Photos by the Author and Scott Schwartz
With so many great cars at SEMA, it was hard to pick just 10…but we did! Here are our Top 10 Muscle Car picks from the 2017 SEMA Show!
We loved seeing all the incredible cars on the SEMA Show floor, but of course we were drawn to the classic muscle cars over all the others. Here are our ten favorites, in no particular order. We loved them all for different reasons, but they all had a “wow” factor we hope you’ll see in the photos. They are all based on classic, traditional American muscle cars, with monster V-8 power and the chassis upgrades to handle it.
Those are about the only things they all have in common, though — each one shines in it’s own way, with style and grunt. Look over our list and see if any one particular car jumps out at you, or if you’d be perfectly happy piloting any one of them. Enjoy the show!
1. Jesse James’ ’64 Dodge Polara
Jesse James owns this ’64 Dodge Polara. It’s worn exterior hides the custom built…well, everything else.
The twin-turbo big-inch Hemi means business, and every part of this car was built to hustle at high speed. A full cage, and a manual transmission are just asking for trouble!
A full rollcage and a fuel cell in the trunk tick the safety checklist, and the monster brakes hiding behind the steel wheels give confidence coming down from high speed.
Impeccable metalwork is showcased all over this car- even the seats are bare steel. These metal benders all love showing off! The Roadster Shop put this incredible car together.
2. Roadster Shop-Built ’69 Camaro
This Roadster Shop-built ’69 Camaro was in the Auto Meter booth, and it really drew a lot of attention. The matte-finish paint,
smooth body mods (like the bumpers, door handles, and taillights) all contribute to a clean, mean, overall appearance.
Like most Roadster Shop builds, this one is carefully modified to take advantage of improved aerodynamics.
Subtle scoops and wings look great, while the strakes under the rear help straighten out the air under the car and pull it down to the pavement.
The splitter in front looks like the factory piece, but it’s surely more effective in this modern form. The interior is pretty racy- we love it.
3. Magnuson-Equipped ’68 Dodge Dart
This ’68 Dodge Dart was in the Magnuson Superchargers booth, and you can guess what was under the hood. Naturally, the
late-model Hemi was dressed up with a blower, but the rest of the car was equally well-appointed. The big power was augmented with big wheels, wide tires, and huge brakes under arrow-straight black sheetmetal.
Oh ya — it’s a convertible! This is the kind of top-down cruiser that dreams are made of, with stunning looks and big power.
The A-bodies were a lot lighter than their larger B-body stablemates, and we’re betting this one handles wonderfully at speed. We’d sure like to find out!
4. Mark Stielow’s ’69 Camaro
Mark Stielow debuted his 17th First-Gen Camaro(!) in the Holley Performance booth. It was decked out in all the best 
performance hardware we’d expect Mark to use, including DSE suspension and a supercharged GM LT1 engine.
The worn and faded paint is original, and Mark enjoys not having to stress over it’s finish.
Our expectations for Stielow’s cars are always high, and he always surpasses them. This car is no exception, with all the best craftsmanship underneath that original patina.
Everything fits perfectly, from the drivetrain, to the wheel/tire, to the rollcage. Mark’s cars always find their way to the race track, and this one will too.
5. Ringbrothers ’69 Dodge Charger
This rich dark green ’69 Dodge Charger was built by the RingBrothers, who are known for their over the top custom work. 
This may be their most subtle build, and we love it. It almost looks stock, but the exquisitely tucked bumpers and smoothly shaved firewall remind you who it’s from.
The late-model Hemi was also mild in appearance, but we didn’t get a peek inside it. The interior was just as tastefully finished, with lots of classy materials and a near-stock appearance.
The steel wheels wear factory dig dish caps, but those are 20-inch hoops with custom red line tires. A very cool understated build from the Rings here.
6. BBT Fabrications’ ’69 Dodge Charger
This amazing ’69 Charger was built by BBT Fabrications on a Roadster Shop chassis. Their products were all over the show! 
The late-model Hemi with the stack fuel injection really grabbed our attention.
We really had to look before we noted all the cool custom body mods, like the tucked bumpers and the re-skinned doors (eliminating the dummy vents for a smoother look).
The Hemi is backed with a T56 6-speed manual transmission, which we love, and the bronze trim color really set off the pure white paint. The unique wheels with a thin, gold line added a classy finish to the car and we really liked the updated, modern style.
7. Chip Foose ’71 Ford Mustang
This Foose-crafted Mustang had people scratching their heads. They either loved it or hated it. Put us on the loving side — the rear quarter redesign gave it a Pantera-like flavor that we loved, as it looked more sporty than the original design, but 
proper for an early ’70s Ford.
Extra points for using ’69 Camaro taillights, since it’s a gutsy move that really fits the shape of the opening they live in.
The two-tone work with the stripes used the body lines to make a stylish statement, and outlining them with an orange pinstripe really finishes the custom work off nicely. The redesigned grille looks almost stock, but we all know it’s custom.
8. Hotchkis ’73 Camaro
John Hotchkis picked up this ’73 Camaro just before the show, drove it home, and got it all cleaned up for the show. It looks
great, and represents an attainable level of excellence that people can really relate to. We totally get that!
It shared booth space at Hotchkis with their 4-door Chevelle, which really made a statement to show attendees that Hotchkis’ goodies are made for real cars that get driven.
The Burgundy paint, with gold accents and carbon fiber bits and pieces really present well, adding style to an aggressive street machine. He might have just picked it up, but we’re confident this one will be in the Hotchkis stable for a long time.
9. Bobby Alloway’s ’66 Ford Mustang
If you’ve heard the name Bobby Alloway, you know he builds high-end street rods and killer customs. He’s also been known 
to crank out the occasional muscle car, and this wonder ’66 Mustang Fastback is one of them.
The level of detail is incredible, the modifications are all well-chosen and impeccably executed, and that red paint is the perfect call on this car.
The trim color appears to be chrome! Lots of brightwork under the hood just hits the mark in a traditional muscle build like this one. Use of a Windsor-based V-8 with power steering and A/C makes it comfy, too. A great example of a tastefully updated classic Mustang.
10. Ringbrothers ’72 AMC Javelin AMX
We mentioned the Ring Brothers earlier, while marveling at their restraint on that amazing dark green Charger. They also 
unveiled this wild AMC Javelin they built for Prestone, and it’s much more representative of their wild style.
Covered in a yellow/green that reminded us of anti-freeze, the redesigned front end is super modern, while they kept the curvy body lines that Javelins were famous for.
Since Mopar bought AMC, the 1,000hp blown Hemi was a good choice to power it. This was another controversial design that not everyone loved, but we dig the wild styling and their choice of an unconventional car to build upon.
After spending almost a decade in the aerospace industry, Scott Parkhurst chose to learn about racing engines by working in some of Southern California’s most respected engine shops. He took on the role of Tech Editor at Popular Hot Rodding magazine back in 1998, and was instrumental in the development of both the Engine Masters Challenge competition and Engine Masters Quarterly magazine. He was also the founding Editor of Street Thunder magazine and Author of the V8 Horsepower Performance Handbook before he arrived at Timeless Muscle.
