Part of the SEMA ‘Young Guns’ section this year, the ‘Young Guns’ is a separate ‘Battle of the Builders’ competition, facing against cars built by builders aged 17-29 years old. Away from the bigger event, the Young Guns aim to provide inspiration and give new and emerging talent a moment in the spotlight at SEMA, whilst getting tips & pointers from some of the biggest names in the industry. 

One of this year's entrants happens to be a build I've been following for awhile: Steven Nadaskai, and his Volkswagen MK6 Golf GTI. What used to be his very first car, has become a different kind of machine now. 

I happened to first encounter Steven’s VW while at a separate car event: South OC Cars and Coffee, a time when the Golf was in its blue wrap days and rocking roof racks. The only thing that has remained the same since last encountering it a year ago, has to be those Rotiform wheels on the already-meaty fitment, along with those widebody fenders. 

Speaking of, while its easy to knock off on widebody being overdone in the modification crowd, it takes a dedicated few to pull off quality - well done, widebody kits and stance setups. You bet Steven's is in that minority.

I’ve followed Steven since then. I might not have been at the beginning; but I have seen him and his car transform overtime. It's primarily gone through subtle changes to improve on the existing mods: much like the Golf has changed with each generation. Small changes, to perfect an already perfect hatchback.

And you got to love exposed aluminum shifters, right? The perfect balance of street, race, and show. Which this car has done. 

Steven didn’t make it to the top 10 finalists that year, but he still took home the title as regional champion (Southern California). The fact his build made it to the final round in Vegas is an achievement worth celebrating itself. 

Even outside of his SEMA journey, bit by bit, month after month. I love seeing each and every stage he has been with his build. Which is why I feel he and his MK6 deserve a moment in the spotlight. Take note of Steven and his VW, he's got big things in store. 

I caught wind of this retro-styled truck through one of the Facebook car groups I am part of, ‘Radwood’. In the first few photos learning about it, I was drawn to the unique pattern on the side, and the fact it was brown was somewhat eye catching for me. 

It just spoke pure 1980s, when brown was the trending color, and seemingly went with everything. You just needed to be wearing a knitted cardigan with pull-up trousers, and you’d instantly fit in. 

This camper is based on a 1983 Chevrolet C30, built out of Davenport, Iowa by River City Rods. While they have only been operating since 2016, they have gotten a good start already, specializing in 'dump' [extremely low-riding] truck builds. This one, the 'Brown Sugar', may be powered by a typical American muscle powerplant: a 5.3 litre LS V8 to be precise, but it turns heads in more than just power (and it isn't clearly meant for full performance). 

The outside is only part of the story: step inside and the interior is a time machine to the 1980s. A sound system hidden behind some booze barrels, a sink made out of the surface of a Coke cooler, and other finite details in the metal/woodwork that highlight the craftsmanship gone into this retro-styled camper. 

A feature on HiddenPalmTree is that will go more into Radwood is in the works, and will explore more upon why the 'old days' are suddenly trending now. There is good reason why: after all, who wouldn't want to go camping in this? 

Best part is: right after SEMA, this build was put up for auction online. Whoever won this Chevy Camper (that is fully functional for the countryside getaway or aspiring Heisenberg), is hopefully living their nostalgic dreams of the 80s. 

 Foose Design 1974 Jaguar E Type Roadster 

As a young car enthusiast in the 2000s, most would have grown up watching episodes of ‘Pimp My Ride’ on MTV, but growing up in the Asia Pacific region, meant we didn’t get MTV. So instead, I made do with Discovery Real Time (Turbo), and reruns of a show called Overhaulin’. Which I’m glad I grew up with instead, considering Overhaulin’ was like the latter, except they ‘pimped’ the cars under the hood, as well as with the exterior/interior. 

The show notably introduced me to one of my many childhood heroes: Chip Foose. The points in the show where he sketches out what the client’s car will eventually look like resonated with me. Thanks to him, I was keen to get into automotive design, but that route suffice to say, ended up not working out (thanks to my poor artistic skills).

 Despite going down a route to express myself through the art of English, I still dreamt of seeing one of Foose’s builds in person. Luckily, I had a chance: in the form of this Jaguar E-Type. 

Over the course of two and a half years, Foose and his team transformed this E-Type. The English powerplant under the hood was exchanged with an all-American LS crate motor, capable of 525 horses. Modernisation mods such as upgraded brakes and suspension, along with a four-speed automatic gearbox were also done to the Jag. 

