By SEMA Editors
SEMA Battle of the Builders includes submissions from veteran builders and newer customizers, representing an elite group of individuals who demonstrated extreme talent, creativity and craftsmanship in modifying cars, trucks and SUVs.
The Top 12 finalists were announced earlier in the week, and they will serve as judges to crown the ultimate winner, who will be named during tonight's SEMA Ignited.
By SEMA Editors
 NORRA Mexican 1000 racer Ned Bacon and the Baja ROXOR—owned and customized by Bacon himself—are in the ROXOR outdoor display (booth #61040) talking to guests about their adventures and the performance customizations of this Baja ROXOR racer. |
Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) is showcasing customization possibilities for its ROXOR off-road vehicle with new concepts on display at two ROXOR booths—one inside and one outside—including The Marshal and the Coastal Cruiser concepts. The Marshal is a four-wheel-drive ROXOR with a twist on the yesteryear street rod taken to a variety of off-road terrains. The Coastal Cruiser ROXOR incorporates woodworking with Detroit steel and a couple of pucks of surf wax.
Also joining the concepts is a production ROXOR finished with the exclusive ROXliner material designed to provide a durable finish. The ROXbox option is on display, providing an ample cargo area for hauling gear and tools.
The ROXOR capabilities expansion is on display outside with the new RBT 2000 trailer and new ROXpower module. The RBT 2000 uses a ROXOR bed, made from the ROXOR body, bolted to a tow axle for expanded capacity. The ROXpower is a new plug-n-play power supply module that installs under the dash and can provide power to dozens of additional accessories. Joining The Marshal at the indoor display (booth #37005) is the Mossy Oak Gamekeeper ROXOR outfitted for the outdoorsman.
Showing what the ROXOR does on the trail is NORRA Mexican 1000 racer Ned Bacon and the Baja ROXOR—owned and customized by Bacon himself. Bacon and navigator Brian Lutz are in the ROXOR outdoor display (booth #61040) talking to guests about their adventures and the performance customizations of this Baja ROXOR racer.
For model year 2020, dealers and customers can expect to see new optional features and accessories, an all-new grille design and four new standard color options with more than 450 custom color options available.
By SEMA Editors
 Joe Schubeck, pictured above, and three other Vintage Top Fuel Dragsters owners will fill the air with a pleasant aroma from their Nitro-fueled engines as well as tall flames from the exhaust stacks at SEMA Ignited after party. |
The official SEMA Show after party, SEMA Ignited, will include four beautifully restored dragsters from the ’60s that will fire their engines at dusk during in a static display to produce distinctive, thunderous sounds only heard from Nitro-fueled engines.
SEMA Hall of Fame member and professional drag race driver Joe Schubeck will display and start his original Top Fuel Dragster that he drove in competition more than 55 years ago. He will be accompanied by three other Top Fuel Dragsters, all champions of their day, including Hall of Famer Harry Hibler, who will fire up the Tony Nancy Top Fuel Dragster restored and owned by John and Sally Neas from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Also joining Schubeck and Hibler is the Astro Top Fuel Dragster, owned and restored by Bill Pitts from Los Angeles, and the Green Dragon Top Fuel Dragster, owned and restored by Butch Bowers from Renton, Washington.
All credentialed Showgoers are invited to come see the flames dance from the exhaust stacks and hear that special sound that embodies pure power, even at idle, and catch the aroma that some people like to call their “nitro fix.”
When the cars shut off, the first 100 spectators to approach the race table and present their business card will receive a free hand-out containing photographs of the same four cars, along with a DVD with the sights and sounds of the 2018 Nitro dragster presentation.
By SEMA Editors
| Joe Schubeck, pictured above, and three other Vintage Top Fuel Dragsters owners will fill the air with a pleasant aroma from their Nitro-fueled engines as well as tall flames from the exhaust stacks at SEMA Ignited after party. |
The official SEMA Show after party, SEMA Ignited, will include four beautifully restored dragsters from the ’60s that will fire their engines at dusk during in a static display to produce distinctive, thunderous sounds only heard from Nitro-fueled engines.
SEMA Hall of Fame member and professional drag race driver Joe Schubeck will display and start his original Top Fuel Dragster that he drove in competition more than 55 years ago. He will be accompanied by three other Top Fuel Dragsters, all champions of their day, including Hall of Famer Harry Hibler, who will fire up the Tony Nancy Top Fuel Dragster restored and owned by John and Sally Neas from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Also joining Schubeck and Hibler is the Astro Top Fuel Dragster, owned and restored by Bill Pitts from Los Angeles, and the Green Dragon Top Fuel Dragster, owned and restored by Butch Bowers from Renton, Washington.
