November brings together several very different corners of the custom automotive world. Kyle Smith’s 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac “Tiki Torch” leads the issue as our cover vehicle, joined by Chad Brand’s 1962 Chevrolet Impala “Deseado” and Scott Hopkins’ 1956 Volkswagen Beetle “Laydout.”
Then we hit the road. Cheri Delgadillo takes us inside the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona and Forbidden Fantasy in Laughlin, while Chris Gosda documents another year of minitruck history in Maggie Valley at the 32nd Annual SouthEast MiniTruckin Nationals. We close out November with Gauge Girl Zoë, photographed by John Mumaw.
Seven stories, seven different looks at the people, vehicles and events Gauge Magazine spent the year documenting.
Ford built the Sport Trac to live somewhere between an SUV and a pickup. Kyle Smith took that unusual starting point in an entirely different direction with “Tiki Torch,” our November 2026 cover vehicle.
The photo above gets directly into one of the details worth slowing down for: the fabrication inside the bed and around the rear wheel tubs. Rather than hiding the work beneath the truck, the Sport Trac gives you plenty to study from above as well.
See Kyle Smith’s complete 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac “Tiki Torch” feature and photo gallery.
A 1962 Impala doesn’t need much help establishing its profile, and Chad Brand’s “Deseado” makes full use of those unmistakable Chevrolet lines. Sitting low with the long body stretched across the pavement, the car is a completely different visual experience from the truck-based builds elsewhere in November.
John Mumaw’s photography lets that shape do the talking, giving us a clean look at the stance and proportions before moving in for the details that make Chad’s Impala its own car.
Take a closer look at Chad Brand’s 1962 Chevrolet Impala “Deseado” in the complete Gauge Magazine feature.
Scott Hopkins’ 1956 Volkswagen Beetle brings another completely different platform into the issue. “Laydout” keeps the unmistakable early Beetle silhouette while putting stance at the center of the car’s appearance.
That combination is what makes the profile work so well. The rounded roof, compact body and familiar Volkswagen proportions are still immediately recognizable, but the way the Beetle sits changes the entire attitude of the car. Chris Gosda photographed the VW for our complete November feature.
See Scott Hopkins’ 1956 Volkswagen Beetle “Laydout” and the complete Chris Gosda photo gallery.
Nine roadsters arrived in Pomona chasing America’s Most Beautiful Roadster, but the 76th Annual Grand National Roadster Show was much larger than a single trophy.
Nicole Baird’s 1932 Ford “Blue Ribbon,” built by Squeeg’s Kustoms, left the Fairplex with the 2026 AMBR title as well as the Von Dutch Pinstriping Award. The major hardware didn’t stop there. Dennis Troggio’s 1955 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, built by Type One Restorations, earned the Al Slonaker Memorial Award.
Across nine indoor buildings, GNRS moved between elite competition cars, traditional hot rods, customs, lowriders, trucks, motorcycles and race cars. Outside, the 20th Annual Grand Daddy Drive-In widened the field again with another collection of hot rods, classics, customs and trucks.
Cheri Delgadillo covered the weekend for Gauge Magazine with a 199-photo gallery from the Fairplex.
Go inside the 76th Annual Grand National Roadster Show and see the complete Gauge Magazine coverage from Pomona.
By the time the official weekend was underway in Maggie Valley, Mini Nats had already spilled beyond the showgrounds. Trucks were arriving early, cruising was active Thursday night, and the town was filling with the mix of old and new that has kept this event relevant for 32 years.
Traditional Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Ford and Chevrolet compact pickups shared space with newer builds, full-size customs, SUVs, tandem-axle creations and trucks that are still works in progress. The strange stuff belongs here too: convertible minitrucks, radical body modifications, tilt beds and vehicles that take a minute to figure out.
When daylight faded, Maggie Valley became another part of the show. Trucks came off the field and went cruising, with underglow, custom paint and raised tilt beds changing the view after dark.
Chris Gosda documented the weekend for Gauge Magazine, from the showgrounds to the cruising that makes Mini Nats more than a Saturday parking-lot show.
See the complete 32nd Annual SouthEast MiniTruckin Nationals coverage and Chris Gosda photo gallery.
Forbidden Fantasy’s roots reach back to Southern California in 1998, but its current home at the Avi Resort & Casino gives the show a character of its own. The Colorado River and Nevada desert are the backdrop; several generations of custom-truck culture provide the machinery.
Minitrucks remain at the foundation of the event, and Cheri Delgadillo’s 2026 coverage found plenty of them: convertibles, heavily altered bodies, tilt beds, detailed engine compartments and compact pickups sitting inches from the ground. But limiting Forbidden Fantasy to minitrucks would miss a large part of the field. Full-size customs, classics, SUVs, imports and even luxury platforms were mixed throughout the weekend.
The green Mazda pictured here gets right to the heart of that old-school custom-truck thinking. Raising the bed exposes the fabrication instead of hiding it, while the finished engine compartment makes the mechanical side part of the presentation.
Explore the complete Forbidden Fantasy Show and Shine 2026 coverage from the Avi in Laughlin.
Photography is more than what happens in front of the camera for November Gauge Girl Zoë. One of the things she enjoys most is the creative work that goes into setting up a scene and deciding how the finished photograph should tell its story.
Zoë has spent 12 years modeling while also pursuing photography as a hobby. Away from the camera, she works as a safety supervisor and event planner, is a mom, and spends some of her free time hula hooping, longboarding and heading to the beach.
Cars are part of the picture too. She enjoys the community surrounding car shows, counts Import Evolution among her experiences and names a 1962 Cadillac DeVille as her dream ride. John Mumaw photographed Zoë for November alongside Kyle Smith’s “Tiki Torch,” tying the Gauge Girl feature back to this month’s cover vehicle.
Meet Gauge Girl Zoë in her complete November 2026 interview and John Mumaw photo gallery.
A Sport Trac with its own approach to truck fabrication, a low-slung ’62 Impala and an early Volkswagen already give November three very different feature vehicles. The event coverage stretches that range much farther—from AMBR competition under the lights in Pomona to minitrucks cruising Maggie Valley and tilt-bed customs sitting beside the Colorado River in Laughlin.
Follow the images and story links above into each complete Gauge Magazine feature for the full interviews, build details, event stories and photography behind the November 2026 issue.
The post November 2026 Gauge Magazine | Custom Cars, Trucks & Shows appeared first on Gauge Magazine.
