Our top car picks at the 2025 SEMA Auto Show
Valerie Raskovic
We had the chance to attend the 2025 SEMA Show, and it did not disappoint. The SEMA Show is a global epicenter for automotive aftermarket innovation held annually at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show drew close to 200,000 industry professionals and enthusiasts from around the world.
Companies all over the world came to showcase their latest aftermarket performance upgrades and cutting-edge vehicle accessories as well as automotive tools and shop supplies. The show highlighted a growing trend toward electrification in the aftermarket, with companies unveiling EV drivetrain swaps that add electric powertrains to classic cars and performance kits, including bolt-on aerodynamics for various Tesla models.
The event showcased a dazzling array of custom builds, from a 2024 Mercedes Benz S-Class with a body sourced from a 1971 S-Class model to a Ferrari engine-swapped DMC DeLorean. Some of our favorite picks include:
Custom -built Aston Martin based on the 1971 DBS
This car was completely reimagined from the ground up based on the scan of the original 1971 Aston Martin DBS. The car got several subtle cosmetic upgrades, including a 10-inch wider rear and an 8-inch wider front, gaining a more aggressive stance while maintaining that old English elegance that Aston Martins are known for. The car also came with some American muscle under the hood, rocking a Ford Coyote V8 mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. What stood out about this particular car is the uniquely gorgeous design and immaculate craftsmanship. This hand-built custom featured an obsessive level of attention to detail with overall quality better than any factory can produce.
Nismo Nick’s Project X
This car stood out because of how ordinary it looked; it truly appeared like a version of the Nissan Xterra that Nissan could have produced today. As most of us know, the Nissan Xterra was discontinued in 2015; however, that did not stop Nick from making something that can easily pass for a factory-new model. Essentially the vehicle is based on the new Nissan Frontier pickup truck, sharing the truck’s front cab up to the B-pillar including a lot of the underpinning interior and drivetrain, while using the back half and frame from the last generation Nissan Xterra. This unique fusion of a new truck and the old rear body of an Xterra makes the rugged SUV look truly like something the factory could be building today. Nick did an amazing job mating the two vehicles together and fabricating all the necessary chassis mounts and pieces to make this truly a one-of-a-kind build.
1971 Mercedes-Benz Resto Mod
This car has got to be one of the most unique builds we have ever seen. Built by S-Klub-LA, a California-based builder, it combines all the underpinnings of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG with the body of an older 1971 Mercedes-Benz-S-Class. The most amazing part of this car is the fact that all the modern-day Mercedes bells and features work flawlessly. In fact, the integration of the old and new is so skillful it is hard to process the fact that this car was built by hand. The car features the interior from the 2024 model while sporting all of the old classic body panels from the older model S class.
FuelTech’s Ferrari V8-powered DeLorean
We spotted a stock-looking DeLorean almost passing it by without a second glance, but what did catch our eye was the fact that there was a crowd of people gathering around the open engine bay, so we decided to take a look. Boy, were we surprised to see a 4.3 Liter Ferrari V8 sourced from a 2012 Ferrari California. With a 6-speed transmission sourced from an older 911, this car is a perfect symphony of old classic American design mated with Italian power with some German engineering. The car features over 450 horses, making highway passing a breeze however, the most unique part is that exotic Italian V8 sound.
Z4 Front-Swapped Supra
Most car people are aware of the fact that the new Toyota Supra is mostly made by BMW and shares a lot of the underpinning, drivetrain and interior with the outgoing BMW Z4. What caught our eye with this unique build is the fact that the front of the car looked like an OEM BMW Z4, while the back of the car maintained all of the Toyota Supra body panels. While this may sound like a straightforward panel swap, it is actually quite difficult, as the body panels from the two cars do not align and are not interchangeable; furthermore, they do not share a lot of the common mounts and mounting points. The builder had to do a lot of custom fabrication to make the car look OEM+.
Beyond the glitz and chrome, the 2025 SEMA show featured a lot of amazing works by very creative and innovative builders illustrating new technologies, accessories, parts and tools. Beyond emphasized functionality and personalization, the show features the best of the best in the aftermarket community.
Despite the recent economic headwinds brought on by inflation, tariffs, government shutdowns and instability, attendance and exhibitor numbers rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels, signaling strong confidence in the aftermarket industry. The 2025 SEMA Show proved once again that the passion for customizing cars is not only alive—it’s accelerating into the future.
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