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SEMA 2025: The 2017 Lincoln Continental V10 Swap That Shouldn’t Exist (But Does)

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Every year at SEMA you get used to the usual pattern.

Rat Rods. Diesel swaps. Twin turbo setups making 1500 horsepower. Restomods that cost more than a house. And then, buried somewhere between the corporate booths and the endless rows of first-gen Camaros, you find something that makes you stop walking for a second and just stare at it like you’re trying to figure out if it’s real or if you are just dehydrated after spending too long in the Las Vegas sun.

This year, that thing was a 2017 Lincoln Continental with a V10 shoved into it.

Not swapped in. Not “cleanly integrated.” Shoved in. With intent.

Built by Diego and Jack over at Build It Yourself (@biy_buildityourself), this Continental has been their personal 3-year quest to answer a question nobody asked:
“What if we took a modern front-wheel-drive luxury sedan and turned it into something that sounds like it escaped a prototype F1 testing program?”

And then, instead of stopping there…they kept going.

The Engine Situation Is Completely Unreasonable

Under the hood sits a 6.8L V10 sourced from a Ford truck. That alone would be enough for most people to call it a day, post a YouTube video, and go buy another project car to ruin. But that’s not what happened.

They went full send and built custom cylinder heads by literally cutting up and welding together four Ford V8 heads into two 4-valve heads for a V10. The result is what they’re calling the world’s first Ford 6.8L 4-valve V10.

As if that weren’t enough, the guys also fabricated custom camshafts, and a custom intake manifold for the engine. The whole thing runs on a FuelTech FT550 standalone ECU.

This is so much more than an engine swap, it’s re-engineering the entire car for a purpose it was never meant to serve.

At some point you have to assume they stopped asking “should we?” and switched entirely to “how hard could it be?”

Re-Engineered for Performance

From the factory, this Continental was front-wheel drive with an automatic transmission. Now it’s rear-wheel drive with a manual.

The guys swapped in a Getrag MT82 6-speed, which required fabricating a transmission tunnel into the floor pan like it was no big deal.

There’s something deeply amusing about a modern luxury sedan being forcibly converted into a layout it never had any intention of accepting. It’s like convincing a well-dressed accountant to start drifting.

The Subtle Parts That Are Not Subtle At All

Underneath all of this chaos is a Mustang subframe, because apparently nothing says “this belongs together” like mixing luxury sedans with pony car suspension geometry.

The full custom exhaust system has been fabricated to the point where it sounds like an F1 car. It sounds absolutely unreal coming from a sedate-looking sedan.

There are also a number of 3D printed components throughout the build, such as the custom intake ducts. It’s satisfying how this build combines traditional fabrication and modern prototyping methods, like 3D scanning and design.

It Still Looks Like a Lincoln (Which Is the Weirdest Part)

The most unsettling part of the whole thing is that, from a distance, it still looks like a normal 2017 Continental. It has the stock body lines, and even retains the stock wheels. The only hint (aside from the sound) is the custom front bumper with forged carbon fiber air dam and accents.

And then you realize that underneath what looks like a quiet luxury sedan is a hand-built mechanical science experiment.

That mismatch is what makes it interesting.

Built in a Garage. Not a Facility. A Garage.

The part that sticks the most is not the spec sheet, it’s the origin story. This wasn’t built by a manufacturer, or a professional race shop, or a corporate-backed SEMA program with a marketing department and a render artist.

It was built by two guys in a home garage in Michigan. Which raises the uncomfortable question of what exactly separates “professional engineering” from “extremely determined individuals with too many tools and access to YouTube.”

Because at a certain point, the line gets blurry. And this car is way past that line.

Recognition at SEMA

Somehow, among everything else at the 2025 show, this Continental earned Pick of the Show from automotive photographer Larry Chen.

Which feels appropriate. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes SEMA still worth walking through—something that shouldn’t exist, does exist, and forces you to rethink what is possible for a production car platform.

Final Thoughts

A modern Lincoln Continental was never supposed to become a V10, rear-wheel-drive, manual-transmission, garage-built engineering thesis with welded cylinder heads and an F1 soundtrack.
But that’s kind of the point.

This isn’t really about performance numbers or refinement or even whether it makes sense.

It’s about two people looking at a normal car and deciding, very calmly and very deliberately, that it wasn’t interesting enough yet.

And then fixing that problem the hard way.

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SEMA 2025: 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Twin Turbo Restomod by Velocity Restorations

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Velocity Restorations has a shop in Cantonment, Florida, which is one of those places you only really think about when you’re driving through and wondering how many classic trucks are out there quietly rusting into the ground behind someone’s barn.

