By SEMA News Editors
The best builds. The boldest customizations. Do you have what it takes to be the next Battle of the Builders champion? There's only one way to find out!
Every year, the best builds and the boldest customizations face off in the industry's leading vehicle competition to see who will be crowned the next Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers champion.
Applications are open for the 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers at semabotb.com. All builders with a vehicle displayed at the 2025 SEMA Show may enter the competition at semabotb.com before the deadline on October 17, 2025.
The 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders (BOTB) will recognize class champions as the best in four categories:
- Hot Rod & Hot Rod Truck
- 4 Wheel Drive & Off-Road
- Sport Compact, Import Performance, Luxury & Exotic
- Young Guns
Only one of the class champions will be crowned the overall BOTB champion during this year's SEMA Show, November 4-7, Las Vegas.
Battle of the Builders Young Guns Category
Supporting and inspiring young builders is crucial to the future of the automotive specialty-equipment market. The BOTB Young Guns category is designed to encourage young builders to pursue their passions and shine a light on the up-and-coming builders.
"Young Guns" is a designation within the overall BOTB competition to recognize builders who are under the age of 29 (as of November 7, 2025). Those who meet the criteria and have selected the Young Guns category on the online application are eligible to participate. In addition, all eligible Young Guns applicants who have submitted their online application before August 15, 2025, may be selected to compete in one or more virtual regional Golden Ticket competitions for the chance to win a Golden Ticket SEMA Show prize package. The eligible Young Guns applicants who have been selected for this will be contacted separately by the BOTB operations team via email or phone.
For more information and to apply, visit semabotb.com. For the complete BOTB Terms and Conditions, visit here.
2025 Battle of the Builders Preview
What follows is a sneak peek at four of the builds competing in this year's competition.
RON JONES
'73 VOLKSWAGEN THING
Category: 4 WHEEL DRIVE & OFF-ROAD
This '73 Volkswagen Thing was coachbuilt entirely from the ground up by the Ron Jones Garage with enough modifications to make it unrecognizable from its stock format. Fox long-travel coilovers attach to the one-off chromoly long-travel chassis. Apart from the windshield frame, every body panel on the Thing was handbuilt and boasts more than 350 machined parts. Staying true to its German heritage, a fuel-injected Porsche Type 930/50 engine stroked to a 3.2L with a MoTeC standalone ECU powers the build and pairs to a gearbox pulled from a 996. Also harvested from a Porsche 997 is the torque tube and front differential. The custom interior was designed and installed by PJ's Upholstery in Commerce City, Colorado.
TROY TREPANIER
'36 FORD ROADSTER
Category: HOT ROD & HOT ROD TRUCK
Winner of the America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award at the Grand National Roadster Show in January, this art piece was built from the ground up by Troy Trepanier and his team at Rad Rides. Designed to resemble a '36 roadster, the build required reworking the proportions to suit an open-wheel configuration—meaning every component, from the body and chassis to the suspension and machined parts, was designed and fabricated in-house. Furthermore, all paint and interior work was done in-house as well. A supercharged Ford 312ci Y-block engine paired with a quick-change rear axle powers the custom hot rod, which features a torsion-bar suspension. The roadster may be an AMBR winner, but how will it fare against other builds yet to be revealed?
CHANCE DIXON
'46 CHEVROLET 3100
Category: HOT ROD & HOT ROD TRUCK
What do you get out of Chance Dixon's Grim Reaper Speed Shop? A Mad Max-style hot-rod truck ready to cause some havoc in the wastelands. The heavily patinaed body is joined to a custom-built chassis fabricated by Dixon, utilizing Village Customs' front cantilever air ride and a triangle four-link rear setup. The exposed twin-turbo third-gen LS features Texas Speed internals and ICT Billet parts. Its most unique feature is the intriguing intake that comes up into the cab, allowing for a 180-degree turn back out. "It leaves many people scratching their heads wondering how it works," says Dixon. At car meets, he allows youngsters to play with the air ride, spreading interest and curiosity for the next generation of enthusiasts.
CODY DABNEY
'69 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE
Category: SPORT COMPACT, IMPORT PERFORMANCE, LUXURY & EXOTIC
Concept art for Cody Dabney's Chevelle project offers a competitive look into what's in store for this year's BOTB. Three-stage aurelium bronze pearl paint highlights the sharp body lines. The rear features a custom rear diffuser with integrated dual-exhaust outlets, and Greening wheels with mini tubs and flush-mounted glass complete the exterior. The cockpit is entirely bespoke, featuring a Velocity hand-built leather interior, leather-wrapped six-point roll cage, custom Velocity billet components and boasts Holley EFI digital gauges. A Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis serves as the foundation for the Chevy, bearing a Nelson twin-turbo LS 427 V8 bolted to a Tremec T-56 manual transmission.
Attendee registration for the 2025 SEMA Show, November 4-7 in Las Vegas, is now available online here. Online registration for qualified professional attendees is $75 per person through Friday, September 26. Starting September 27, the rate increases to $100 for both online and onsite registration. A SEMA Show badge includes access to both the SEMA Show and AAPEX.
For updates on SEMA Fest, the one-day musical and motorsports festival on Friday, November 7, or to purchase "SEMA Show Friday – Open to the Public" tickets, visit semafest.com.
