yearly calendar, Scottsdale also hosted a display of the winners in each of the organization's annual award categories, giving attendees the chance to admire the Custom Rod of the Year and Kustom of the Year, as well as Muscle Car and Truck of the Year, among others. That's if the nearly 2,000 registered cars weren't enough, of course.
The one-piece Olds windshield, shaved trim and handles, frenched lights, and smoothed bumpers on John Denich's '51 are neat, but the gold paint and matching gold and white upholstery earned it a Top Tin award. | 
Looking at Jack Lang's '50 convert, you'd never believe it once resided in a sand wash with the doors bent back onto the fenders. It's back with a bang, now packing a Ram Jet 502, 3 1/2-inch chop, and white leather upholstery. | 
Scottsdale's Warren Alvord patterned his '34 after Salt Flats racers of the past. The 16-inch Halibrand knockoffs and Excelsior tires provide the perfect touch. |
Al and Kristina Manning trekked down from Paso Robles with their '41 convert, complete with a Total Cost Involved frontend, Nova rear, and 350 Vortec engine. | 
If you didn't notice the fawn Ultraleather interior or ARE wheels, you'd think this was a neat old wagon, but underneath you'll find a 5.8L EFI Ford motor, AOD trans, and 8-inch rearend. | 
Patrick Quinn's '40 Chevy is a homebuilt driver, with an LS1 engine, C4 Vette suspension, and a '49 Caddy dash. We featured it more than two years ago in our February '06 issue and it still looks fresh. |
You may have seen John St. Germain's '36 roadster before, but we like it enough to give you another look (we showed it in the April issue with the bumpers and hubcaps). | 
You can't go wrong with a 392 Hemi in a '32 roadster, but finish it with plenty of nickel-plating instead of chrome, Sprint Car cowl steering, and nerf bars, and you'll have a winner. Or rather Norman Brown will, as he already owns this version. | 
Keith Stephens' '64 Rambler American drew plenty of glances, but it attracted even more lookers when he left it with the hood open. Did you know 1964 was the last year of the flathead six in Ramblers? |
Cole Foster brought out and displayed Kirk Hammett's '36 coupe, as it had been voted Goodguys Kustom of the Year. | 
Ed LaBelle's '56 Buick Special is exactly that, thanks to a 455 Buick, 400 trans, and gorgeous white upholstery. Body mods include a louvered hood, recessed portholes, shaved doors and hood, and a custom grille. | 
This is our kind of old-school rod-a black 'n' flamed '40 coupe with a blown '53 Caddy motor and four-speed Hydro. The while tuck 'n' roll with gold piping didn't hurt one bit either. |
We're already suckers for the bustle-back body style, so Tom Gossard's '32 Vicky caught our eye as soon as we saw its bright white paint and red grille. A 355 Chevy and a Muncie four-speed get the Halibrands turnin'. | 
Goodguys gave this drop-dead-gorgeous Model A roadster the Period Perfect award, and it couldn't have gone to a more deserving rod; but then we're biased, as R&C featured this very roadster back in the '60s. | 
Absolutely gorgeous, and a candidate for our Top Tin (except the Goodguys judges beat me to it for its Chicks Choice award), Frank McCrory's '49 Chevy featured peaked fenders to flow into the headlight rings, a peaked and molded hood, and billet wheels. |
Tucson's Mike Robillard motored out in this great little '27 track T. That's a four-banger under the hood, but what made us look twice was the pair of S&S motorcycle carburetors. | 
The swap meet at Scottsdale was a good size and contained all sorts of treasures, including this early A roadster. Sans fenders and running boards, it had a finned Zepher intake and downdraft carb on the four-banger. | 
Bill Boland's '32 sports coupe runs a '48 Merc Flathead and for all the world looks like it just time-traveled 60 years. |
When was the last time you saw a '38 Chrysler coupe? Mind you, with a total production of less than 6,000, you'd be forgiven if you'd never even seen one. | 
This super-cool little Model A-based modified ran a three twos-fed 327 backed by a 350, and was described by owner Justin Baas as a '28 Alumnafodge. | |