They’ve built a solid reputation doing full restorations and restomods on classic Broncos, Blazers, Scouts, and the usual Chevy C/K and Ford F-Series trucks. Basically the kind of stuff that either gets “frame-off restored to factory spec” or “left under a tarp for 20 years until someone drags it into daylight with a tractor.”

So at the 2025 SEMA Show, I wasn’t exactly expecting them to show up with a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle that looks like it got lost on its way to a completely different universe. And yet, there it was.

A restomod 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle built in partnership with Dutch Boys Hot Rods, sitting there like it had been assembled by someone who read the factory service manual once and then immediately decided it needed “more everything.”
Before anyone jumps in with corrections, yes, it’s a 1969, but it’s wearing rear sheet metal from a 1968 Chevelle. I don’t know why they did that. Nobody at the show seemed interested in explaining it either, which honestly feels on-brand for SEMA at this point. You just accept things and move on.

And from there it only gets more complicated.

The body has billet door handles, a hand-built front splitter, a custom rear diffuser, and tucked bumpers. Which is basically a polite way of saying they smoothed and sharpened everything until it looks like a Chevelle that has been spending time in a wind tunnel instead of a Midwestern driveway.
Underneath, it sits on a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis with modern suspension, Baer 6-piston disc brakes, and three-piece billet wheels from Greening Auto Company wrapped in Pirelli tires. At some point you stop calling it a restoration and start calling it “an engineering problem with really nice paint.”

Speaking of which, the paint is a three-stage Aurelium Bronze Pearl from BASF Glasurit, which is one of those colors that looks normal until it catches light in a way that makes you briefly consider repainting everything you own.

Under the hood is where things completely stop behaving. It’s a 427 cubic inch LS built by Nelson Racing Engines with twin turbochargers making a claimed 1,000 horsepower, backed by a TREMEC T-56 Magnum six-speed manual. Which is a funny combination when you remember the original version of this car was happy just existing with a big block and a carburetor that may or may not have been tuned correctly depending on the weather.

The engine bay has custom hand-built closeout panels, which is the kind of detail you only really appreciate when you realize someone had to spend hours making metal behave in ways it absolutely did not want to behave.

Inside, it’s a full custom setup with a roll cage, Recaro Expert M seats, a Holley EFI Pro dashboard, an Alpine head unit, Focal speakers, and a Sparc Industries steering wheel. It’s the kind of interior that looks like it was designed by someone who wanted equal parts race car, concept car, and very expensive gaming simulator.

And here’s where I probably should admit something.

I grew up around a 1972 Chevelle that has been in my family for as long as I can remember. Not the same one, obviously, but the same shape, the same smell, the same way the door sounds when it closes like it’s still made of something that could survive a minor war.

So I’ve always had a soft spot for these cars. Not in the “collector value” sense. More in the “this is what I think a car is supposed to look like” sense.

Seeing a 1969 Chevelle turned into a 1,000-horsepower modern muscle car with smoothed and shaved body work, flush mounted glass, and wide tires is one of those things that should probably bother me more than it does.

Instead, I just kind of stood there thinking about how my family’s version would probably stall trying to leave the parking lot if it had to deal with modern fuel, let alone twin turbos.

Anyways.

It’s not really a Chevelle anymore in the traditional sense. It’s more like someone took the idea of a Chevelle, fed it a gym membership, a CAD file, and a very large budget, and then said “go do something aggressive with your life.”

And honestly… I’m not entirely sure what that says about it.

Or me.

Probably nothing good.

I’ll probably go look at old factory Chevelle brochures again later just to reset my brain.

Follow Velocity Restorations:

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SEMA 2025: 1971 Aston Martin DBS “Octavia” by Ringbrothers

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One of my favorite custom car builders is the Wisconsin-based team of Mike and Jim Ring, better known as the Ringbrothers. Over the past two decades, the brothers have built some of the most meticulously engineered and beautifully crafted custom vehicles in the world. Their projects consistently combine innovative design, advanced manufacturing techniques, and incredible attention to detail.

The Ringbrothers unveiled their latest creation, a heavily modified 1971 Aston Martin DBS nicknamed “Octavia,” during Monterey Car Week in August. I caught up with the car a few months later at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The car was displayed in the Gentex booth and quickly became one of the standout builds of the show.

