By Juan Torres
 In last year’s SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, Gordon Ting’s purpose-built ’16 Toyota Prius was the first hybrid entry to be named a finalist. |
Now in its fourth year, the SEMA Battle of the Builders brings together the world’s best builders, and is one of the few car-build competitions where different makes, styles and bodies go head-to-head for the top prize. In fact, it’s rare to see a Toyota Prius named a finalist and then face off against a ’69 Chevy Camaro for top honors, as was the case during last year’s competition.
“It means a lot; it’s humbling,” said Gordon Ting, whose ’16 Prius was the first hybrid to be named a finalist in the history of the competition. “Being next to some of these awesome builders, it doesn’t feel right.”
The other finalists in last year’s competition were a ’92 Honda Prelude, a ’17 Ford Raptor, a ’41 Wyllis, a ’58 Jeep FC170, a ’48 Cadillac, a ’67 Chevy Chevelle, a ’61 Chevy two-door sedan and two ’69 Chevy Camaros.
As in previous years, industry judges will review the hundreds of builds entered. This year, they will narrow them down to a Top 12, with those finalists then voting among themselves to name a winner, who will be announced during SEMA Ignited—the official SEMA Show after-party.
Register now to be a part of one of the industry’s most prestigious vehicle-build competitions, the 2017 SEMA Battle of the Builders, held during the trade-only 2017 SEMA Show, October 31–November 3, in Las Vegas. The deadline to enter is September 1.