This week’s virtual SEMA show unveiled hundreds of innovative, new aftermarket auto products. But it’s the 300-plus wild vehicle-builds that create an annual buzz at SEMA. That’s no different at this year’s digital version of the show. Here are our favorite entrants into the SEMA 2020’s Battle of The Builders.
1948 Chevy 3100 Truck
Jeremy Rice, the owner of Arizona-based Tre5 Customs, worked on this custom build for more than a year. Its stand-out feature is a trick bed that tilts up to reveal all the suspension goodies.
The bed wood is from Mar-K. Trick Air bed shocks lift up to reveal a Roadster Shop custom chassis with Slam Specialties airbags, managed by an Acuuair controller.
The truck was bought new by the owner’s grandfather. So we expect that it will stay in the family. That’s even more likely considering the vehicle’s slick new components: an LS3 Chevy engine, Ididit steering column, Lokar shifter, and those new airbags.
1963 Chevy Wagon
This Chevy wagon was the winner of the 2020 Detroit Autorama’s Ridler Award in March. Now it’s competing for top honor’s at the virtual SEMA360 show. The Ranweiler family built it at their shop: Show Cars Automotive Inc. in New Ulm, Minn.
The family team has been working on the wagon for nearly a decade. Every inch of metal was reworked. The body is channeled over a new frame. That’s the technique of cutting the bottom of the car and dropping it lower on the frame, which is how hotrodders slammed down a car before bagging (air suspension) became popular.
The powerplant was upgraded to a 509 cubic-inch first-generation Chevy big block.
All the glass is custom, a necessity after the roof was chopped three inches and the B pillars were relocated.
1970 Plymouth Satellite
Former boxer Randy Weaver of Utah’s Weaver Customs worked magic on this Mopar classic. The meticulous build features countless custom features. The doors don’t have exterior handles. The glass is all flush, and the custom bumpers hug the body.
The result is a seamless masterpiece. It’s exciting to see these “lead sled” techniques from the early 1950s applied to a 1970 muscle car.
But what makes the ’70 Plymouth a contender is the supercharged Hellcat engine under the raised hood. The horsepower is bumped to a whopping 900 ponies.
2020 Jeep Gladiator
This year’s SEMA builders aren’t all classics from the past. Detroit-based automotive artist Murray Pfaff is showing off a new Jeep. He added a Magnuson-supercharger 440-hp V-6, Baer brakes, and Bilstein shocks for extra off-road power and handling.
The Jeep Gladiator, dubbed “Outkast,” combines the driving fun of an open-top Jeep with a truck bed’s utility. And it’s a looker. Pfaff is world-class artist who focuses on car renderings.
The SEMA Jeep shows how his renderings can morph into reality. In this case, the Gladiator is adorned with colorful wraps.
2020 Toyota Tacoma
SEMA vehicles can be crazy. But it doesn’t get wilder than Brad DeBerti’s 2020 Toyota truck. DeBerti—a former NASCAR rookie of the year and off-road champion—added Forgeline wheels, QA1 shocks, Sparco seats, and a unique vinyl wrap.
The slammed Tacoma’s outrageously tall rear wing gives the performance truck its mojo. He also added supports for the frame and tucked in a roll cage for safety.
The Winner Will Be Crowned in Person
This year marks the seventh for SEMA’s Battle of the Builders. Our five faves plus hundreds more are competing in these categories:
- Hotrods
- Off-Road Trucks
- Sport Compact
- Young Guns (for builders aged 27 or younger)
Initially, the vehicles are on display via online photos and short videos explaining how each one uses aftermarket components to create a work of art. It’s like a Zoom for vroom-vroom.
Judges will narrow the field to 12 builds, the top three for each category. The 1963 Chevy Wagon and 2020 Toyota Tacoma made the cut to top 12. They are among those cars and trucks brought this week to California for final judging.
The best of the show will get announced on the last day of the show on Friday, Nov. 6.
