Hemmings gave its 2026 Hemmings Honors awards to ten vehicles at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, from a 1940 Mercury Eight built by WyoTech, the technical trade school in Laramie, Wyoming, to a right-hand-drive 1999 Porsche Carrera 4 from Los Angeles. Between them are a 1962 Ford F-250 turned into an ice cream truck, a 1972 Buick Riviera called “Rivenge” and a 1975 BMW E9 in the livery of the first BMW Art Car.
The winners collected their awards at the Hemmings booth in Hot Rod Alley on November 3, and the company announced the list the next day. Its staff walked the show through move-in and opening week and judged each vehicle on quality, story, execution, originality and what Hemmings calls the “ability to represent where the hobby is headed.”
Key Takeaways
- Ten winners received 2026 Hemmings Honors awards at the SEMA Show 2026, presented November 3 and announced November 4.
- Oldest: a 1940 Mercury Eight from WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming. Newest: Eli Solis’s right-hand-drive 1999 Porsche Carrera 4.
- Four came from Ford or its Mercury brand: the Mercury, a 1962 F-250 ice cream truck, a 1967 Galaxie and Matt Johnson’s 1985 F-250, which sits on Ford’s own stand.
- Two winners made SEMA’s Battle of the Builders cuts: James Crosby’s 1952 Harley-Davidson Panhead is in the Bike Builder Shootout top three, and the 1975 BMW E9 is in the Sport Compact top 10.
- The BMW E9 wears the red, yellow and blue pattern Alexander Calder painted on a 3.0 CSL for the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans.
- Hemmings’ booth is 22393 in Hot Rod Alley, Central Hall, through Friday, November 6, the one day the public can buy tickets.
The 2026 Hemmings Honors Winners
| Vehicle | Builder or owner | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 Mercury Eight | WyoTech technical trade school | Laramie, Wyoming |
| 1952 Harley-Davidson Panhead | James Crosby, James Crosby Designs | Ontario, California |
| 1957 Cadillac Eldorado | Mike Rutter, Rutterz Rodz | Bristol, Tennessee |
| 1962 Ford F-250 Ice Cream Truck | Shannon Manley, Pot O’ Gold Kustoms | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| 1967 Ford Galaxie | Big Oak Garage | Hokes Bluff, Alabama |
| 1968 International Harvester Travelall | Flat Out Autos | Jonesboro, Arkansas |
| 1972 Buick Riviera “Rivenge” | Terrence Holly, 1 Ninety 1 Customs | Not given |
| 1975 BMW E9 | Foad Razavi and Dana Lukasiewski | East Windsor, Connecticut |
| 1985 Ford F-250 | Matt Johnson, Doc Johnson Restorations | Klamath Falls, Oregon |
| 1999 Porsche Carrera 4 RHD | Eli Solis | Los Angeles, California |
The Ten Vehicles, Oldest to Newest
1940 Mercury Eight, WyoTech
Ford launched Mercury with the Eight for 1939, so the WyoTech car comes from the brand’s second model year. It is a black coupe on wide whitewall tires with a black-and-yellow California plate, and it is the only prewar vehicle among the winners.
1952 Harley-Davidson Panhead, James Crosby
Crosby’s black-and-gold Panhead is the only motorcycle Hemmings picked, and it is also one of three finalists in SEMA’s Bike Builder Shootout, alongside Steven Iacona’s 1945 Knucklehead and Robert Zeolla’s 1940 Indian In-Line 4. Crosby, who works out of Ontario, California, as James Crosby Designs, assembled it from parts dated 1952 to the present.
1957 Cadillac Eldorado, Rutterz Rodz
Mike Rutter’s blue 1957 Eldorado, with its paired headlamps and bumper-mounted bullets, sits on the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center stand. Rutter’s shop, Rutterz Rodz, is in Bristol, Tennessee.
1962 Ford F-250 Ice Cream Truck, Pot O’ Gold Kustoms
Shannon Manley’s Pot O’ Gold Kustoms, in Colorado Springs, cut the roof off a 1962 F-250, refinished it in white and dropped it until the rockers nearly touch the pavement. Seats fill the space behind the cab.
1967 Ford Galaxie, Big Oak Garage
Big Oak Garage, from Hokes Bluff in northeast Alabama, entered a white 1967 Galaxie two-door hardtop on chrome wheels.
1968 International Harvester Travelall, Flat Out Autos
Randy Wilcox owns this Travelall, International Harvester’s long-roof wagon on its light-truck chassis, and Flat Out Autos of Jonesboro, Arkansas, built it with Renegade Customs and Covers. Wilcox set out to update the mechanicals and keep the original style and patina, and the project grew into a full restomod.
