The Coolest and the Strangest Creations at SEMA 2024
From a sketchy Miata going viral in a matter of hours to electric-swapped muscle cars, the Las Vegas Convention Center witnessed a glorious four-day-long automotive festival. Here are some of the craziest builds we could’ve stumbled upon at the 2024 SEMA Show, from a bike engine-swapped vintage Fiat 500 to a near-3,000 HP muscle car!
Blazin Rodz’s ‘70 Chevrolet Chevelle “Doughboy”
Image: Blazin Rodz
In Blazin Rodz’s words, “the power of a drag racing car with the style of a GT cup car and the luxury of a modern sports car,” the ‘70 Chevelle dubbed “Doughboy” is a crazy restomod with looks so fitting for the SEMA extraordinaire. The 540 cui big block twin-turbo V8 fitted 15 inches back into the chassis for better handling, and it powers the car with 2,800 HP (yes, twenty-eight hundred)!
Image: Blazin Rodz
Awarded the Best Engineered Car of the Year by SEMA, the Doughboy features a custom billet chassis that uses Corvette C7 geometry and probably the sharpest-looking body kit ever.
Ringbrothers’ INVADR and TUKA
Image: Ringbrothers
We are so pro-restomodding here at Pedal Commander, and we don’t know if anybody does it better than Jim and Mike brothers, the Ringbrothers, when it comes to American classics.
Image: Ringbrothers
The INVADR is an ‘87 Buick Grand National reimagined with a 3.8L turbo V6 with 1,246 HP (a thousand more than the original!), and it is their fastest creation to date. The other Ringbrothers special is the TUKA, a K5 Chevy that sits on a third-gen Toyota Tacoma chassis and is powered by a 525 HP GM V8 crate engine.
Fiat 500 Ducati Evoluzione “Bruno”
Image: The Dip Monkey Garage Facebook page
Bruno is a UK-made Italian mash-up that presses every button: a race car wing, a custom widebody, a superbike engine, and a low-rider stance. A Ducati World Superbike-winning engine powers the build, making the classic 500 a high-revving tiny monster.
S Klub LA’s Mercedes 230SL Pagoda
Image: S Klub LA, Top Gear
A custom coachbuilder in SoCal, S Klub put itself on the map by converting Mercedes SLK roadsters into widebody Gullwings. This time, they’ve put a ‘66 Pagoda body on a ‘09 SLK 55 AMG. A one-off widebody kit, HRE wheels, and cherry red paint provide eye candy no other Mercedes build has ever done before.
Archie Concon’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Image: @2dr_evo and @igor_j_photo on Instagram
Started its life as an econobox, a 1.8L Mirage Coupe; Archie Concon converted his car into a burgundy two-door Lancer Evo that Mitsubishi has never done. With its Lancer Evo front fascia, Varis widebody kit, and an 800+ all-wheel-HP 4G63 race engine, the souped-up ‘Bishi looks like it’s time-traveled straight from the old-school Fast & Furious set to the Sin City.
Blake Wilkey’s Jaws Trophy Bug
We probably had the best four days of the year at our booth last week, and we had the best idea to steal people’s stares. We put Blake Wilkey’s light-purple monster, the Jaws Trophy Bug on our booth floor.
It is not specifically built for the 2024 SEMA, but it is so big and so bad that it will be a head-turner no matter when or where it is. From its supercharged 427 LS V8 and custom suspension with 24” front and 31” rear travel to its one-off chassis and fully custom VW Bug body, Blake’s Jaws is an over-5,300-pound behemoth.