Tag Archives: sema 2024

SEMA 2024: 1966 Ford Bronco “Pure” by RMD Garage

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It is no secret that classic Broncos are enjoying a surge in popularity in recent years. With the introduction of the new Bronco in 2021 and the growth of the overlanding segment, classic 4x4s are hotter than ever. At the 2024 SEMA Show, one build stood out with timeless style and modern engineering: a fully reimagined 1966 Ford Bronco nicknamed “Pure.”

Restored and customized by RMD Garage, this stunning build captivated crowds in the Toyo Tires Treadpass area with its clean lines, polished chrome, and beach-ready charm.
“Pure” isn’t just a restored classic; it is a complete transformation. RMD Garage, the Long Beach, California-based custom shop founded by Ralph Holguin, has a long-standing reputation for elevating vintage vehicles into rolling works of art. You might even remember the shop from its one-season show on Motor Trend in the mid-2000s. At SEMA, RMD showed that their passion for bespoke builds has only grown since then.

The foundation of the Bronco build is an all-new Kincer Chassis, which gives old trucks a new lease on life, offering improved strength and reducing chassis flex. Better yet, it is officially licensed by Ford. The redesigned frame is two inches wider inside, creating crucial room for upgraded components like modern drivetrains, long tube headers, and transfer cases.

Powering “Pure” is a Ford 5.0L Coyote V8, a favorite among restomod builders for its combination of performance and reliability. Stopping power is provided by Wilwood disc brakes, which are a massive upgrade from the original 1960s brake system.

But it’s the attention to detail that truly defines this build. Every bolt on the truck has been replaced with new ones that are engraved with “RMD Garage” on the heads. That alone must have added thousands to the cost of this build, ordering entirely new hardware with custom engraving! It is details like this that elevate a SEMA build above a simple restoration.

Step inside, and the Bronco reveals a cabin more refined than most luxury SUVs. The interior is a blend of crisp white bucket seats, a color-matched dashboard, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a polished chrome center. The gauges from Classic Instruments are customized with RMD Garage’s logo, adding a subtle nod to the builder’s craftsmanship.

Tan patterned material covers the flooring, door panels, and headliner, offering warm contrast to the otherwise light interior. A custom center console trimmed in light wood features two cupholders, a nice touch. While the white color palette might raise questions about off-road practicality, there is no denying that the interior is an elegant and comfortable place to be.

Above the pristine interior sits a lift-off hardtop, revealing a polished chrome roll bar for safety and style. The rooftop luggage rack features a matching white and chrome trunk, rounding out the aesthetic with a touch of luxurious, adventure flair.
Whether basking in the SEMA spotlight or cruising through Long Beach on a sunny California afternoon, “Pure” lives up to its name. It’s a showpiece that has been carefully engineered, tastefully styled, while retaining the classic look of the very first model year of the Ford Bronco.

RMD Garage has once again proven their mastery of automotive art, breathing new life into a classic while staying true to its spirit. “Pure” isn’t just a truck, it’s a bold, clean, and built with purpose.

Follow @rmdsgarage on Instagram for more.

SEMA 2024: Nissan 300ZX Widebody by Shea Seefeldt

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If there’s one thing the SEMA Show never fails to deliver, it’s bold builds that mix unexpected performance with radical style. These are the type of custom vehicles you will find in the Toyo Tires Treadpass pavilion. Among the many high quality vehicles at the 2024 event was a striking Nissan 300ZX Z23, built by Shea Seefeldt in collaboration with 10 Tenths Motorsports in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This isn’t your average Z car. Under the hood, the original Nissan engine has been swapped in favor of American muscle: a GM LS3 V8. But it’s not just any LS3. It’s been upgraded with PRC heads from Texas Speed, dual valve springs, titanium retainers, and a GPI SS4 camshaft, giving it that extra boost of power.

The exterior grabs attention with a Pandem widebody kit, complete with enlarged wheel openings to house the aggressive stance and oversized rubber. The car rolls on gold-plated Rohana wheels that were designed in collaboration with Rocket Bunny, and wrapped in Toyo tires, of course.
Now, those dramatically flared fenders might not appeal to every purist out there, but I’ll be honest: I sort of dig them on this car. They give the 300ZX a lot more personality than the typical appliance aesthetic found in many Japanese cars.

This build is a perfect example of what happens when you combine creativity, craftsmanship, and a willingness to break the mold. This Z23 is not just a showpiece, it’s a statement.

For more, follow @shea_seefeldt and @10tenthsmotorsports in Instagram.

SEMA 2024: 1987 Jeep “Street Comanche” by Off Grid Research

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Let me be honest, after three days at the 2024 SEMA Show, surrounded by an endless sea of overbuilt lifted show trucks, carbon fiber everything, and “tuner” builds that all somehow look exactly the same, it’s easy to get a little numb. You start to wonder if originality died quietly sometime around 2016. Then, just when you’re about to call it a day and write the same story for the tenth time, you turn a corner and see something that grabs your eye: a 1987 Jeep Comanche pickup. The truck’s baby blue and pink exterior looks like it drove straight out of a VHS racing montage.

