By Juan Torres
 The ’69 Camaro was one of two Ringbrothers cars that was named to the 2016 SEMA Show Battle of the Builders Top 10. Pictured here are Mike and Jim Ring. |
Mike and Jim Ring have been doing body work and painting cars since they were 10 and 11 years old, and over the past decade, their shop, Ringbrothers in Spring Green, Wisconsin, has rocketed into the top ranks of American car builders, thanks to numerous design awards. These include the GM Design Award for Best Chevrolet of Show at the 2014 SEMA Show, several Goodguys Gold Awards, back-to-back Goodguys Street Machine of the Year awards, multiple Mothers Shine Awards and countless magazine covers and several builds commissioned by OEMs.
One of their recent builds, a ’69 Camaro that took a year to complete, was one of two Ringbrothers cars that was named to the 2016 SEMA Show Battle of the Builders Top 10. What made this build special was that instead of remaking parts, Ringbrothers refined them, including the front and rear bumpers, taillight panels and bezels, front grille, and headlight bezels, among other parts.
Ringbrothers made it to the Top 3 in the inaugural Battle of the Builders in 2014, to the Top 10 last year and were excited to have two cars in the Top 10 this year.
“It’s unbelievable. To have two cars in the Top 10, that’s over the top,” said Mike Ring. “We’ve got some great backers—Flowmaster, BASF, Royal Purple, Prestone. We can’t do this without their help. We’re a couple of small guys from the cornfield in Wisconsin.”
Behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and stories of the 2016 Battle of the Builders competition will be showcased in an hour-long TV special that will air February 6, 2017, on the Velocity Network, so mark your calendars, set your DVR and tell your friends not to miss the show.
For more information, visit www.semashow.com/botb.