As with other Ringbrothers builds, there is more to the car than meets the eye. “Octavia” has numerous James Bond references. The custom BASF Glasurit paint color is called Double-O Silver, a nod to Bond’s 00-agent designation. The engine wears custom valve covers that say “Aston Martini,” while the dipstick handle is shaped like a Martini glass complete with an olive garnish. Even the car’s name references the villain Octavia from the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.

The scope of the project is difficult to overstate. According to Ringbrothers, approximately 3,900 hours were invested in computer-aided design before construction even began. Starting with a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis, another 4,300 hours went into the physical build, bringing the total project time to roughly 8,200 hours.

Although the car began life as a 1971 Aston Martin DBS, very little of the original vehicle remains. The entire body was recreated in carbon fiber and extensively modified. The front track was widened by eight inches, while the rear gained an additional ten inches. The wheelbase was also stretched by three inches to achieve the desired proportions and stance.
Power comes from a Wegner Motorsports-built 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V8 equipped with a custom Harrop supercharger and controlled by a Holley Terminator X-Max engine management system. The combination produces an impressive 805 horsepower. A Bowler Performance TR-6060 Magnum six-speed manual transaxle transfers power to the rear wheels.

Handling and comfort are vastly improved thanks to the independent rear suspension system. It rides on a set of custom HRE wheels measuring 19×11 inches in the front and 20×13 inches in the rear, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Behind those, Brembo disc brakes provide upgraded stopping power.

Ringbrothers also fabricated a custom exhaust system with Borla mufflers and unique exhaust tips machined from carbon fiber and stainless steel. Inside, the cabin was completely reimagined by Steve Pearson of Upholstery Unlimited, creating a bespoke interior worthy of the extensive exterior and mechanical modifications.

The Ringbrothers have built some remarkable vehicles over the years, but Octavia may be their most ambitious project to date. They transformed a 1970s luxury car into a modern muscle car with custom bodywork, modern performance, advanced materials, and James Bond-inspired details, creating a truly unique automobile. “Octavia” shows what Ringbrothers can do, and why they are one of the premier custom car builders in the industry.

Follow the Ringbrothers:

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SEMA 2025: 1953 Corvette CF1 Fastback by Kindig-It Design

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Every once in a while at SEMA you come across a car that immediately tells you two things:

1. A ridiculous amount of time, money, and talent went into it
2. It will probably never do anything as undignified as getting a grocery run or sitting in traffic next to a lifted Tahoe with mismatched panels

This year, that car was the new CF1 Fastback from Kindig-It Design.

And honestly, it doesn’t really feel fair calling it a “car” in the normal sense. It feels more like a design study that was made into a real object.

Dave Kindig’s Side Project

If you’ve spent any time around custom cars, the SEMA Show, or turned on cable TV in the past decade, you probably already know the name Dave Kindig. His shop in the Salt Lake City area has basically turned into a rolling portfolio of “what if we just… did it better than factory” ideas, many of which have been documented over 11 seasons of Bitchin’ Rides.

But somewhere along the way, Kindig launched a side project of building a small-run of series production cars. The CF1 series is that idea fully realized.

It started with the CF1 Roadster in 2021, followed by the Cabriolet in 2023, and now the Fastback version making its debut at SEMA 2025.

Each one is a continuation of a thought experiment:

“What would a 1953 Corvette look like if it was actually allowed to evolve normally instead of getting frozen in time?”

A Corvette That Never Existed, But Should Have

The inspiration is obvious: the original 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. But the CF1 Fastback isn’t really a tribute car in the traditional sense.

It’s more like someone took the concept of that car and removed all the limitations that existed in 1953 such as budget, materials, tire technology, chassis engineering, and general understanding of physics, and then rebuilt it from scratch.

There are no donor shells. No chopped-up classics being sacrificed in the name of nostalgia. Just a fully custom carbon fiber body sitting on a purpose-built platform.

Which, depending on your mood, is either the purest form of respect for the original design… or a very expensive way of refusing to leave the past alone.

Underneath the Pretty Surface

The CF1 starts with a custom chassis from Roadster Shop, using suspension geometry borrowed from the C7 Corvette platform. This isn’t a “vintage feel” car that also happens to stop and turn poorly. It’s engineered to behave like something modern, even if it looks like it belongs in a black-and-white photograph.

Power comes from a 427 cubic inch LS7-based engine built by Lingenfelter Performance—an Eliminator package pushing around 650 horsepower. On top sits an 8-stack electronic fuel injection system from Borla, feeding a full stainless exhaust setup that probably sounds a lot angrier than anything wearing 1950s styling should reasonably sound.

