The Best Cars of the 2025 SEMA Show - VIDEO

From a $7 million Pagani to a resurrected 1970s van, this year's show was an overwhelming display of automotive excellence.

The 2025 SEMA show in Las Vegas is, in a word, massive. For a first-time attendee like AutoGuide.com's James Reeves, the scale of the event was staggering.

"I was unprepared for how massive this show is," Reeves reported. "This makes Shot Show look like the Milton, Florida Farmers Market."

Navigating this ocean of customized, restored, and boundary-pushing vehicles is a daunting task. But amid the sensory overload, AutoGuide.com set out on a mission: to find the five best cars at the show.

Here are the top five vehicles that stopped us in our tracks at SEMA 2025.

1. The $7 Million Head-Turner: Pagani Huayra Imola Roadster

Declared by Reeves as a clear contender for the "number one" spot, the 2025 Pagani Huayra Imola Roadster at the Expel booth was the undisputed "belle of the show."

This is one of only eight such vehicles in the entire world, with a starting price tag of $7 million. The car on display, however, is truly one-of-a-kind, finished in a stunning color called "Hezi Chameleon."

According to Chris from Expel, the owner, Hezi, had Pagani custom-create the color, which is now registered to his name and exclusive to his vehicles. The owner graciously lends a show-stopping hypercar to the Expel booth every year, and this Pagani easily captured the crowd's attention as the car of SEMA 2025.

2. The Period-Correct Powerhouse: Street Series Fox Body Mustang

While SEMA is known for one-off builds, one Fox Body Mustang stood out for being the exact opposite. This "Street Series" car is a production-level vehicle, built on an assembly line in just four months.

But "production" doesn't mean "tame." This Mustang packs an 800-horsepower Gen 4X engine boosted by a 3-liter inverted Whipple supercharger. A Roadster Shop chassis and massive 12-inch wide, 335-series tires on 18-inch CCW wheels ensure the car "really sticks to the ground" and handles the power.

The car's true magic is its interior, which looks like it time-traveled from 1991. The team kept the period-correct aesthetic—down to the stock shifter—while redesigning door panels, updating the console, and adding a brand-new, stock-looking steering wheel from Spark Industries. It's the perfect blend of 90s nostalgia and modern performance.

3. The Ultimate Restomod: 60 Series 'Turbo Trail' Land Cruiser

Reeves described this 60 Series Land Cruiser restomod as "the coolest car that I've seen. Period. End of story."

Dubbed the "Turbo Trail Cruiser," this build flawlessly merges classic Toyota charm with modern Tundra power. The team swapped in the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 from the current Tundra and Sequoia, giving the rig a quiet, reliable idle and impressive power with a custom exhaust note.

The restoration was meticulous. After finding the car in Texas—where two daughters had learned to drive in it—the builders stripped it down. They replaced the rusty driver and passenger floorboards with "old stock" parts grafted into the body. They also restored the dashboard, which had been "hacked up by an axe" from sun exposure. Once the motor was running, the entire build was completed in just two months.

4. A 'Vantasy' Reborn: 1973 Dodge D200 Sportsman

This 1973 Dodge D200 van is a rolling piece of history. The van was famously featured in a 1976 magazine, and its current owner—the head of marketing at Tyrie—spent years trying to acquire it.

He finally succeeded, and a team drove from Michigan to Idaho to pick up the van, driving it back sight-unseen. The new owner, Nick, spent the last six weeks tearing it up with the help of a "seasoned builder," doing 98% of the work himself.

The journey to SEMA was an adventure in itself, totaling 6,000 miles. The van features era-appropriate custom rims and tires (which were artfully made to look "gross" to match the van), a winch, and an absolutely blinding 91,800 lumens of light off the front alone.

5. The South Beach Batmobile: Praga Bohemia

Stopping by the Ceramic Pro booth, AutoGuide.com encountered a vehicle so rare, even the booth staff didn't know what it was at first. The Praga Bohemia is one of only 89 in the world.

This street-legal hypercar weighs a scant 2,100 pounds and is powered by a 700-horsepower, twin-turbo V6 Nissan GTR engine. As if its performance and scarcity weren't enough, all the gold accents on the vehicle are 24-karat plated.

As Reeves noted, if Bruce Wayne lived on South Beach, this is unequivocally what he would be driving.