All credentialed Showgoers are invited to come see the flames dance from the exhaust stacks and hear that special sound that embodies pure power, even at idle, and catch the aroma that some people like to call their “nitro fix.”
When the cars shut off, the first 100 spectators to approach the race table and present their business card will receive a free hand-out containing photographs of the same four cars, along with a DVD with the sights and sounds of the 2018 Nitro dragster presentation.
By SEMA Editors
 Each year the NHRA Breakfast features racing legends who offer revealing glimpses into motorsporting history. This year (from left) Warren Johnson, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Erica Enders, Greg Anderson and Herb McCandless took the stage. |
One of the SEMA Show’s most popular and longest-running events, the NHRA Breakfast is often considered a “can’t miss” for attendees, and yesterday’s breakfast was no exception. To help kick off the 50th anniversary of Pro Stock, the 2019 breakfast brought together five superstars of this highly competitive category to discuss “Fifty Years of Pro Stock.”
The drag-racing legends and current fan favorites included Herb McCandless, Warren Johnson, Greg Anderson, Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr. For the second year in a row, FOX broadcast announcer Brian Lohnes served as the panel moderator, asking probing questions to provide attendees with a revealing glimpse into a category that bases some of its appeal on secrecy. Attendees heard some of the best-kept stories that drove the Pro Stock’s tremendous growth throughout the years.
Following the breakfast, the NHRA hosted an autograph-signing featuring the panel’s five drivers in the organization’s booth (#10000).
By SEMA Editors
 (L–R): Back row: Joe Vannus; Rodger Lee; Ron Lallo; Brian Cruz; Front row: Paul Vannus; Ringbrothers Jim and Mike; Jonathan Goolsby. |
The winners of the 2019 Goodguys GOLD awards were presented Wednesday at the Goodguys booth at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. These exclusive awards, only available at the SEMA Show, are presented to honor the builders of five select vehicles picked by judges who worked during vehicle move-in and during early days of the Show.
This year’s winners:
Each Goodguys Gold Award winner receives a special gold bar trophy.
By SEMA Editors
| (L–R): Back row: Joe Vannus; Rodger Lee; Ron Lallo; Brian Cruz; Front row: Paul Vannus; Ringbrothers Jim and Mike; Jonathan Goolsby. |
The winners of the 2019 Goodguys GOLD awards were presented Wednesday at the Goodguys booth at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. These exclusive awards, only available at the SEMA Show, are presented to honor the builders of five select vehicles picked by judges who worked during vehicle move-in and during early days of the Show.
This year’s winners:
Each Goodguys Gold Award winner receives a special gold bar trophy.
By SEMA Editors
 AkzoNobel (booth #25163, rig #61014) will host autograph sessions throughout the Show with Dave Kindig, Thursday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m., and Friday, November 8, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. |
AkzoNobel announced that the company’s SEMA Show booth is home to two vintage masterpieces from Dave Kindig, star of MotorTrend Network’s “Bitchin’ Rides,” and creator of his custom car company.
Show attendees can view both a ’67 Dodge Coronet and ’64 Pontiac Tempest. Both cars feature Modern Classikk paints, which are the result of Kindig’s partnership with AkzoNobel. The full line of Modern Classikk custom finishes now includes 33 basecoat colors and four reducers.
AkzoNobel (booth #25163, rig #61014) will host autograph sessions throughout the Show with Kindig, and on display are some of his most iconic cars in the company’s booth, as well as in Kindig’s rig, Thursday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m., and Friday, November 8, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
“SEMA is a highlight for our team every year,” says John Eubanks, AkzoNobel Regional Marketing Manager – Americas, Automotive and Specialty Coatings. “It’s an opportunity to share our expertise in color and our commitment to the vehicle refinishing industry with customers and partners—and to have some fun with collaborators like Dave Kindig.”
By SEMA Editors
| AkzoNobel (booth #25163, rig #61014) will host autograph sessions throughout the Show with Dave Kindig, Thursday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m., and Friday, November 8, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. |
AkzoNobel announced that the company’s SEMA Show booth is home to two vintage masterpieces from Dave Kindig, star of MotorTrend Network’s “Bitchin’ Rides,” and creator of his custom car company.
Show attendees can view both a ’67 Dodge Coronet and ’64 Pontiac Tempest. Both cars feature Modern Classikk paints, which are the result of Kindig’s partnership with AkzoNobel. The full line of Modern Classikk custom finishes now includes 33 basecoat colors and four reducers.
