The SEMA Show in Las Vegas features hundreds of custom cars built by hot rod shops from all over the country. I was wandering around at the 2015 show looking at cars, when I stumbled across a 1972 Camaro built by a shop in my own city of Phoenix!
The company is Miranda’s Custom Cars, and they have been around since 1989. Their pro-touring Camaro was on display at the HiFonics booth outside of the show.
HPI Customs is a full service hot rod shop in Beausejour, Manitoba, a small town on the outskirts of Winnipeg. We’ve featured their work on the site before, with a full write-up on their 1966 Chrysler Imperial that had a supercharged V10 from a Dodge Viper under the hood!
The guys from HPI were back at SEMA 2015 with another new project, also a Mopar. This time, they had a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner with a Gen3 6.1L HEMI crate engine under the hood. But just to push the envelope even further, it also has a rear-mounted twin-turbo setup from STS!
If you have ever attended the SEMA Show before, you might have noticed that certain models of cars tend to dominate the show floor. Mustangs and Camaros (particularly first-gen Camaros) can be found at every other booth, so it takes a lot to really stand apart from the crowd. While wandering the floor at SEMA 2015, I happened upon this 1967 Camaro at the K&N Filters booth.
This car was built by East Bay Muscle Cars in Brentwood, CA. Like most of the cars at SEMA, it has been built as a pro-touring car with big power, big handling, and modern comforts and amenities for dominating the autocross course. What caught my attention was the clean and simple lines of the car, and I drew in for a closer look.
Along the banks of the Wisconsin River in the sleepy town of Spring Green, WI, there is a hot rod shop owned by two brothers. It is here that Mike and Jim Ring, also known as The Ringbrothers, create their unique brand of automotive art. These guys are one of my favorite hot rod builders, and I have featured their amazing work several times before:
1970 Mustang Mach 1: “Dragon”
1964 Fairlane 500: “Afterburner”
1965 Mustang: “Blizzard”
1971 Pantera: “ADRNLN”
1966 Chevelle: “Recoil”
Their latest creation is this heavily customized 1965 Ford Mustang, which they nicknamed “Splitr.” I saw it on display at the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The tri-five Chevrolets of 1955, 1956, and 1957 are some of the most loved cars by collectors and hot rodders. The Belair is the most famous, but it’s closely related to the 210, which is what we see here.
This completely customized Chevrolet 210 belongs to Dan Duffy of Marietta, GA. Dan’s friend Tom Manner did the body work, but completing the car required help from other experts. The paint was done by Thunder Valley Customs in White, Georgia and the interior was restored by M&M Hot Rods in Holly Pond, Alabama.
Like many hot rodders, Dan has opted to do a resto-mod with an old body and brand-new everything else. The tired old frame has been replaced by a cutting-edge Art Morrison chassis with an AME front suspension and a four-link in the rear. With antiroll bars, Strange adjustable coilovers, and Baer disc brakes, this car drives and stops like a much newer vehicle. Continue reading
Meguiar’s is like the hotshot director of Hollywood in that they only invite A-list cars to their parties. This year was no exception, with Steve Tornari’s 1967 Chevrolet Nova taking center stage at the Meguiar’s booth.
This ’67 Nova was the GoodGuys Custom Street Machine of the Year for 2014, a Top 5 Finalist in the Barrett-Jackson Cup, and a Great 8 Finalist in the 2014 Detroit Autorama. Those are some extremely prestigious honors for a car!
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