Custom car magic from SEMA 2021

After an online show in 2020, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show was back in person last week, with more than 51,000 visitors and 1,300 exhibitors returning to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This aftermarket event like no other is renowned for showcasing the cutting edge of the custom car and truck community. Take a stroll through our gallery for some of the most innovative and imaginative builds in the Vegas show halls…

Words and pictures by Graham Heeps

There’s more to this Buick than meets the eye. Beneath the near 60-year-old shell is the running gear of a Karma Revero GT. Track width is unchanged from the Revero and the front arches only needed moving 35mm to make the wheelbase fit. The car was built by Ant Antstead, Cristy Lee and actor James Marsden for an episode of Celebrity IOU: Joyride.

What began life as a C5 Corvette has been transformed by Gordon Tronson into a one-of-a-kind, twin-engined, 1300-HP monster. Two supercharged LT4 V8s sit side-by-side behind the cabin, providing drive through a single GM 4L60E automatic transmission.

The bodywork of this 1955 truck was still in great shape when it was discovered by Rick Moore of Belfry, Montana. He updated the chassis with front and rear suspension from a 1996 C4 Corvette and installed a fresh, 600 HP LSX motor. The ’55 Chevy car dash hides a modern air conditioning system.

Utah-based YouTube star TheStradman had his formerly purple Veyron rewrapped in a matt KPMF film called ‘Metro Stealth Dynamic Teal’. It looks phenomenal.

The new Bronco is designed to be modified by the aftermarket, so it was no surprise to see dozens of customized examples on show in Vegas. This tasteful blue build has a 2in Air Design suspension lift, Roadwire seats and Forgiato Terra wheels.

Nissan brought the special Z Proto Spec edition of its forthcoming sports car to SEMA. It’s limited to 240 units for the US market and will go on sale early next year. All 2023-model-year Z models have a 400 HP, 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine and a choice of 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic transmission. Expect to see a ton of tuner Zs at next year’s show.

This original 1980s Ramcharger off-road racer has been sympathetically restored by Walker Evans of California. It features the company’s bead-lock wheels and Fox shocks, as per the original spec.

Ceramic Pro’s paint protection film and ceramic coating keep this modified Koenigsegg looking its best. The car has aftermarket turbos and a bespoke orange leather interior by Hermès.

Owner Elvis Kerns of Florida found the basis of this custom 1932 International in California. In the 12 months since, he’s fitted a 12-valve, compound-turbo diesel and AccuAir suspension, and added the van box from scratch. The truck was finished just in time to trailer it back across the country to SEMA 2021.

Toyo Tires always showcases some of the best new builds at SEMA and had 35 cars and trucks in its 2021 display. Jonathan Grunwald brought the TCP Magic USA Heritage 7, which features a turbocharged, 20B Bridgeport 3-rotary engine built by Garage Life and Lucky 7 Racing that makes 1000 HP at the wheels.

The MotorTrend Project X ’57 Chevy has been modified repeatedly since the 1960s to showcase the latest performance technology. Ahead of SEMA this year, Chevrolet Performance and Cagnazzi Racing spent five weeks replacing the previous LSX V8 with a unique electric drivetrain that includes a 340 HP Cadillac Lyriq motor and a developmental battery pack.

At SEMA, nothing is sacred, not even an F40! Orange County, California-based Boden AutoHaus modified this privately owned white F40 with an in-house designed, custom titanium exhaust system. E-Motion Engineering fitted KW race suspension.

Owned by Timm and Andrea Cline of Springfield, Illinois, this Nova has an astonishing 1500 HP at the rear wheels from a 565ci (9.3-liter) turbocharged Big Block motor. It was exhibited by XK Glow, which supplied LED lights to the project.

Ford entered the e-crate market earlier this year with the Eluminator, a 281 HP electric motor from the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition, which retails at $3900. For the SEMA Show, Ford Performance installed one motor on each axle of a 1978 F-100 pickup, as well as the seats, dash and infotainment from the Mach-E. Ford CEO Jim Farley has been enthusiastically tweeting about it all week.

Vaughn Gittin Jr’s latest Ultra4 4400 race truck was built by Triton Engineering and Gittin’s Fun-Haver team. Power is from a naturally aspirated, 460ci (7.5-liter) Ford V8 that puts out 800 HP. Wheels are RTR Tech 6 beadlocks with Nitto Trail Grappler, King of the Hammers-spec tires.

Ken and Chad Krueger of Krueger Kustoms are responsible for this outrageous Gladiator, which rides on agricultural wheels and tires. It was built for Quake LED as a follow-up to the ‘Small Wheels’ edition from 2019, which had tiny lowrider rims.

Like the Big Wheels Gladiator, this is another Freak Show Customs project for the Quake LED display. The Sno Gremlin X by Joel Smith of Auto Definitions swaps the regular rims for Dominator rubber tracks from American Track Truck.

Mad Max-inspired ‘Born 49ain’ (Born Again) is a 1949 Ford ‘Shoebox’ that’s been chopped by 4in and shortened by 7in to fit over the running gear of a 2008 BMW 335i. Builder John Malozsak and his friends fitted custom 20in truck rims by Hostile Wheels, Status Racing seats and a Garrett Motion turbo.

Billed as an art deco rat rod ‘art rod’, Chain Smoker started out as a truck reclaimed from retirement on the Canadian prairies. Owner Warwick Andrews from Alberta sculpted body panels from more than 500ft of chain links, welding them on the back to give the illusion of them floating. A 12-valve, 5.9-liter Cummins 6BT crate engine delivers more than 1000 HP through an NV4500 5-speed manual transmission.