AkzoNobel (booth #25163, rig #61014) will host autograph sessions throughout the Show with Kindig, and on display are some of his most iconic cars in the company’s booth, as well as in Kindig’s rig, Thursday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m., and Friday, November 8, from 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
“SEMA is a highlight for our team every year,” says John Eubanks, AkzoNobel Regional Marketing Manager – Americas, Automotive and Specialty Coatings. “It’s an opportunity to share our expertise in color and our commitment to the vehicle refinishing industry with customers and partners—and to have some fun with collaborators like Dave Kindig.”
By SEMA Editors
The following is a sampling of some of the vehicle builds that were revealed on the 2019 SEMA Show floor in Las Vegas:
 Meguiar’s unveiled a custom ’88 BMW E30 in its SEMA Show booth. |
Custom E30 BMW With 6.0L LS Engine
An ’88 BMW E30 with custom modifications and subtle touches to almost every single aspect of the car from the inside out was unveiled Tuesday, November 5, in the Meguiar’s booth at the 2019 SEMA Show.
At the heart of the build is a 6.0L LS engine featuring custom ported heads by Smithberg Racing and a Haltech Elite engine management system. The all-custom 8-1 exhaust flares out and funnels toward the back of the body. Custom craftsmanship touches are evident from the tube chassis front to the fully modified rear suspension and subframe. The inside is purposely built for speed with a full TIG-welded roll bar and all seats, harnesses and steering wheel by Sabelt.
Outside is the latest LTO body kit—the final production version that will be available for purchase. Final touches include carefully sprayed Spies Hecker paint using a Porsche paint-to-sample Olive Green color inspired by Porsche’s latest GT2 RS. There are more than five coats of clear for extreme depth and shine. Underneath and in the engine bay is a Leadfoot Grey from Ford, albeit with a satin texture, while all the tube work was completed with the same color but with a gloss finish, topped off with accent colors of black and orange.
 ARMO unveiled a ’63 Corvette built by Jeff Montgomery. |
Jeff Montgomery’s ’63 Corvette in the ARMO Booth
On Tuesday, November 5, SEMA’s Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) unveiled a ’63 Corvette built by Jeff Montgomery in SEMA Show booth #23393. The ‘Vette is powered by a 480hp LS3 crate engine coupled with a five-speed Borg Warner transmission. It rests on a Vansteel coilover suspension chassis, gets its stopping power from Corvette Z06 brakes and was painted by Millers Paint and Body.
Montgomery has owned the car for 49 years and has driven it more than 300,000 miles across the lower 48 states, Canada and Mexico. He raced it in the Optima Street Car Challenge when a mechanical failure sent him into the fence at the National Corvette Museum race track, engulfing it in flames. The following vendors are among those who helped Montgomery put the car back together: American Racing Wheels; Al Knock Interiors; ACC Carpet; Corvette Rubber Co.; Ecklers Industries; Hotwire Auto; Lectric Limited; Repops Automotive Reproductions; Retro Sound; and Vintage Air.
 Ringbrothers ’69 Mach 1 Ford Mustang “UNKL.” |
Ringbrothers ’69 Mach 1 Mustang
Ringbrothers unveiled a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang—the ’69 Mach 1 known as “UNKL”—in the Flowmaster (Holley) booth, Tuesday, November 5, at the 2019 SEMA Show. The car is powered by a 520ci Jon Kaase Boss engine making 700 hp. A reworked Bowler six-speed Tremec transmission backs the high-powered engine, and a QA1 carbon-fiber driveshaft transfers power to the rear wheels. A custom stainless-steel exhaust was made by Flowmaster. Prestone was the coolant supplier; Motul, the engine oil. Custom BASF paint called Big Boss Blue has been laid over a smooth body, which was shaped with 3M products.
Ringbrothers extended the Mach 1’s body by an inch on each side, which gives it a slightly more aggressive stance than stock without compromising the classic look. The car’s body is a mixture of carbon fiber and reshaped steel panels. Other custom details include billet taillights, reshaped bumpers and trim and engine-bay accessories that were custom machined at the Ringbrothers facility.
The body rides on Detroit Speed Engineering’s Aluma-Frame front suspension system with a cast aluminum cradle, custom-tuned steering rack, tubular suspension arms and custom adjustable RideTech coilovers. The rear is equipped with Detroit Speed’s QUADRALink suspension system and RideTech shocks. Front and rear sway bars are also from Detroit Speed. Stopping power is provided by Baer with 6S Extreme calipers. “UNKL” rides on a bespoke set of forged HRE Wheels wrapped within sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires: 295/35R19 in the front and 345/30R20 in the rear.
The custom interior sports Recaro seats, Ringbrothers billet components, an Ididit steering column, gauges by Classic Instruments and a Vintage Air Gen IV Magnum evap kit. The build’s name comes from the Ringbrothers owner who enjoyed a close relationship with his uncle. The race-inspired livery continues that theme and will also serve a practical purpose when the car is used on track.