This truck was built by Nate Lanken of Off-Grid Research. This particular Comanche is no ordinary Jeep. It is one of only 100 “Street Comanche” special editions ever made, commemorating the Archer Brothers’ 1988 victory in the short-lived but delightfully weird SCCA Race Truck series (1987–1991). Most of those trucks are long gone or forgotten, but this one has been resurrected with an updated twist on the factory race truck theme.
There’s nothing cookie-cutter about this Jeep. Off-Grid Research gave the Comanche a thorough mechanical refresh while keeping its character intact. The 4.0L inline-six under the hood isn’t exotic, but it is renowned for its reliability and toughness. Paired with a 5-speed manual, a lightweight flywheel, a 6-puck clutch, and a Hurst shifter, it must be quite engaging to drive.

Cooling comes courtesy of an aluminum radiator and a CNC-machined solid fan hub, a combination that says, “Yes, this truck actually runs, and no, it won’t overheat after two blocks.”

Inside, the Comanche keeps the theme going with a pair of Corbeau limited edition racing seats. No digital screens or color-changing LEDs here, just function, form, and a throwback to when trucks were trucks and race seats meant business.

What really sets this build apart is the authenticity. The exterior features Off-Grid Research’s Evo II Body Kit and RaceRubi hood give the truck a muscular stance. The baby blue and pink wrap is a bit much, but it actually works pretty well on this truck.

The suspension has been lowered around 6 inches up front, and 5 inches the back, and it sits perfectly over a set of 20-inch American Racing Classic Torq Thrust II wheels. Finally, a build that isn’t lifted to the clouds or slammed into uselessness. It looks fast, ready, and importantly, fun.

In a show filled with open checkbook builds, endless crate engine swaps and flawless painted cars, this plucky Jeep Comanche was a breath of fresh air. The forgotten motorsports history adds an interesting note to this truck I already like, having owned one myself.

Nate Lanken and Off-Grid Research didn’t just build a truck. With the care and creativity put into this truck, it brought a little bit of personality back to the SEMA Show. And for that, I am grateful.

Check out www.ogrshop.com for more.

SEMA 2024: 1965 Buick Skylark “The Enforcer” by VRD Customs

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There are certain types of cars that appear over and over again at the SEMA Show, such as: first-gen Camaros, Dodge Challengers, and Ford Mustangs. All of these cars are popular with performance enthusiasts, and the cars are well-supported by the aftermarket industry. But after multiple days of walking the giant convention halls, the cars start to look the same.

Walking the floor at the 2024 SEMA Show, I passed by the STEK book and saw a very unique car that drew me in for a closer look. It was a wild custom 1965 Buick Skylark built by VRD Customs of Danbury, CT. The car is nicknamed “The Enforcer” and it blends modern technology with classic style.
The exterior is painted black, and every inch of the car is wrapped with a combination of Satin Black, Gloss Black, and Carbon Fiber paint protection film (PPF) from STEK. This gives it an interesting visual look.

The exterior is adorned with a carbon fiber hood, roof, and trunk lid, as well as front aero components, including a large front air dam. Sticking up through the hood are a pair of twin turbochargers, hinting at the performance under the surface.

Hidden under the front carbon fiber canards are night vision cameras, which are an unusual feature you don’t typically see on a high-performance drag car.
Speaking of performance, this Skylark features a 350 cubic inch Small Block Chevy engine with twin turbos, producing a strong 1,400 horsepower on 93 octane fuel. It has a custom fuel delivery system with two injectors per cylinder, and the whole thing is managed by a Haltech ECU. This is an interesting choice to go with a Small Block Chevy instead of an LS-based engine, and one that I think is pretty cool.

Even with all this performance, the car doesn’t skimp on driver comforts. It includes air conditioning, power steering, and Wilwood hydroboost brakes to help make it more comfortable and controlled on the street. Yes, this car is street legal!

The custom steel widebody fenders give the car a wider, aggressive stance. You’ll also notice the side-exit exhaust pipes just in front of the rear wheels, which add to the hot rod look. It rides on air suspension at all four corners, allowing for ideal height adjustment depending on road or track conditions. The car rides on Billet Specialties wheels with wide drag slicks in the back.
Inside, the car is fitted with Braum seats and G-Force harnesses, providing both safety and comfort. A full roll cage has been installed and painted gloss grey, adding structure and reinforcement to the car’s A-body chassis. Additional comforts include Bluetooth, navigation, and Wi-Fi modules.

Open the trunk, and you’ll find an interesting layout: dual fuel cells and a nitrous bottle are mounted over the rear-mounted radiator and transmission cooler. There is so much going on with this car that it really takes a while to let it sink in.

While it may look intimidating at first glance, The Enforcer is a no-compromise build that mixes vintage muscle and modern tech. Instead of having this or that, have both! VRD Customs has taken the classic Skylark and turned it into something truly special, a drag racing beast that can also be driven on the street. I enjoyed checking out this car at the 2024 SEMA Show.

For more, follow @baggedttbuick on Instagram.