Bolted behind it is a GM Performance 4L80E transmission, which is about as far from “vintage” as you can get without involving a CVT and regret.

So yes—it looks like a classic Corvette.

But mechanically, it behaves like something that quietly skipped 70 years of automotive evolution and showed up already finished.

Interior: Luxury That Doesn’t Know It’s in a Hot Rod

Inside, things go from “restomod” to “luxury boutique hotel that forgot it was supposed to be a car.”

Rosso red leather by Seams Impossible Interiors gives the cabin a level of visual drama that feels closer to concept car than street machine. Dakota Digital gauges handle instrumentation duties, a Vintage Air system keeps things comfortable, and a custom steering wheel with a tilt column.

It’s all very deliberate. Very controlled. Very expensive.

And very far removed from anything that ever had a carburetor and a choke lever.

Jesus, Take the Wheel

The CF1 rides on custom EVOD wheels designed by Kindig himself. They are 21 inches up front, 22 in the rear. They are too big and too goofy for the car. I know it’s a restomod, but I feel that a more “OEM Plus” style wheel would suit the car better. The proportions of the car don’t look right with the wheel arches completely filled.

 

Time, Money, and the Slow Disappearance of “Normal Ownership”

Each CF1 takes roughly 9 to 14 months to build depending on specification. Finished examples of the CF1 Roadster have sold at auction for between $500 to $700,000 dollars, which puts it firmly in the category of “objects that will be carefully curated rather than used.”

And that’s where things get a little complicated.

Because the CF1 Fastback is undeniably beautiful. It’s one of those cars you walk around twice without realizing you’ve done it. It has presence, proportion, and craftsmanship that most production cars don’t even attempt anymore.

But it also feels like it’s been pre-assigned a life that never includes:
• Parking lots
• Road trips with questionable gas stations
• Door dings from someone’s overenthusiastic Civic door
• Or any situation involving weather

It’s already been mentally placed on a pedestal.

Probably before it even left the booth.

Final Thoughts

What Kindig-It Design has done with the CF1 Fastback is technically impressive in every measurable way. The engineering, design execution, and build quality are all at a level that most manufacturers would struggle to match outside of a concept studio.

But it also highlights something a little bittersweet about the modern custom world.

We’ve gotten so good at building dream cars that we’ve almost eliminated the part where they have to live in the real world.

And maybe that’s the trade-off.

The CF1 Fastback isn’t really meant to be driven like a normal car. It’s meant to exist. Which is fine.

But part of me can’t help but think the original 1953 Corvette didn’t plan on becoming an untouchable art piece either.

Follow Kindig-It Design:

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SEMA 2025: Nissan 240SX Widebody by Crown Speed Lab

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There are certain cars at SEMA that make perfect sense. You look at them and immediately understand what the builder was going for. Then there are cars like this Nissan 240SX from Crown SpeedLab.

I walked up to it in the Toyo Tires Treadpass Pavilion at the 2025 SEMA Show and spent the first few minutes trying to decide what color I should be looking at.

Not because the paint changes color or anything fancy like that. There are just so many colors competing for your attention that it starts to feel like someone opened Photoshop and clicked every swatch before heading out to the garage.

And somehow it works.
The car itself is a Nissan 240SX, although at this point “240SX” is probably more of a suggestion than an accurate description. Between the custom widebody kit, full roll cage, and everything else going on, there isn’t much left of whatever rolled out of the Nissan factory decades ago.

Another customization that’s hard to miss is the turbo exhaust sticking through the hood. The turbo is attached to a Toyota 2JZ engine, which feels almost mandatory at this point. If you told me there were more 2JZ-powered 240SXs at SEMA than actual Toyota Supras, I’d probably believe you without checking.
The engine bay is where things get especially interesting. There are anodized purple cam gears and a matching fuel rail, gold foil heat shielding, a dark green engine bay, and a bright blue oil filler cap. On paper, that combination sounds like something a middle school art teacher would use to explain what happens when a group project gets out of hand.

Standing in front of the car, though, it somehow comes together.

I think.

The longer I looked at it, the less sure I became.

There’s also a massive intercooler from Koyorad sitting up front, which is good because I have a feeling the phrase “moderate boost pressure” was not part of this build’s design notes.

The lighting deserves some attention too. The custom headlights feature yellow transparent honeycomb inserts that look like they belong on some sort of futuristic racing drone. Around back, custom LED taillights continue the theme of making sure absolutely nobody mistakes this car for a stock 240SX.

