From Chip Foose’s latest Mustang to a 580hp Cobra replica, a twin-turbo Datsun Z and an $800 Ford pickup that became a showstopper, Las Vegas is proving that the art of building outrageous cars is alive and well.
Las Vegas has never been particularly interested in moderation. It’s a city where everything is bigger, louder and generally more expensive than it needs to be. Which makes it the perfect home for the annual SEMA Show.
Running from November 3–6, SEMA 2026 has once again turned the Las Vegas Convention Center into a sprawling celebration of horsepower, engineering ingenuity and automotive excess.
There may not be one single vehicle dominating the headlines this year, but there are plenty of extraordinary creations. And reassuringly, while the automotive industry continues to debate the future of electric propulsion, the aftermarket world remains thoroughly committed to making petrol-powered cars faster, louder and considerably more interesting.
Here are some of our favourites.
Chip Foose Returns with the 2026 Stallion Mustang
When Chip Foose turns his attention to a Mustang, people tend to pay attention.
The legendary American designer has unveiled the 2026 Foose Stallion, a contemporary interpretation of his original 2007 Stallion Mustang, based on the latest-generation Mustang GT.
Rather than simply bolting on a collection of aftermarket accessories, Foose has gone about reshaping the car’s personality.
There’s a redesigned front end, wider guards, custom grilles, a new bonnet vent, quarter-window scoops and a bespoke rear spoiler. Naturally, there are also distinctive Foose-designed wheels and carefully executed graphics.
The result is a Mustang that looks considerably more muscular without completely abandoning the shape that made the original famous.
It’s a reminder that good automotive design isn’t necessarily about adding more. Sometimes it’s knowing exactly where to stop.
And here’s the interesting part. The Stallion project also marks the launch of Foose Detail, a new range of automotive care products, with an opportunity for one lucky enthusiast to win a similarly customised Mustang.
Not a bad prize for someone who probably started the day looking for car polish.
1965 Backdraft Roadster: Old-School Looks, Godzilla Power
If there’s one recipe that’s almost impossible to get wrong, it’s combining the shape of a classic Shelby Cobra with a thoroughly unreasonable amount of horsepower.
Backdraft Racing has done precisely that.
Its spectacular 1965-style Roadster replica arrives wearing fluorescent red paint, volcano-black racing stripes and silver detailing. It’s a proper head-turner, even surrounded by the automotive circus that is SEMA.
But the really interesting bit lives beneath that long bonnet.
Power comes from Ford’s enormous 7.3-litre Godzilla V8, fitted with Stage 1 upgrades and a BTR intake, producing a claimed 580 horsepower.
In a lightweight, open-top roadster.
That’s the sort of power-to-weight equation that can make an otherwise sensible adult reconsider every life decision they’ve ever made.
Backdraft specialises in hand-built, Cobra-inspired roadsters, with its RT4 range starting at US$66,900 in turnkey-minus rolling-chassis form. Of course, the finished cost of a fully powered example is another conversation entirely.
It isn’t an original 1965 Cobra, nor does it pretend to be. What it offers is something arguably more usable: one of motoring’s most beautiful silhouettes combined with modern engineering and a V8 that could probably rearrange the local weather.
What’s not to like?
Chris Forsberg’s Datsun S30: The Restomod Done Right
Of all the Japanese classics receiving the restomod treatment, few provide a better starting point than the original Datsun Z.
Formula Drift champion Chris Forsberg has teamed up with Nissan to create the Datsun S30 Concept, and the result is a particularly convincing argument for leaving great automotive design largely alone.
The familiar long bonnet, low roofline and beautifully proportioned body remain instantly recognisable.
But underneath, things have changed rather dramatically.
Out goes the original straight-six, replaced by the modern Nissan Z’s VR30DDTT twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6.
The engine receives Garrett PMAX turbochargers and an assortment of NISMO performance components, including upgraded intakes and cooling hardware. It’s paired with a six-speed manual gearbox and a NISMO limited-slip differential.
The body features extensive lightweight carbon-fibre panels, including the bonnet, guards, bumpers, hatch and spoiler. Custom Techno Toy Tuning suspension, Wilwood brakes and forged NISMO wheels complete the mechanical transformation.
Finished in striking Seiran Blue, the car manages to look contemporary without losing its original identity.
Nissan hasn’t released a final horsepower figure, but given the hardware involved, it’s unlikely to be short of performance.
This is what a great restomod should be. Respect the original design, improve the engineering and resist the temptation to make it look like a spaceship.
The $800 Ford F-250 That Became a 575hp SEMA Star
Sometimes the most compelling cars at SEMA aren’t the million-dollar builds. They’re the ones with a story.
Oregon-based enthusiast Matt Johnson and his 1985 Ford F-250.
Johnson, a mechanical engineer who operates Doc Johnson Restorations, originally wanted to install a 2.3-litre Ford EcoBoost engine into a classic Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser.
A conversation with Ford Racing changed everything.
Ford suggested something rather more substantial: a 460-cubic-inch Heritage V8 crate engine.
Johnson decided that an engine like that deserved to live in a Ford, and remembered an old F-250 he’d rescued from a field for just $800.
The resulting build is magnificent.
The original square-edged, bullnose styling remains largely intact, but beneath it sits a Ford Racing 460-cubic-inch, Windsor-based small-block producing 575 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque.
The suspension has been comprehensively reworked, including improvements to the original Twin Traction-Beam arrangement, while massive 37-inch Mickey Thompson tyres provide an appropriately aggressive stance.
The body has been refinished, the mechanical components upgraded and the whole thing transformed into something that looks like Ford might have built a Raptor back in 1985.
It’s beautifully executed precisely because it hasn’t been overdone.
No ridiculous aerodynamic wings. No unnecessary carbon fibre. Just a classic American pickup, an enormous V8 and some very clever engineering.
And to think, it all started with an $800 farm truck that barely ran.
And There’s Plenty More
Naturally, SEMA wouldn’t be SEMA without a few creations that completely ignore conventional thinking.
Among the other highlights is a beautifully restored Alfa Romeo GTV from S.P.P. Customs, wearing deep red paint and carbon-fibre widebody panels.
There’s also a spectacular 1936 Ford Roadster from Rick Dore Kustoms, a custom Volkswagen pickup from Mexico’s Vochos Pickup, and a ProCharger-equipped 540-cubic-inch Noonan Hemi engine reportedly producing more than 4,200 horsepower.
Four thousand, two hundred horsepower.
At some point, surely, horsepower stops being a measurement and becomes a medical diagnosis.
SEMA 2026: The Future Looks a Lot Like the Past
Perhaps the most interesting theme emerging from this year’s show is the continued appetite for classic automotive design combined with modern performance.
Whether it’s a Datsun Z with twin-turbo power, a Cobra replica packing a modern Ford V8, or a battered old pickup transformed into a serious performance machine, the message is remarkably consistent.
Enthusiasts still love the shapes, sounds and character of yesterday’s cars. They simply want them to start every morning, stop properly and go considerably faster.
And judging by what’s on display in Las Vegas, there’s no shortage of talented people willing to make that happen.
Long live the restomod. And long live the gloriously unnecessary horsepower that makes SEMA so entertaining.
