SEMA 2026: Performance Cars to Watch
SEMA 2026 runs November 3-6, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Five automakers, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan, have press conferences scheduled for opening morning, and more than a dozen confirmed custom build reveals are on the schedule across the four days. For performance enthusiasts, this is the biggest single concentrated week of custom and aftermarket reveals of the year.
The key distinction from a production-car auto show: most SEMA reveals are builder-modified street cars, aftermarket-equipped builds, and one-off customs rather than new production models. Performance claims from individual builders are rarely accompanied by independently timed figures. Any 0-60 claim from a SEMA build in this article is a builder-stated estimate unless labeled otherwise.
When and Where Is SEMA 2026?
The 2026 SEMA Show runs Tuesday, November 3 through Friday, November 6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The main show floor (November 3-5) is trade-only, open to industry professionals, media, and registered exhibitors. SEMA Fest on Friday, November 6, opens the Bronze Lot to the public from 4:00-7:30 PM Pacific with the SEMA Cruise departing from the convention center.
Show hours for the trade days are 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific (Thursday closes at 4 PM). The 2026 show has more than 2,000 exhibiting brands across more than one million net square feet of exhibit space, making it the largest SEMA show in several years.
OEM Press Conferences: Opening Morning, November 3
All five confirmed automaker press conferences are scheduled for opening morning, before the show floor opens to the broader trade audience.
| Automaker | Press Conference | Notable Context |
|---|---|---|
| Ford | November 3, morning | Ford has hinted at "one very big surprise" ahead of the show; not confirmed as of October 25 |
| Toyota | November 3, morning | Toyota has an active SEMA history with GR-based builds |
| Honda | November 3, morning | Honda Racing Corp. (Honda/Acura) attending; also a separate Idemitsu/Throtl mystery Honda reveal |
| Mitsubishi | November 3, 9:30 AM | First Mitsubishi SEMA appearance since 2012; context: Mitsubishi recently revealed the ASX VR-e, its most powerful production car at 459 hp AWD |
| Nissan | November 3, morning | Press conference confirmed, show car details unannounced |
| Stellantis | TBD | Booth confirmed for Dodge, Jeep, and Mopar; no press conference or specific show car announced as of October 25 |
Mitsubishi's return after a 13-year SEMA absence is the most significant automaker story of the week. The brand has no confirmed show car for the event, but the timing follows its October 11 global reveal of the ASX VR-e, an electric SUV with 459 hp and a claimed 3.9-second 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time in GSR trim. Whether that reveal carries to SEMA as a US preview or if a different vehicle appears is unconfirmed.
Ford's unspecified "big surprise" has generated speculation since an October 7 preview. The Ford Le Mans Hypercar (a naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8 LMDh/WEC program) is explicitly not the SEMA reveal: its full debut is scheduled for November 26, separate from the show. What Ford has planned for November 3 has not been disclosed.
Confirmed Custom Build Reveals
The following builds have been confirmed for the SEMA show floor as of October 25, 2026. No independently tested performance figures are available for any of them. Builder claims, where available, are noted but unverified by GPS timing.
| Builder | Vehicle | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringbrothers | 1965 Pontiac GTO (custom) | November 3, 10:30 AM | TBD | Build details not disclosed |
| BluePrint Engines | 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air (custom) | November 3 | TBD | |
| Turn 14 Distribution | Ford F-150 (Roush 5.0 Coyote supercharger) | November 3 | Central Hall 21403 | EPA/CARB compliant build |
| Granatelli Motor Sports | 1973 Chevrolet C10 (supercharged) | November 3 | TBD | Two separate builds at the show |
| Granatelli Motor Sports | 1973 Chevrolet K5 Blazer (twin-turbo) | November 3 | TBD | |
| Tucci Hot Rods | Ford Maverick (twin-turbo Coyote V8 swap) | November 3 | TBD | Engine swap, unibody chassis modification |
| Idemitsu / Throtl | Reimagined Honda (model undisclosed) | November 3, 10:00 AM | TBD | Car identity not disclosed ahead of reveal |
| Dynamat | 1967 Chevrolet Corvette (custom) | TBD | TBD | |
| HayesX | HayesX-250 flying vehicle | November 4 | TBD | Concept only, not a street-legal or production vehicle |
| Martech | Lamborghini-based Batmobile | November 4 | TBD | |
| Delinte Tires | Three Ford Raptor builds (2x Gen 1, 1x Gen 2) | TBD | South Hall main entrance |
Ringbrothers' 1965 Pontiac GTO is one of the most anticipated announces. Ringbrothers has a strong SEMA track record for high-quality restomod builds, and the GTO is a particularly storied platform for muscle car quarter-mile performance. No drivetrain details have been shared ahead of the reveal. For historical context on where modified classic muscle cars land on the quarter mile, see the muscle car quarter-mile times post.