Being one of the most renowned car designers out there, trying to improve on an already perfect design was difficult enough. Yet Foose's team still found ways to make a mark: the sloping hood now has a scoop, the rear trunk lid extended & tapered; even minor details were requested by the client to be customized. Hence, the badge less front grille, headlight inserts handmade from brass, and larger one-off wheels (still sporting a similar design to the original smaller ones). 

But as I learned through one of his SEMA panels that week, to Foose, the E-Type is an important car to him: being the last build his late father got to see before he passed away from cancer. 

When one of the most iconic automotive designs in the world gets improved upon by one of the world's famous designers, you bet Foose is proud of this build.

Daniel Wu’s 1968 ‘Restomod’ Honda S800 

Hailing from the city, I have to support Hong Kong culture, or a fellow HKer no matter where they may be. Especially when they are someone with a passion for cars.  Daniel Wu, actor known recently for ‘Into the Badlands’, shares his passion for cars along with being a family man, actor, director, and musician. 

While he was no stranger to SEMA, having entered a Datsun build that was part of SEMA 2017, surprisingly, he was still relatively new to the Honda scene in his thirty years of car ownership. Yet his break into Hondas, in the form of this S800, is an awe-inspiring work of art for someone unfamiliar with the platform. 

Built in response to a near- death experience, and an urge to 'get out and do it', Wu enlisted Kei Mura from widebody specialist Pandem; penning the custom fender flares and decklid spoiler made especially for this car, and only this car. All were designed in his home country of Japan before being sent off to the West Coast to be installed. Internally, aside from a custom GReddy stainless-steel exhaust system, the factory engine has been kept untouched. For a classic car as compact and light as this, more power is unnecessary. 

The details and shape will gather more than enough attention, especially the fenders that give off European sportscar vibes. Hence, why Wu has called this the "Chinpira"; a Japanese term to refer to an aspiring Yakuza member or troublemaker. Which as he describes it, "aims" to be like a mainstream sports car. 

Just admire the lines of the S800’s body, combined with the upholstery work done by DJ Designs inside upon closer inspection, and you’ll see why this was a highly conversed build at SEMA 2019. Daniel not only has good taste, he knows how to pull off a quality restomod. 

And as I wrote earlier about how some builds ‘do more with less’, Wu’s S800 sets a good example in that: a nice break away from show builds that have a liberal amount of spoilers and have a need to 'shout' their presence. The sedate, subtle route for an old car like his, proves less is still enough to turn heads. 

Ally Pierce’s 2017 Toyota Tundra (The Pandra)

An old saying goes: “No matter how much you throw at it, you can’t kill a Toyota.” Just look at Top Gear and their efforts to ‘kill’ a Toyota Hilux. Not the seaside, not fire, nor even a controlled demolition could make it give up. 

It seems that has carried on to the modern day Toyota trucks, as this 2017 Tundra can attest to. 

Pierce, an ICU nurse working at Feather River Hospital in the town of Paradise, California, was one of the first responders to report to the Camp Fire wildfires in 2018, that raged through the Northern California region. 240 square miles, all in flames; 19,000 buildings in Butte County all gone, and an estimated $10 billion dollars in damage from the fires alone. 

Notably, he made headlines of his heroic actions shuttling patients out of the hospital to safety while the fires raged. Twice. All thanks to his truck, this very 2017 Toyota Tundra SR5. 

Despite the extreme heat and at one point being blocked in by abandoned vehicles on the route out to the safe zone in neighboring Chico, the Tundra never skipped a beat.

And it lived to tell the tale. Despite the fact it might have lost a headlight or two in the blistering heat. 

The battle scars are still evident in the comfort of the climate-controlled Las Vegas Convention Centre: the heat having melted the plastic trim, door mirrors, rear tail lights,  and formed the burnt ‘Marshmallow’ effect on the passenger side doors. 

Pierce’s story gathered so much attention that Toyota themselves gifted him a new Tundra TRD Pro to replace his heroic truck. Along with some overland/off-road parts, Pierce even carried over the burn prints from the forest fire onto the doors of ‘Pandra 2.0’. He plans to still bring out the original ‘Pandra’ out on the rare occasion, SEMA being one of many public appearances it will make. 

From the North Pole to demolished buildings, the saying still holds true sixteen years on: “You can’t kill a Toyota.” No doubt Pierce and the patients he brought to safety, can attest to that firsthand.