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The world's biggest event for the automotive aftermarket normally runs this week in Las Vegas.
However, the annual SEMA Show is yet another casualty of the current pandemic. Fortunately, organizers the Speciality Equipment Marketing Association have laid on a virtual equivalent, SEMA360, so we can still savor some of the year's best custom car and truck builds, like Darren Sammartino’s 1970 Chevrolet K20 (pictured), which was shortlisted in the Young Guns category at SEMA’s annual Battle of the Builders contest.
Join us for a tour of some amazing restorations and rebuilds…
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Ford Focus ST (2017)
Texas-based Rhiannon Munoz customized her Focus ST with the help of Paul Murillo. Under the bonnet, a Mishimoto intake and intercooler help boost power to 375bhp and carbon parts provide a classy finish. The ST rolls on Air Lift Performance air suspension and ESR CS 11 rims with Kenda tyres.
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Dodge Business Coupe (1941)
James Thomas built this fighter-plane-themed ’41 Dodge, known as ‘Aviation Rat’, as his first client-build for the business he co-owns, JSE. Only the cab and frame center section remain from the starting point, with new floors, aluminum rocker panels and frame sections added along the way. Power comes from a 318ci Dodge motor bored out to 325ci, with forged pistons and conrods.
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Toyota MR2 Spyder (2000)
Owner/builder Andrei Taraburca reworked this MR2 with a V6 from a Toyota Sienna minivan and a transmission from a ’99 Celica GT. Taraburca made the custom fender flares and bespoke coilovers that provide adjustable ride height and damping. The car has been repainted in an Audi color, Nardo Grey.
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Ford ½ ton Bread Truck (1950)
This one-of-a-kind bread truck was entered by Shannon Waltz of Pot O’Gold Customs in Colorado. The finishing touches were applied earlier this year to the Cummins 4BT diesel-powered Ford, which rides on AccuAir air suspension and Mobsteel wheels.
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Cadillac Coupe Deville (1959)
One of the upsides of having a virtual show at SEMA this year is that it’s easier for builders from outside the USA to get their cars into the event. This ’59 Caddy owned by Norway’s Viggo Lorentsen has a RetroSound Hermosa Radio and DAB antenna adapter that are perfectly blended into the original chrome dashboard.
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Chevrolet K5 Blazer-E (1977)
At the 2019 SEMA Show, Chevrolet unveiled the E-10 – a retro pickup with Bolt-sourced batteries and powertrain components. This year comes the Blazer-E, which swaps the original 173bhp V8 for a 197bhp Bolt EV electric motor. Chevrolet Performance’s initial eCrate aftermarket offering – the 60kWh Electric Connect and Cruise package – is expected to be available to customizers in the second half of 2021.
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Ford Ranchero (1971)
Returning Battle of the Builders finalist, Randy Borcherding’s latest creation is a ’71 Ranchero. The restomod brings together performance parts from Ridetech, Holley, Doug’s Headers and Ford Performance, among many others.
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Ford Coupe (1933)
This sinister machine gets nearly 800bhp from a supercharged Big Block Chevy. Built by Greg Friedrich of Gizmos in Minnesota, it’s designed to have almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution. The interior of the three-window coupe with suicide doors is trimmed in distressed gray and brown leather.
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Dodge ¾ ton W250 (1947)
Matteo Medoro from Edmonton, Alberta, was back for a second shot at SEMA’s Battle of the Builders ‘Young Guns’ category in 2020. Only the cab, bonnet, grille and fenders remain of the 1947 three-quarter ton truck; those original components, patina intact, are joined to a 1991, Cummins-powered Dodge 4x4 frame with custom mounts. The front bumper was TIG-welded from scratch and painted to match the vintage look.
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Chevrolet Camaro (1968)
Already an award winner at the 2020 Grand National Roadster Show, Steve Keefer’s Camaro also features in the Battle of the Builders at SEMA360. The LS4-powered restomod, built with East Bay Muscle Cars, has been widened by 5in and incorporates unique, 3D-printed and CNC-machined components.
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Ford Bronco (1979)
The US aftermarket is set to explode with parts for the 2021 Bronco, which Ford has designed with customization in mind. But there’s a vibrant scene dedicated to rebuilding and modifying old Broncos as well. This build from Greg Adams transformed a ’79 into a monster truck-style four-door.
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Ford Bronco (1970)
It’s easy to see why the classic 1966-77 Bronco was the major inspiration behind Ford’s 2021 reboot when you look at a restored example like this. John Cole put it together with components from Federal Tires, US Mags and Energy Suspension, among others.
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Datsun 240Z (1973)
Ohio-based Eric Ritz recently completed his clean-looking 240Z build. The car has a 6.0-litre LS2 V8 from a Pontiac GTO modified with Holley parts, and Hawk Performance brakes. Ritz’s car made the Top 40 in SEMA’s Battle of the Builders.
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Ford Roadster Pick Up (1932)
Axalta paint (you’ll have seen the name splashed across William Byron’s #24 Chevy in NASCAR) is showcasing this eye-catching ’32 roadster pickup, built by Alan Johnson of Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama.