The Tucci Hot Rods Ford Maverick twin-turbo Coyote V8 swap is notable because the Maverick is an unibody compact pickup, not a body-on-frame truck. Fitting a Coyote V8 into the platform is a substantial chassis modification. The Turn 14 Roush-supercharged F-150 offers a more straightforward comparison point: the standard 5.0 Coyote with a Roush supercharger kit in an F-150 is a proven combination. For production truck performance baselines, the fastest pickup trucks 0-60 post covers everything from the Rivian R1T to the Ram TRX.
Battle of the Builders Goes Motorcycles
SEMA's annual Battle of the Builders custom vehicle competition expands for 2026 to include motorcycles for the first time. A new Top 3 motorcycle category and an overall motorcycle champion will be awarded alongside the traditional car competition. This is the most significant structural change to the competition in its history, and it reflects the growth of the aftermarket motorcycle customization industry at the show.
Ford Le Mans Hypercar: Context for November
While the full Ford Le Mans Hypercar reveal is not at SEMA, it is worth noting for the November context. Ford has confirmed a 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8, completing the LMDh and FIA Hypercar regulations for a 2027 Le Mans debut. Test drivers Matt Campbell and Logan Sargeant ran the car at Paul Ricard in August 2026. The full reveal is scheduled for November 26 at a separate event. No production road car is associated with this program.
What SEMA Tells Us About Real Performance
Custom builds at SEMA are generally more useful as inspiration and platform demonstrations than as performance benchmarks. A twin-turbo K5 Blazer makes no production 0-60 claim, a supercharged F-150 is an aftermarket kit on a production truck, and a Coyote V8 Maverick swap has no factory baseline to compare against.
That gap between inspiration and verification is exactly what a GPS timer fills. After the builds get seen, photographed, and driven at the show, the owners who put this kind of work into their cars are exactly the ones who want accurate performance data from their actual runs. The FastTrack GPS timing app records 0-60, eighth-mile, and quarter-mile times to within 0.02 seconds from a phone, no hardware required. Log your build's real numbers and compare them on the leaderboards against other cars in your performance class.
For real-world performance data on production cars that SEMA builders often start from, the real-world 0-60 times post covers manufacturer claims versus GPS-timed street results for 13 popular platforms. And if you are thinking about modifications that affect power-to-weight, the power-to-weight calculator shows exactly how a weight reduction or power gain translates to a predicted 0-60 change.
SEMA Fest: Public Access Day
SEMA Fest is the public-facing side of the show, held in the Bronze Lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday, November 6, from 4:00-7:30 PM Pacific. It is free to attend and includes the SEMA Cruise, which departs the convention center and drives through Las Vegas. This is the only day any of the show's builds are accessible to non-industry visitors.
FAQ
When and where is SEMA 2026?
November 3-6, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Show hours are 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific on Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 AM to 4 PM on Thursday, with SEMA Fest open to the public on Friday evening from 4:00-7:30 PM Pacific.
Is SEMA 2026 open to the public?
The main show (November 3-5) is trade-only, restricted to industry professionals, media, and registered exhibitors. SEMA Fest on Friday, November 6, is the public-access day, held in the Bronze Lot, free to attend.
What automakers have press conferences at SEMA 2026?
Ford, Toyota, Honda (as Honda Racing Corporation/Honda/Acura), Mitsubishi, and Nissan have confirmed opening-morning press conferences on November 3. Stellantis has a booth for Dodge, Jeep, and Mopar but had not announced a press conference as of October 25.
Will Ford reveal its Le Mans Hypercar at SEMA 2026?
No. The Ford Le Mans Hypercar full reveal is scheduled for November 26 at a separate event. The car has been tested at Paul Ricard but has not been publicly shown in full. Ford has hinted at a different "big surprise" for SEMA, details unconfirmed.
What is Battle of the Builders and why is 2026 different?
Battle of the Builders is SEMA's annual custom vehicle competition, judged by industry professionals. For 2026, SEMA is adding a motorcycle champion category for the first time, alongside the existing car competition. Winners are announced during the show.
Do SEMA custom builds come with 0-60 or quarter-mile times?
Rarely, and when they do, those are builder estimates on unspecified surfaces without independent GPS verification. If you want accurate acceleration data on your own build, a GPS timer like FastTrack gives you real, repeatable numbers from your actual runs, no prepped strip or professional driver required.