‘Ms Swaggin Wagon’ is the result of a two-year project by BJ Boden of ACME Gas & Oil LLC. The Galaxie Country Squire is powered by a 6-liter Powerstroke diesel and rides on Air Lift Company suspension.

EarthCruiser trucks are billed as the only dedicated 4WD cabover overlanding trucks in the US market. Off-grid capability comes from solar panels and powerful lithium-ion batteries, while water can be drawn from any lake or stream. The chassis is based on a Mitsubishi Canter.

Hoonigan bought this Caprice on eBay for $6500 before converting it into a ‘Donk’ with huge rims and a 532ci (8.7-liter), 882 HP, blueprinted, supercharged Big Block motor.

A 1970 Volkswagen Beetle shell sits atop this Burley Motorsports tube-frame Bug, which is powered by a Wolfgang International VW 2276 engine paired with a VW 094 Bus transmission. The Radflo coilover shocks have remote reservoirs.

Brittany Alexander has spent 13 years transforming this award-winning, East Coast-based WRX from stock blue sedan to its current state. The purple Subie features a Yellow Speed Racing Big Brake Kit among many modifications.

Under the hood of Larry Rose’s restomod is a 426ci (7.0-liter), supercharged ‘Hellephant’ Hemi motor from a modern Challenger Hellcat. The Mopar also features Ridetech suspension and Boze forged alloy wheels.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) revealed the prototype for a new turnkey, race-ready version of the all-new 2022 Honda Civic Si. Developed and tested in-house by HPD engineers, the race car is built from a body-in-white for SRO TC Americas, amateur touring car series, club racing and track day use.

‘La Buchona’ is John Cook’s AM General van, which has bodywork modifications by C & S Metal Works and Ludikrs Kustomz. There’s air suspension and 13in Luxor wire wheels.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputies (LASD) Motorsports racing organization claims to the largest all-law-enforcement race team in the world. A stars-and-stripes roof design features as part of a wrap by DH Graphics on the team’s new Model S. EVs had a noticeably larger presence at SEMA this year and there was a whole area of the exhibition dedicated to EV conversions and modifications.

Multiple Formula Drift world champion, Chris Forsberg built this extreme, four-seat drift machine based on the regular Altima sedan. Tekk Consulting designed a tube-frame chassis to fit inside the stock body. Using the Nissan GT-R's VR38 twin-turbo V6 as a base, the Altimaniac’s powerplant was developed by T1 Race Development to put out a reliable 2000 HP.

West Coast Customs reimagined this Grand Prix White 911 for a private collector. Highlights of the $1m+ build include a complete body restoration, 365 HP, fuel-injected engine with GT3 exhaust and headers, 930 Turbo widebody flares, adjustable suspension and Continental Sport Contact tires.

Jeep’s plug-in hybrid is upfitted with factory-backed parts and accessories from Jeep Performance Parts (JPP). The JPP 2in lift kit has Fox shocks specifically tuned for the 4xe. JPP beadlock wheels are mounted with BF Goodrich KM3 37in tires while a Gorilla Glass windshield has up to three times the strength of the stock part.

Troy Gudgel of BBT Fabrications in Champaign, Illinois, had two SEMA Battle of the Builders finalists this year. This 1934 Ford for owner, Bill Sathers has a 427ci (7.0-liter) LS engine with a 6-71 blower and a Bowler Performance Tru-Street 4L60E transmission.

Wearing Patagonia M/T 02 tires from Milestar, this Power Wagon sits on the shortened chassis of a 2005 Dodge 2500 and is powered by that truck’s diesel.

Possibly the world’s only Hellcat-powered BMW! Will Gallaher’s M2 mates a 6.2-liter Hemi with a Sadev 6-speed sequential gearbox. Other race parts installed by Filippo Speed Shop include a Tilton clutch, flywheel and pedal assembly, Lifeline fire suppression system and Sparco seat, wheel and belts.

Eddie Pettus’ Sprite made the top three in the Sport Compact/Import category of this year’s SEMA Battle of the Builders. Completed right before the show opened, the Sprite is fitted with a Mazda Miata drivetrain and suspension. Eddie’s 1941 Willys Coupe also made the top 10 in the Hot Rod category.

Music star Keith Urban’s Mustang was a gift from his wife, Nicole Kidman. In poor shape, it sat in a restoration shop for several years before Ford Performance took on the project, installing a 5.0-liter engine, 10-speed transmission, coilover suspension, inboard Wilwood brakes and a 3D-printed grille inspired by the 2021 Mach 1.

Tuning house LCE Performance collaborated with visual artist Rocketbyz to create this eye-catching Sport Quattro Pikes Peak Art Edition. The Group B replica has a Wagner Tuning intercooler and custom KW suspension.

This bespoke build was completed by Ant Antstead for the upcoming Discovery+ series Drew Scott’s Dream Car. The roadster is influenced by European sports cars of the 1950s but has a cutting-edge Tesla powertrain to reach 60mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 150mph.

Built in conjunction with HPD and Mountune, the Fifteen52 Project 96 Accord is powered by a 306 HP, HPD K20C1 Civic Type R crate engine. The car and its livery are inspired by the mid-1990s Japanese Touring Car Championship-winning JACCS Accord. Other modifications include Japan-spec headlights and replicas of the JACCS race car’s aerodynamic mirrors.