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Lamborghini Huracán (2015)
This wild Huracán is a show car for Rohana Wheels, which supplied its RFG13 rims – different colors on each side of the car – to the build. The body kit is by Liberty Walk: LB-Silhouette Works Huracán GT.
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Ford F1 (1948)
KTL Restorations of Danville, Virginia, built this beautiful, diesel-powered restomod truck called ‘Pinnacle’. Owners Kurtis and Crystal Lawrence worked with PAC Custom to craft the bed from wood excavated from a 200-year old plantation on the James River. It’s at SEMA360 in conjunction with collision-repair equipment company, Spanesi, and features BASF’s Glasurit paint line in the door art.
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Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 170 EXT (2016)
Known as Bruce Banner after the Marvel character, this highly modified Sprinter by WeRollWithIt was prepared for overlanding with kit from suppliers including Thule, Pathfinder LED Lighting, Backwoods Adventure Mods and Terrawagen. Oregon-based Line-X of Clatsop County sprayed the black and green exterior coating.
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GMC Sierra 2500HD (2008)
Neels’s truck started out with a modest 6in lift but quickly escalated to a full rebuild from the frame rails up. It now boasts Ford straight axles and a cantilever rear suspension system of Neels’s own design that incorporates hydraulic ride-height control for towing.
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Ford Mustang Fastback (1968)
Mustangs are a SEMA show staple and there are plenty of great examples among the virtual showcase in 2020. Ricardo Lopez built this 1968 model, which has a Hedman headers-equipped 427ci Windsor Stroker motor with 542bhp, a Tremec 5-speed and a custom leather interior from Lopez’s company, Customs by Lopez.
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International CO 1700 (1964)
Rod Nielsen of Hot Rod’s Restos in British Columbia, Canada caught the eye at SEMA 2018 with his Mazda R100, which was named Battle of the Builders Sport Compact Champion. Now he’s back with this International truck, which is powered by a mid-mounted, turbocharged LS Chevy V8.
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Mazda RX7 FDS3 (1993)
Since its debut a year ago, Todd Budde’s Mazda – billed as the first street-legal, AWD, twin-turbo, 4-rotor RX7 – has been upgraded by Force Fed Fabrications with a new carbon fiber torque tube by RPM Transmission and FuelTech ignition modules as he pushes for 1,500bhp from the billet 4-rotor engine. The Gallardo transaxle and Corvette C7 suspension remain.
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Jeep FC-170 (1962)
The Jeep Forward Control was a line of work vehicles made from 1956-65 with around 30,000 sold. Curtis Larsen rebuilt this 1962 FC-170 with the support of PPG, Vintage Air, Fuel Rims, LoKar, TCI and Custom AutoSound.
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Ford Model A (1929)
Gregory Martin’s Model A is like no other, featuring two engines mounted in tandem behind the front axle. The patriotic metalwork pays tribute to US forces.
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Toyota GR Supra Ornamental Conifer (2021)
This GR Supra was hand-painted with enamels by Ornamental Conifer, aka British artist, Nicolai Sclater. Starting with a stock 2021 GR Supra 3.0 Premium in Turbulence Grey, Sclater incorporated expressions like ‘True to Form’ and ‘Lightning Response’, “as nods to past and present Supra attributes”.
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Pontiac Trans Am (1970)
Builder Riley Stair of Protomachine continues to refine this very special Trans Am. The car has fully TIG-welded tube-frame construction beneath the widened shell and a naturally aspirated, 6.6-litre Chevy LSX motor that revs to 10,000rpm and makes over 1,000bhp.
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Jeep Gladiator Top Dog Concept (2020)
FCA’s parts division, Mopar, built the Top Dog Concept for mountain bike enthusiasts. A custom PCOR flatbed storage system features pull-out drawers to securely store tools and supplies, a battery-powered fridge and an electric hot-dog roller grill. Two bikes are stowed on the roof.
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Studebaker Transtar (1957)
Andy Allen, owner of Andy’s Hot Rods and Restoration, returns to Battle of the Builders in 2020 with a 1957 Studebaker Transtar. The slammed pickup has a fuel-injected and supercharged 289ci motor mated to a BorgWarner T-10 transmission, and all-around Wilwood disc brakes.
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Subaru Crosstrek (2019)
RalliTEK in Portland, Oregon built this Crosstrek with off-roading in mind. The company fitted its own lift kit, engine and transmission skid plates and ditch-light brackets as well as some custom rock sliders, a Curt roof basket and a Warn winch and semi-hidden winch mount.
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Toyota Tundra 6x6 (2018)
What’s believed to be the world’s first 6x6 Tundra was built by Line-X MSK in Moscow. The two rear axles have air suspension and the engine has been boosted with a TRD supercharger. There are composite panels on the outside and Nappa leather and Alcantara in the cabin. Lockable compartments line the extended pickup bed of ‘Hercules’ to provide 1200 litres of storage.
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Plymouth Cuda (1971)
A new build from Andy Leach of Cal Automotive Creations in Nebraska, this Cuda made the 2020 Battle of the Builders Top 12. Its classic lines hide modern running gear from a 700bhp Hellcat. The paint finish is PPG Bronze Fire Metallic.
That’s it for this roundup. Hopefully we'll be reporting from the Vegas show halls again this time next year!
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