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SEMA, one of the year’s biggest trade shows, featured innumerable automotive wonders from killer off-roaders to powerful exotics to next-level restomods.
Dizzying Displays of Talent
Every year, Las Vegas plays host to one of the most dazzling automotive events of the year. SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is a sprawling convention of the country’s most accomplished and ambitious aftermarket builders and suppliers. If you’re into overlanding, there’s roof tents and bead-locked tires aplenty. If you love pickups with outlandishly lofty lifts, you’ll find row after row. Obsessed with the slickest restomods from the most talented and inventive of builders, they’ve got the Battle of the Builders.
SEMA is so big, so jampacked with amazing stuff that it’s hard to narrow down to a “Best of” list, but we’ve done our best to highlight some of this year’s most fantastic builds.
Carbon Fiber FTW
Carbon fiber. It’s lightweight, it’s expensive, and it makes any car that has it at least 40 percent more desirable. Naturally, there were a lot of builds at SEMA that featured carbon fiber bodies but easily the most impressive was a Porsche 911 993 Speedster by Gunther Werks, which specializes exclusively in modifying 993s. This particular 993 features a full exposed carbon fiber body with purple accenting and a 4.0L flat-six from Rothsports Racing making 435 horsepower. All that carbon fiber gets the curb weight down to a svelte 2,590 lbs.
Another carbon fiber build that benefits greatly from that weight reduction was a Tesla powered 1977 Datsun 240Z dubbed “The Legacy” created by Timothy Hick of Industry Garage. The use of carbon fiber not only looks great, but it also helps offset the weight of the car’s battery pack.
Off-Roaders & Overlanders
No car or automotive trade show is complete these days without a healthy contingent of off-roaders and overlanders. As part of the “return” of the Land Cruiser to the US, Toyota brought not only the new 2024 Land Cruiser to SEMA, but they also brought a handful of jaw-dropping Land Cruiser restomods as well. The most eye-catching among these was the “FJ Bruiser.” Originally a 1966 FJ45 pickup truck, the FJ Bruiser looms atop 42-inch tires and under the hood broods a 725-horsepower NASCAR V8. Not to be outdone, Lexus brought some kitted-out overlanding GXs, including an overlanding 2009 GX470 by Chase Gardner as well as the all-new GX550, complete with requisite roof tent.
Wildest Builds
SEMA has its share of restrained, subtle builds, but for every one of those refined restomods there are half a dozen gonzo builds intent on turning heads even in a sea of lifted trucks, slammed lowriders, and stripped-down build-up hotrods. One of the most incendiary of builds at this year’s SEMA was the Ferrari 612 TR. If you’re familiar with Ferrari alphanumerics you’ll know that name doesn’t emanate from Maranello. No, the 612 TR is a kind of Ferrari portmanteau of the 612 Scaglietti from which this build is based and the TR from the 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa “Pontoon” fender, the body of which this build recreates. The Ferrari 612 TR is gaudy, almost garish in its expression. The red body work contrasts with the original 612’s bright blue interior. Additional body work includes a chin spoiler, huge rear wing, and elaborate rear diffuser. Oh, and of course, the wheels are stanced as well.
Another notable build was the 1990 Porsche 911 964 built by Allen Bischofberger. In contrast to the Ferrari 612 TR, this 911 restomod is subtle and refined, with an interior done by DJ Design. The car was nice enough to make it all the way to the top 12 of this year’s Battle of the Builders.
Battle of the Builders
SEMA’s Battle of the Builders winnows down the field to a handful of cars in four select categories: Hot Rod, Luxury/Exotic, 4 Wheel-Drive/Off-Road, and Young Guns. The top three in each category comprise the Top 12, which cuts to a Top 4 with the winners of each category, and from there an overall winner emerges.
This year’s winner of the Battle of the Builders was a 1960 Buick Invicta “X60” built by Andy Leach and Cal Automotive Creations. Although it might look close to factory, there are subtle changes to this Invicta’s exterior, including a lengthened hood and wheel openings shifted forward by 1.5 inches. Suspension upgrades include Penske coil overs and stopping power is provided by six-piston front and four-piston rear Baer disc brakes. The car rolls on one-of-a-kind nine-piece custom-built wheels. Under the hood is a 401 Nailhead V8 (just like the original) but now equipped with a supercharger and blower.
The “X60” proves that the best of the best at SEMA don’t need ground effects, spinners, or origami-style aero. Rather, winning the Battle of the Builders can be accomplished through a commitment to refinement and subtly and by the restrained application a lifetime of know-how to express one builder’s wholistic and singular reimaging of a classic.
Ring Brothers
Ring Brothers, Mike and Jim Ring, are known as some of the best builders in the world, with their creations winning numerous awards and commanding astronomical price tags. This year they brought two fantastic cars to SEMA, a 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II they named “Paramount” and a 1969 Dodge Charger dubbed “Tusk”.
The “Paramount” Rolls-Royce is another build that hews closely to the original visually while making a lot of less noticeable yet significant alterations. This Rolls trades out its original 6.2L V8 for a new one, a supercharged GM LT4 making 640 horsepower. The 1969 Dodge Charger titled “Tusk” takes a pristine collectable and makes it a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Tusk’s beating heart? A 1,000-horsepower Hellephant motor.
Ruffian Cars
Another favorite of SEMA we wanted to spotlight was the 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 from Chris Ashton at Ruffian Cars. Ruffian are newcomers to the world of high-end builds but they are clearly an exceptionally talented bunch as this Galaxie demonstrates. Among its modifications are a custom chassis (onverting the once body-on-frame car to a unibody), a new custom front bumper, side venting for the engine and transmission/exhaust tunnel, hood louvers and a teardrop bulge, and tasteful fender flares all around. Overall, this Ford Galaxie 500 is a spectacular build, and we can’t wait to see what Ashton and his Ruffian crew bring to SEMA next year.