SEMA 2024: 1969 Adams Probe 16 Movie Car

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While strolling the crowded halls of the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, I stumbled upon something truly unexpected: the 1969 Adams Brothers Probe 16. This car wasn’t just another showpiece; it is a time capsule of automotive design and movie history. Parked among rows of cutting-edge builds and custom creations. Though it was half-hidden beneath a car cover, once I spotted the car, it was impossible to ignore.

The Adams Probe 16 is no ordinary collector’s car. According to Bonhams Auction House, it is one of only three chassis ever built by brothers Dennis and Peter Adams. Known for their boundary-pushing designs, the Adams Brothers envisioned the Probe 16 as a glimpse into the future of motoring. With its wildly futuristic body and low slung chassis, the car was designed to be both experimental and provocative.

Of the three cars built, two have been neglected over the decades and are now in need of restoration. The one I saw at SEMA is the most original and unrestored example in existence. A true survivor, it has weathered the decades without being dismantled, modified, or forgotten.

The car made its debut back in October 1969 at the London Motor Show. Powered by a BMC 1.8-liter OHV inline 4-cylinder engine that was tuned by JanSpeed, the powerplant is mounted transversely in the chassis, probably more out of necessity than performance.

But what really cemented the Probe 16’s place in pop culture was its role in Stanley Kubrick’s dystopian 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Renamed the “Durango 95” in the film, it served as the surreal and sinister mode of transportation for the gang of Droogs led by Malcolm McDowell’s Alex DeLarge. That brief screen appearance made the Probe 16 a cult classic among car lovers and movie buffs alike.

After its cameo in the movie, the Probe 16 spent much of the 1970s and 1980s in Canada before returning to the U.K. around 1990. From April 2019 through March 2020, the car was part of the “Hollywood Dream Machines – Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy” exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. This curated event featured more than 40 iconic screen-used vehicles from movies and video games. The Probe 16 was a fitting addition, since its radical lines still look more like science fiction than reality, even half a century after its creation.

Seeing this car in person at SEMA was such an unexpected surprise. This obscure, hand-built, British sports car turned movie star was the last thing I expected to see at the convention for aftermarket and modified car parts. The juxtaposition of this artsy, postwar machine sitting among modern custom builds and being used to promote car covers made the moment even more surreal. All I could do was smile and snap some photos before moving on to the next booth, and the next car. You truly never know what you might come across at the SEMA Show!

SEMA 2024: 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am “The Hammerhead”

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With more than 2,000 vehicles on display, the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas was a sea of custom builds and cutting-edge performance machines. One car stood out at the Hot Rod magazine booth in the Central Hall, not just for its aggressive styling, but for the sheer audacity of its engineering. Plus, it’s nickname is “Hammerhead,” so there’s no way I could not write about this car.

This 1973 Pontiac Trans Am isn’t just another restomod car with an LS crate engine (and SEMA has plenty of those!), it is a complete re-imagination of what a classic American muscle car can be in the modern era. The Camerons set out to build the ultimate time attack machine, and from what I saw, they have set the bar extremely high.


At the core of the Hammerhead lies a 400 cubic inch LSR V8 engine from Concept Performance, buried deep under the firewall and pushed 28 inches rearward from its factory position. This all-aluminum beast produces an eye-watering 1,800 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque, thanks to twin Garrett G35-900 turbochargers feeding a custom LME dual throttle body intake manifold. Fuel is delivered by high-flow Injector Dynamics ID1700 injectors, which ensures the 6.5-liter engine has adequate fuel when the pedal is mashed to the floor.

Backing that engine is a unique transmission: a Reynard Champ Car six-speed transaxle, originally sourced from a 2001 IndyCar. Shifts are handled by a Motec pneumatic paddle system, bringing F1-style responsiveness to the Trans Am platform, which is a sentence I never thought I would hear.


The Hammerhead rides on a full custom tube chassis from Horizon Motorsports, designed to handle the extreme forces of time attack racing. The driver and passenger seats have been relocated 8 inches rearward, helping the car achieve a finely tuned 47/53 front-to-rear weight distribution. Despite its giant engine and massive widebody kit, the car tips the scales at a surprisingly lean 3,100 lbs.

Visually, the Hammerhead is a lot to take in. Every body panel has been reworked for function and aggression, with only the cowl, roof, and original VIN tag remaining untouched. It’s almost a caricature of the Trans Am form, with the exaggerated wheel arches, massive front air dam, and mega wing in the rear. It looks every bit a race car, even standing still on the convention center floor.

What I love about this car (besides the fact that it’s an F-body) is the story behind it. Cavan and Russell Cameron didn’t just build a car, they executed a vision. As a father and son team, they combined decades of experience and passion into a custom car that blends different generations of performance. At SEMA 2024, this car drew a lot of attention from passersby.

The 1973 Trans Am “Hammerhead” is more than just a showstopper. It’s a purpose-built track weapon that shows what’s possible when old-school muscle meets cutting-edge race technology.

For more, follow @horizon_motorsports_llc on Instagram.