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25 Coolest Cars and Trucks of SEMA 2024

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25 Coolest Cars and Trucks of SEMA 2024Mark Vaughn

Yes, SEMA is over, the final Ford finally fired and drove out of the Las Vegas Convention Center. SEMA has left the building. But our memories haven’t! Here are a few more favorites.


RAUH Welt Porsche 993

RWB/RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF is a Japanese Porsche tuner founded by
Akira Nakai. The shop says it "combines Japanese and Euro tuning elements, creating the distinct RWB style for Porsche chassis." It started as a small countryside body shop in Chiba-Ken, across the bay from Tokyo and the home of Tokyo Disneyland. RAUH-Welt says its 911s are now "a common sight on both the streets and racing circuits of Japan."

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"We create only one RWB Porsche for each customer," Nakai says.

This purple haze of a 993 was built for American Joe Aime, who proudly showed SEMA attendees the car.

“This build took almost five years, partly due to the pandemic that hit us in early 2020," said Aime on his Instagram page (with 10,000 followers). "Son Goku is the name Nakai gave my RWB. He typically names every RWB that he builds. Son Goku, the main character from the Dragon Ball anime, symbolizes determination and hard work. Nakai said that's what he saw in me, which inspired him to name my RWB Son Goku, also because I'm a big fan of anime and Japanese culture.

"I used to be that guy who followed RWB whenever it was featured in car magazines and watched RWB build videos on YouTube for many years, wishing one day I'd own one. Now I'm behind the wheel of one! A dream realized. Aside from the enormous amount of attention it garners, the car performs well beyond my expectations and is so fun to drive—partly due to the extensive work I put into the suspension. It tracks so well and has tremendous grip, literally feeling like a street-legal go-kart."

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Mark Vaughn


1976 Toyota Celica with V12 Engine

Shawn Bassett ("I build race cars for a living") built this V12-powered 1976 Toyota Celica. It was on display in the Toyo Tires Treadpass area between the South and Central Halls.

"I really wanted challenge myself as a builder," said Bassett. "The reaction to our 'skunk works' Toyota build has been overwhelmingly positive. I really appreciate everyone's love for the car."

That's a Toyota Century V12 in the Celica's engine bay that makes 700 hp and redlines at 10,000 rpm. It's mated to a transmission from an A90 Supra, but it has a clutch pedal, so it can be driven like a manual. It rolls on BBS E55 center lock wheels with Toyo Proxes R888RTM tires. It has one-off custom carbon-fiber bodywork, cantilever suspension, and bespoke leather and alcantara upholstery on the inside.

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The California Kid and the California Kid Express

There is perhaps no more famous a hot rod than the iconic California Kid (except maybe Milner's Coupe from American Grafitti, argue about that in the comments). Built by the late, great Pete Chapouris and Jim "Jake" Jacobs of the famous Pete and Jake's Hot Rod Parts, the Kid starred in a Universal Studios made-for-TV Movie of the Week in 1974 driven by a young Martin Sheen.

Seeing the first Kid, hot rodder Bill Paul was inspired by it to build his own, the California Kid Express pickup.

"I started about 12 years ago with the inspiration of, 'What if they had built a shop truck to go with the car in 1974? What might it look like?" said Paul.

To make it look better than the stock Ford truck, Paul said he started with a 1934 four-door sedan and used that for the front of the truck and used an actual '34 Ford truck for the back half. There was a lot of hand-formed metal to make.

"My impression was, 'This is the truck Henry Ford should have made," said Paul.

Both look pretty nice.

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Mark Vaughn


Staga 1967 Chevy Chevelle

You'll see Staga carbon fiber parts on Dodge Chargers, Ford Mustangs, and here on this fabuloso 1967 Chevelle.

"We're mainly out here to display that we have the capability to do 3D scanning, making prototypes, tooling, and manufacturing process," said Staga's spokesguy.

