REQUIRED READING
By Juan Torres
The Best of the Best
The seventh annual SEMA Battle of the Builders contest featured more than 330 submissions from a talented pool of builders who were looking to win the prestigious competition in 2020. The Top 40 and the Top 12 finalists were selected by a panel of industry experts before the 12 finalists performed the judging duties and rated their peers to name a winner in each category (Hot Rod, Truck/Off-Road, Sport Compact, and Young Guns) and one overall Top Builder. Brady Ranweiler (Hot Rod), Mark Giambalvo (Truck/Off-Road), Chip Foose (Sport Compact), and Cody Medeisis (Young Guns) won their respective categories before Ranweiler was named the overall winner. Below are some of the media that followed the competition.
“Tech Life Today”
Editor Scott Messenger did a profile piece on builder Matteo Medoro, a 20-year-old Canadian builder who has competed in the Young Guns category the last two years. Medoro posted a Top 40 finish in 2020 with his ’47 Dodge 3/4-ton W250, which features hand-painted door signs and an interior lined with potato sacks.
“DUB”
DUB kept its readers informed on the results of the 2020 competition, featuring winner Brady Ranweiler’s ’63 Chevrolet two-door wagon prominently in its coverage. The editors noted how the pandemic couldn’t stop the creative flow of custom-car builders in 2020 nor prevent SEMA from “coming through for the aftermarket with a virtual [Show] in SEMA360.”
“GM Authority”
Kuhnhausen Metal Concepts’ ’64 Corvette caught the attention of editor Sam McEachern when it was named a Top 12 finalist. McEachern praised the builder’s craftsmanship and attention to detail and described the car as being extremely high quality and jam-packed with impressive performance parts.
Heard In The News
“This gorgeous Mustang restomod was a hit at SEMA, earning Top 40 Battle of the Builders status.”—Ford Authority, via Facebook
“For the first time in the history of the @SEMASHOW Battle of the Builders, a wagon has won the top award!”—Autosphere, via Twitter
“So #SEMA360 is going strong, and one of the biggest highlights of the day was the announcement of the 2020 #BattleoftheBuilders Top 40.”—Automotive Videos, via Twitter
“Join me as I talk to SEMA VP-Marketing Ira Gabriel and SEMA Battle of the Builder/SEMA Young Guns Director Mike Robleto about the newest details, opportunities and looming deadlines for SEMA360 Battle of the Builders/SEMA Young Guns.”—The Aftermarket Insider, via Facebook
