SEMA Battle of the Builders Top 12 2022

This car has had a very good year. It's the reigning AMBR winner, Goodguys Street Rod of the Year, and now it's up for Battle of the Builders. And we can see why. Devlin's Wichita, KS shop put this car together based on an Eric Black design and using a steel Chevy body, 650-horse LS, and a ton of one-off parts.

This Landcruiser looks like a mildly upgraded stocker, but close inspection reveals a ton of impeccable workmanship and neat details. And under the hood is an LS crate from GM Performance, which we're guessing at least triples the stock horsepower!

Austin's Nova has beautiful blue paint over arrow straight bodywork. The interior is as nice as you would expect it to be with the added surprise of a '59 Impala dash that amazingly looks right at home. But the thing that really got us about this car is how neat and tidy everything is, including the wiring and plumbing. You expect that at this level, but this one is extra nice.

Non-Porsche folks may be surprised to see an off-road 911, but there's a long tradition in Porsche history of off-road racing success, from Pike's Peak to Baja. This one started life as a Cabriolet, and was taken to the next level with a purpose built, AWD suspension and a ridiculous level of fit and finish.

Cameron is a "Young Gun" and did all the work on this car himself, and it's impressive. There's an LS3 stuffed in this thing, with the radiator hidden in the rear to make room for the ultra-cool equal length 8 into 1 header. It's rides on a custom tube chassis with cantilever shocks in the rear.

We love this truck, even if it sits a few feet higher than the pickups we're used to. From a distance, it has a classy, old school look, but up close it's hiding a ton of upgrades that bring it up to date. There's a Coyote engine under the hood and it all rides on a Roadster Shop chassis. The interior is luxurious, especially when compared to a stock bumpside's spartan cabin.

This Blazer features all of the wild custom touches (look at those seats!) that you expect from the Ringbrothers, but the really wild piece sits under the hood. It's hard to see, but the 6.8L LS3 is topped with a huge 2.9L Whipplecharger and makes an insane 1200 horsepower.

You're reading that right, the Ringbrothers are in the running with two cars this year, and they couldn't be more different from each other. This one started out at a '48 Chevy pickup, and the cab has been cut in just about every way possible. There are carbon fiber pieces throughout, and Porsche 911 pin-drive hubs mount HRE wheels and those massive slicks all around. The engine is a 510-incher with Kinsler injection that makes 1,000 horsepower. We would love to take this crazy thing for a spin (or two)!

You might not expect to see a Pinto wagon on the BOTB list, but this one belongs here. Hiding under that 70's-perfect stripe job and tartan interior is an independant suspension front and rear. Even the engine is surprising, but perfect. This one is a much-modified 2.3 EcoBoost with an upgraded turbo and and dry-sump oiling.

We love that "fridge trucks" are finally getting some love. This one has a ton of subtle sheet metal mods and one-off parts to give it just the right look. The revised hood closes on custom hinges over a supercharged Coyote engine. This truck is super clean and very unique.

Here's another Young Gun and another car we would love to take for a rip around the track. Josh's Corvette has a ton of suspension upgrades from late model Corvettes and a 5th-gen Camaro IRS. Those upgrades include killer '19 ZR1 carbon ceramic brakes behind the custom Forgelines. The huge rear tires are 355's and for good reason. The hood can barely close over the '19 ZR1 LT5 that makes 755 horsepower.

As a note, you'll notice that there are only 11 here. Shawn Bassett's Nissan GT-R wasn't in the display with the rest.

Stay tuned for more from SEMA 2022!