The Chevelle in the booth sports a "copper carbon fiber reflective hood, fenders, front bumper, rear bumper and trunk," Staga wrote on its Insta page.

"We decided to do a little something different!"

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International L-150

Woolf Aircraft is a fabricating shop in Romulus, Michigan, known for its skills in bending pipe and tubing, among many other abilities. Parked in their plot of SEMA was this nice surface-rusty International L-150, loaded and ready for welding.

The International L-Series was manufactured from 1949 to 1952 and had three displacements of straight-six engines available: 3.6-liters, 3.9-liters, and 4.4. Available bodies ranged from pickups as you see here to flatbeds and even Metro delivery trucks, aka bread vans.

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Top Eliminator Painthouse 1970 Mercury Cougar Convertible

"Imagine if Mercury was still alive and made a version of their Top Eliminator Cougar Convertible," read the sign under the front end of this attention-grabber. "Then imagine you found one in a barn and restored it to all its former glory... and more."

That's what they did here. In addition to its "Short Bus Pearl" paint, this model sports a 2004 4.6-liter Terminator V8 with a Whipple supercharger mated to a Tremec T56 manual transmission riding on a Detroit Speed alumified four-bar suspension.

1970 never had it this good.

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1959 Chevrolet Apache

"Thunder Chief" is a frame-off total restoration and retro build done by Chris Stafford of Stafford's Garage in Mississippi.

It rides on FloAirRide suspension with QA1 Motorsports adjustable shocks, disc brakes, a modern Corvette engine, with Dakota Digital HDX gauges that look like a neon light show on the dash.

"I’m at a loss for words to explain my gratitude towards my wife, friends and everyone involved in making this a reality….y'all the real MVPs," said Stafford.

And the truck looks mighty nice, too.

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Dodge Ram Pickup

The MOPAR booth this year had plenty of cool cars, from the Plymouth GTX Electromod concept to a Ram 2500 Sport Rod Concept. But this humble red wagon caught our flying eyeball. Who can say why?

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Seibon Toyota Pruis Prime XSE

You know those stickers that say, "'Nice Prius,' No One" on the back? Well those guys never saw a Seibon-equipped model. This one has Seibon carbon fiber hood, mirror covers, front spoiler, rear wing, and many other trim items. It also has Versus VV25R wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes Sport tires.

Nice Prius!

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1959 Sedan Delivery

Mothers has been at SEMA for seemingly ever. This is the '59 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery of the actual mother of Mothers, Barbara
Holloway. Yes, there really is a mother at Mothers.

Built by Rad Rides by Troy of Manteno, Illinois, it's powered by a 6.2-liter 670 hp, 565 lb ft Lingenfelter LS3. It sports a 10.7:1 compression ratio. It rides on an Art Morrison frame modified by Rad Rides with a Corvette C6 independent front suspension and RideTech 12" coilovers and sway bar, and triangulated 4-bar rear with Ride Tech 12" coilovers and panhard bar, also by Rad Rides.

"The Mothers '59 Sedan Delivery was acquired in 1984 and has been an icon of the Southern California company ever since," says Mothers. "Having had a few makeovers, it has graced the pages of many car magazines and has been shot by legendary photographers. In its latest iteration, construction began at Rad Rides by Troy on February 3, 2014. It was completed in time for a shakedown run during the June 2015 Hot Rod Power Tour driven by owner Barbara Holloway and co-piloted by Judy Trepanier (Troy's mother).

That color is officially known as Mothers Red Paint. It is
kept shiny with, you guessed it, Mothers Polishes and Waxes.

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1970 Chevelle

Blazin' Rodz says this 1970 Chevelle called "Doughboy" makes 2,800 horsepower from a twin-turbo 540 big block. That's not just any big block, it's an ACE Racing Engines-built 540 cubic-inch Brodix big block with forced induction from twin Precision 8385 Next Gen turbos, Blazin says. The engine has been shifted back 15 inches, improving chassis balance for optimized handling on track. It's equipped with dual 10-GPM Aeromotive Brushless fuel pumps in a rear-mounted custom billet fuel cell that doubles as a rear diffuser to improve aerodynamics.