Not that they were going to.

The perfect stance was achieved with coilovers from Fortune Auto, while bronze Volk Racing TE37 wheels with electric yellow lips sit at each corner. If you’re keeping score, that’s more colors added to the list. The wheels are wrapped in Toyo Proxes R888R tires, which are about as subtle as the rest of the car. Behind them are Brembo brakes with cross-drilled rotors, with electric yellow calipers.
It’s funny, growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s, a Nissan 240SX was one of those cars that always seemed just out of reach. Every magazine had one. Every import tuner build seemed to involve one. Every internet forum was full of people arguing about SR20 swaps, KA-T builds, and whether drifting was ruining perfectly good cars.

Now I walk through SEMA and see a 240SX with a Toyota engine, a turbocharger the size of a carry-on suitcase, and a small fortune of aftermarket parts. And somehow it still feels completely normal.

Maybe that’s the strangest part.

Twenty years ago this thing would have looked like a concept car from the future. Today it just feels like another chapter in the long history of people looking at a 240SX and deciding that whatever Nissan originally intended wasn’t nearly ambitious enough.

Either way, I spent far longer staring at the details on this car than I probably should have.

I’m still not convinced that dark green engine bay should work.

But now I’m thinking about painting something dark green, so maybe that’s how these things start.

Follow Crown Speed Lab:

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SEMA 2025: 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner “Haraka” by Pure Vision Design

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Officially, the SEMA Show is a trade show for automotive industry professionals to meet and do business. Unofficially, the main attraction is the more than 2,000 custom vehicles on display throughout the massive convention halls.

While some custom car builders focus on originality, the cars that catch my eye are the “restomods,” cars which blend classic style with modern performance parts and technology. I love walking the show floor and discovering a great custom car build that has modern paint, suspension, brakes, and power, while retaining the character that made the car special in the first place.

One vehicle that caught my eye at the 2025 SEMA Show was this 1970 Plymouth Road Runner “Haraka” by Pure Vision Design. I have followed Steve Strope and his shop for years, and I am a big fan of their work. The name Haraka comes from the Swahili word for “speed,” which seems fitting for a car built with both performance and drivability in mind.

Finished in a striking dark purple paint color, this Roadrunner commands attention from every angle. The car rides on a set of gold HRE wheels with polished hoops, wrapped in Michelin performance tires. Behind those HRE wheels is a Wilwood disc brake system featuring the company’s new electric parking brake setup.

The suspension has also received a significant upgrade. Pure Vision equipped the car with independent front and rear suspension systems from Heidt’s, which is now available for B-body Mopar vehicles. This modern suspension setup provides a substantial improvement in handling and comfort compared to the original 1970 Road Runner.

Power comes from a Chrysler 440 V8 that has been stroked to 494 cubic inches. The engine is equipped with Edelbrock cylinder heads and a performance camshaft, producing an estimated 550 to 600 horsepower. The block is painted in Hemi Orange, which absolutely pops beneath the one-off carbon fiber cross-ram intake manifold. This custom piece really sets this car apart from other custom builds.

The engine is managed by a MoTeC ECU. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Tremec TKX five-speed manual transmission paired with an American Powertrain bellhousing.

A custom fuel tank from Rick’s Tanks houses a late-model Chevrolet Camaro Z28 fuel pump, helping supply the fuel demands of the modernized big-block engine.

“Haraka” is the first street-legal vehicle to feature a comprehensive, header-back carbon fiber exhaust system, including fully integrated carbon fiber mufflers.

While the exterior and drivetrain are impressive, the interior may be the most interesting part of the build. Rather than creating an entirely new interior, Pure Vision incorporated components from several different Chrysler vehicles. The dashboard was sourced from a 1966 Plymouth Fury II, while the center console comes from a 1972 Plymouth Duster. An overhead console from a 1973 Plymouth Barracuda Gran Coupe completes the collection of vintage Mopar parts.

The full custom interior is trimmed in brown leather and features 18-way power seats from a Porsche Panamera with both heating and cooling functions. Modern conveniences include Vintage Air climate control, Dakota Digital gauges, and a Kicker audio system with Bluetooth connectivity.

The Haraka Road Runner is an excellent example of how a builder can combine components from different eras to create something unique. From its modern suspension and fuel-injected big-block engine to its carefully curated interior, this is a car that respects its Mopar heritage while embracing modern performance and comfort. It was one of the more memorable custom builds I encountered at the 2025 SEMA Show.

Follow Pure Vision Design:

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