The truck now sits on a Roadster Shop RideLine chassis, with a GM LT4 crate V8 under a one-off supercharger lid, a Bowler 4L75E automatic and Baer six-piston brakes. Forgeline OE1 wheels keep the original IH hubcaps. Its Sherwin-Williams paint pairs VOL Yellow with Ford Wimbledon White, and Vintage Air handles the climate control.
1972 Buick Riviera “Rivenge,” 1 Ninety 1 Customs
Terrence Holly of 1 Ninety 1 Customs named his car “Rivenge.” It is a 1972 Riviera, one of the 1971 to 1973 boattails whose rear glass tapers to a point, finished in blue and riding on oversized wheels.
1975 BMW E9, Foad Razavi and Dana Lukasiewski
Alexander Calder painted a BMW 3.0 CSL for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 1975, and that car began BMW’s Art Car series. A 3.0 CSL is an E9, and Razavi and Lukasiewski’s 1975 E9 copies Calder’s red, yellow, blue and white pattern. Three driver names sit on its rear quarter window, “F. Razavi” among them, beside Munich Motorsports lettering, and a Connecticut “ART-CAR” plate hangs on the back.
The E9 is also in SEMA’s Battle of the Builders top 10 for the Sport Compact and Import Performance class.
1985 Ford F-250, Doc Johnson Restorations
Matt Johnson paid $800 for this F-250 after it had sat in a field as an abandoned ranch truck. Ford Racing Parts supplied a crate engine rated at 575 hp and 575 lb-ft, Carrick Customs reengineered the Twin Traction-Beam front suspension, and Ford gave the truck space on its own SEMA stand. The full story is in my SEMA 2026 builds tracker.
1999 Porsche Carrera 4 RHD, Eli Solis
Eli Solis’s car is a 996-generation Porsche 911 Carrera 4, made with the steering wheel on the right for markets such as the U.K. and Japan. Solis’s silver coupe sits just off the carpet on deep-dish wheels and carries “café solis” lettering on the windshield and doors. It is the newest vehicle Hemmings recognized.
How Hemmings Picked Them
Hemmings started in 1954 as Hemmings Motor News, a classified-ad publication, and still prints it as a monthly magazine alongside its online marketplace for collector cars. Jonathan Shaw, the company’s president, said Hemmings wants the award to “become a permanent part of each vehicle’s history,” so the recognition travels with the car as provenance after the show closes.
“The best builds at SEMA do more than turn heads,” Shaw said. “They give us a glimpse of where the aftermarket industry is headed.”
Hemmings is in Booth 22393 in Hot Rod Alley, Central Hall, through Friday, November 6. That Friday is the one day anyone 16 or older can buy a ticket; prices, halls and hours are in my SEMA 2026 guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Hemmings Honors?
The Hemmings Honors are awards Hemmings, the collector car marketplace and publisher of Hemmings Motor News, gives to standout vehicles at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Its staff picks the winners from the show floor and judges quality, story, execution, originality and what the vehicle says about where the hobby is going.
Who won the 2026 Hemmings Honors?
Ten vehicles: a 1940 Mercury Eight, a 1952 Harley-Davidson Panhead, a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado, a 1962 Ford F-250 ice cream truck, a 1967 Ford Galaxie, a 1968 International Harvester Travelall, a 1972 Buick Riviera, a 1975 BMW E9, a 1985 Ford F-250 and a right-hand-drive 1999 Porsche Carrera 4.
When were the 2026 Hemmings Honors announced?
The winners received their awards at the Hemmings booth on November 3, 2026, the opening day of the SEMA Show, and Hemmings announced the list on November 4.
Where is Hemmings at SEMA 2026?
Booth 22393 in Hot Rod Alley, in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show runs through Friday, November 6.
Are the Hemmings Honors part of the Battle of the Builders?
Hemmings runs its awards separately from SEMA’s Battle of the Builders. Two of its winners also made SEMA’s cuts: James Crosby’s Panhead is a Bike Builder Shootout finalist, and the 1975 BMW E9 is in the Sport Compact and Import Performance top 10.
Why is the BMW E9 painted like an art car?
Its livery copies the one Alexander Calder painted on a BMW 3.0 CSL, an E9 coupe, for the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans. That car was the first in BMW’s Art Car series.
Can the public see the Hemmings Honors winners?
The SEMA Show is open only to the trade from Tuesday to Thursday. On Friday, November 6, anyone 16 or older can buy a ticket, and Hemmings’ booth is in Hot Rod Alley, Central Hall.
Which Hemmings Honors winner is on Ford’s stand?
Matt Johnson’s 1985 Ford F-250, an $800 ranch truck rebuilt with a 575-hp Ford Racing crate engine and Carrick Customs Twin Traction-Beam front suspension.
Source: Hemmings
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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