The whole thing rides on a highly modified Art Morrison chassis
with Corvette C7 independent front suspension geometry, "strengthened to support the massive power output." The fully custom front and rear suspension is made with a five-axis CNC unit using billet 7075-T6 aluminum and utilizes spherical uniball joints and rod ends "for precise control and adjustability." JRI hydraulic coilovers allow for on-the-fly fine-tuning, enhancing the car's ability to adapt to different driving conditions on both the street and track.

And it would have to drive on a track, since that massive front air dam looks like it would pop clean off if it hit so much as a marble.

You can watch the entire build at "BlazinRodz: The Series" on You Tube and Roku TV now.

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Neonetics Inc.

Imagine having a garage wall covered in these. Your spouse might start hanging out!

"Our licensing partners include Coca-Cola, Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Mopar, Case IH, Volkswagen, Shelby, Roush, United States Airforce, Goodyear, and Texaco," they say.

Surely there's got to be something in that list you want? And stop calling me Shirley!

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Bestop Ford Bronco Convertible

Bestop was founded in 1954 in Louiseville, Colorado. They make the electric retractable tops for the four-door Ford Bronco now and will have them for the Jeep JL and JK Wrangler by February. Unlatch the latches, flip the switch, and you're cruising in sunshine!

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VW Bug Trophy Truck

Yes, that's a VW Beetle body placed on top of a Trophy Truck chassis and running gear. Considering off-road racing was built off the humble and ubiquitous Bug, this evolution is only fitting.

It was built in-house by Quixotic Motorsports and Wilkey Works, with a full custom one-off FiberwerX VW bug body stretched and widened off a Wilkey Works steel cab produced from three steel bodies riding on a 4130 Chromoly tube frame laser and radius bent by Cal West Manufacturing. Power comes from a Texas Speed 427 LS-based V8 with a Magnuson 2650 Supercharger tuned by Dune Hoon (great name, btw).

Look for it next time you're out in Glamis, or wherever great things happen.

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EarthRoamer LTx

These things are huge. HUGE! When the apocalypse comes, believe me, you will want to be in one of these. You'll survive a week or two longer than everyone else, too, until the zombies arrive.

EarthRoamer has produced over 425 "Luxury Expedition Vehicles" so far. They'll make one for you if you have the money.

The LTx has a vacuum-infused carbon-fiber body riding on a Ford F-550 4x4 chassis powered by a 6.7-liter turbodiesel. On top is a 1,480-watt solar array powering a massive 18-kWh lithium-ion battery bank. It has a 95-gallon diesel tank good for 1,000 miles range, a 100-gallon fresh water tank, and a 40-gallon gray water tank. It rides on 43-inch military grade tires on beadlock wheels with a 75 mph speed rating, much faster than even the quickest zombies.

Price is $900,000.

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Jeep

According to official Stellantis history, the Jeep was born in July 1940. That's when the US military informed automakers that it was looking for a "light reconnaissance vehicle" to replace the Army's motorcycle and modified Ford Model-T vehicles. The Army invited 135 manufacturers to bid on production and developed a lengthy specification list for the vehicle, including the following: 600-lb load capacity, wheelbase less than 75 inches, height less than 36 inches, smooth-running engine from 3 to 50 mph, rectangular-shaped body, and four-wheel drive with two-speed transfer case. They also wanted a fold-down windshield, three bucket seats, and a GVWR below 1,300 lbs. Willys Overland replied and, voila, the Jeep.

This one might be a CJ, or Civilian Jeep, a postwar model that carried on until the 1980s. You Jeep experts weigh in. The basic idea, a fun, maneuverable 4x4 that'll go anywhere, is still with us.

See you on the Rubicon!

