SEMA 2026: BIG REVEALS & SLEEPER BUILDS TO WATCH
The 59th SEMA Show opens November 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and the build list is already stacking up fast. Between marquee shops going big and a few genuine underdogs sneaking onto the floor, here's what's drawing the most buzz heading into Vegas — and the sleepers worth keeping an eye on once you're there.
The Builds Everyone's Already Talking About
Ringbrothers hasn't missed a SEMA in years, and this time the headliner is a 1965 Pontiac GTO, set to debut Tuesday, November 3 at 10:30 a.m. in Central Hall (booth 23889). The shop is keeping the build's theme and drivetrain under wraps — which, going by their track record, usually means it's worth clearing your schedule for.
Kindig-it Design is bringing a full lineup across multiple booths: the 1969 Plymouth Super Bee "Killer Bee," a 1957 Corvette "Shark Bite" concept (Borla, Central Hall), a 1968 Pontiac Bonneville (Dynamat), and three separate Kindig Fastback CF1 continuation builds — including a Cadillac-edition variant. Dave Kindig himself is scheduled at the Silver Lot booth (80041) on several mornings during the show.
Elsewhere on the floor, Chip Foose has teamed up with Fox Factory on a yet-to-be-revealed truck build, and Turn 14 Distribution is showing off a Roush-supercharged Ford F-150 "Ultimate Shop Truck" with a dirt bike riding shotgun in the bed.
New For 2026: Jay Leno Opens The Show
SEMA's Kickoff Breakfast kicks things off Tuesday, November 3 at 7 a.m. at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, headlined by a fireside chat with Jay Leno and Harley-Davidson president and CEO Artie Starrs. It's also where SEMA hands out its Best New Product Awards, Manufacturer of the Year, and Channel Partner of the Year honors before the show floor even opens.
Harley-Davidson's presence is part of a bigger shift: SEMA's Powersports, SxS & Lifestyle section has grown nearly 200% this year, and the show's long-running Battle of the Builders competition — now in its 13th year — added a Bike Builder Shootout for custom motorcycles alongside its usual Hot Rod, 4-Wheel Drive & Off-Road, Sport Compact/Import/Luxury/Exotic, and Young Guns categories. Troy Trepanier, last year's overall champion, headlines a field that gets whittled to a top 10 per category, then a top three, before the overall winner is named Friday morning.
Sleeper Builds Worth Watching
Not every build worth your attention has a shop crew behind it. Dillon Houck, 21, built a giveaway 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS mostly in his home garage — yellow plaid interior, Bilstein coilovers, Whiteline sway bars — and he's handing the keys over live on Instagram Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific. He's also bringing his own 1965 Ford Falcon to the North Hall Content Creator Corral: a car he bought for $900 at age 12, now running rear-wheel drive and a supercharged Taurus SHO V6.
Across the Atlantic, Yorkshire Car Restoration in England is finishing a Datsun 260Z with a Liberty Walk body kit, a Mercedes V8 swap, gullwing doors, and Nissan 370Z rear suspension — as of its builders' last update, paint and wiring were still in progress, so if it makes the floor finished, it'll have gotten there right at the wire. And tucked into the show's "Your Drive" segment is a 1970 pickup from MotorWeek with a slant-nose cowl hood and a narrowed bed floor — proof there's still room on the SEMA floor for a build that isn't chasing a six-figure price tag.
FOUND YOUR NEXT BUILD INSPIRATION?
Numbers-match muscle car or scrappy garage sleeper — the analog-era cars SEMA's builders can't stop customizing are exactly what's heating up on BIDR. Browse what's live right now.
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