 Steele Rubber Products and Chris Carlson Hot Rods debuted their latest build—a ’53 Buick two-door convertible named “Jolene,” Wednesday, November 4, at the 2019 SEMA Show. |
CCHR and Steele Rubber Products Teams ’53 Buick “Jolene”
Steele Rubber Products and Chris Carlson Hot Rods (CCHR) partnered on their latest build—a ’53 Buick two-door convertible named “Jolene,” which was unveiled Wednesday, November 6, at the 2019 SEMA Show.
“Jolene” features a 401ci Buick Nailhead engine backed with a 700R transmission, air ride with Accuair Suspension E-Leveling, RideTech shocks, Heidts front suspension, Vintage Air climate control, MagnaFlow stainless exhaust wrapped in DEI header wrap, BoomMat insulation, Dakota Digital gauges and cruise control, American Autowire, Rocket Racing wheels, Diamond Back Classics tires, PPG custom mixed paint, IDIDIT steering, a combination of brushed and polished nickel bright work by Ogden Chrome, ’54 Chevy taillights, some mild shaving of emblems and other custom touches, along with a complete custom interior by CCHR. All of these features are protected and cushioned with a full set of Steele Rubber Products weatherstripping and seals.
 Troy Trepanier was on hand to reveal a ’59 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Wednesday, November 6, in the Eaton Performance Products booth at the 2019 SEMA Show. |
Rad Rides by Troy ’59 Coupe de Ville
Troy Trepanier was on hand to reveal a ’59 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Wednesday, November 6, in the Eaton Performance Products booth at the 2019 SEMA Show.
Trepanier, the 2017 winner of SEMA Battle of the Builders (BOTB), has taken a classic of midcentury car design into the present with the addition of an LSA crate engine topped with an Eaton TVS supercharger, and the setup is said to be good for an estimated 650 hp. Behind the engine is a Bowler race-prepped 4L80E transmission, which powers a GM 12-bolt rearend equipped with an Eaton Detroit Truetrac differential. The Caddy’s leather interior is a custom Rad Rides creation.
Besides winning BOTB, Trepanier has won SEMA awards for Best Paint and Best Design. He has received multiple awards from the O’Reilly Grand National Roadster Show and Goodguys Rod & Custom series and his builds have been featured on the cover of magazines, such as Hot Rod and Street Rodder.
 Classic Industries’ ’20 Yenko/SC Stage II Camaro. |
Classic Industries’ ’20 1,000hp Yenko Camaro
An example of the all-new ’20 Yenko/SC Stage II Camaro, powered by a custom-built 1,000hp 416-cu.-in. (6.8L) supercharged LT-1-based engine was unveiled Wednesday November 6, in the Classic Industries booth at the 2019 SEMA Show. These cars are based off the Camaro 1SS or 2SS with the 1LE option to include all of the performance features the 1LE offers, including Magnetic Ride Control, Electronic Limited-Slip Differential, Performance-Tuned suspension with unique bushings, springs and stabilizer bars and heavy-duty cooling system, including engine oil cooler, dual outboard radiators, transmission cooler and rear differential cooler. The functional 1LE rear spoiler keeps the rearend firmly planted at speed. The 1LE content also features Recaro Performance Seats. Fifty vehicles will be built, numbered and include a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin.
 DS18’s ’14 “Intruder” Jeep Wrangler. |
DS18 “Intruder” ’14 Jeep Wrangler
Extreme audio fans will enjoy DS18’s ’14 “Intruder” Jeep Wrangler—a rolling DS18 sound system that produces sound quality designed to rival most live concerts. The vehicle was revealed Wednesday November 6, at the 2019 SEMA Show. The Jeep sports 12 super-tweeters, two 21-in. subwoofers, 18 10-in. exl 104 mids, and six 4-inch compression horns. The speakers are driven by an array of DS18 amps adding up to 30,000 watts of total RMS power. This Jeep travels all over the nation showing off what DS18 sound can really do in the hands of dedicated enthusiasts.
 ’68 Green Hornet Shelby GT500. |
’68 Green Hornet GT500 Shines in the Shell Booth
The legendary ’68 Green Hornet Shelby GT500 is on display at the Shell “Pioneering Performance” Experience. After being restored to factory-spec by Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson, the Green Hornet Shelby GT500 is at the 2019 SEMA Show for the world to see.
The Green Hornet Shelby and Little Red Shelby both acted as prototypes before being presumed lost for years. With the help of Pennzoil, the full restoration of the Green Hornet and Little Red were documented.