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Grasshopper Honda Acty

Oiwa Garage in Long Beach, California, calls itself "a leading US-based importer and customizer of Japanese Kei trucks, offering a wide range of parts and accessories to enhance the performance and utility of these unique vehicles. Known for their dedication to quality and innovation, Oiwa Garage continues to push the boundaries of what Kei trucks can do."

What they can do for you is get you in a Honda Acty-based camper from an outfit called Grasshopper. Grasshopper is based in Hiroshima, Japan, and has been customizing for over 40 years, it says. Grasshopper says it has recently expanded into the Kei truck market, offering "unique and versatile solutions for modern adventurers."

The trick is to get an Acty that's over 25 years old so you can register it in (some) US states. Oiwa Garage had two of the kei-class trucks on its stand at SEMA. One was set up for camping, the other as a work truck. Both had slide-out drawers on the sides and storage under the cargo bed.

Kei class trucks are something of a challenge to drive on US roads, so be aware of that going in. But you will definitely be a standout when you pull into the KOA camp.

Oiwa bills itself as "Your Kei Truck/Japanese Mini Truck Import Concierge." They've sold a lot of kei-class pickup trucks for $6,000 to $7,000. Pricing for the Honda Acty kei camper is around $12,000.

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Some Kind of Jeep Gladiator Under All That Stuff

"Did we bring everything?"

With this rig, you will never have to ask that question again. Or at least it looks like that. The idea of this setup is to demonstrate the versatility and usefullness of the SeaSucker of vacuum-mounted camp automotive accessories. Don't know where to put some item of camp gear? Just vacuu-suck a SeaSucker onto the side of your rig and there it'll stick. Cool idea. They start at $49 each.

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1972 Ford Bronco

Mile Marker sells winches and recovery gear for four-wheel-drive enthusiasts. Looks like good stuff. Some of it is on this '72 Bronco.

But the Bronco itself was very cool. It sports a Gen 1 Coyote V8 and a set of Ford F250 axles. The owner says it'll do 90 mph on the highway "...and you steer it with just two fingers."

Very nice!

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McLaren Solus GT

Of the 25 Solus GTs that are to be made, this is number one.

"We have a relationship with the owner," said the XPEL employee we asked.

XPEL makes the protective film that keeps that wild orange paint scheme free from road damage. The car makes 829 hp from a V10 engine and costs $4.5 million.

Only seats one, though, and there's no room for luggage.

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Ferrari 488 GTB

A lot of the West Hall was filled up with companies that made or applied various wraps and films to cars. Llumar is one such film company. It took a Ferrari 488 GTB, wrapped it, and had an artist draw on it.

Artist Stefan Kunz did the work on the Ferrari over the course of three days, adding slogans that extolled the virtues of Llumar and its fine products. On the third day, they removed the Llumar film and, OMG, none of the Sharpie had gotten through to the paint underneath. Excellent marketing exercise.

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Man Moons SEMA

Film at 11.

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Rebel, Rebel

Rebel Off Road of Lake Forest, California, brought two Jeeps to SEMA, a Wrangler two-door and a Gladiator. The Gladiator had Rebel's "The Canopy" storage and camping setup in its bed space. So nice.

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Miata Engine Swap

Very clever these guys at Hot Parts USA. The tops of the valve covers say Lamborghini, so everyone just assumed it was an Italian V10 under there powering this Miata. But after scoping it out a few times, one guy looked closer and saw that it was an LS engine that had been swapped out instead of a Lambo V10. We'd all been fooled! Ha ha ha! Just part of the fun of SEMA. Cool car nonetheless.

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1967 Ford Mustang Restomod

Brand New Muscle Car made this Mustang RestoMod, with a 750-hp Supercharged 427 mated to a Tremec six-speed riding on independent coilover suspension. It even has disc brakes and EFI. It's an all-new, all-metal body shell but retains the original year and title. That's Scorched Apple Candy paint.

classic red sports car with black stripes parked at an indoor exhibition
Mark Vaughn