AS SEEN IN OUR C10 BUILDERS GUIDE SUMMER 2026 ISSUE – Buy Now!

A Week in Sin City

If you’ve been paying attention to the calendar, then you probably feel just like we do. Where the heck did 2025 go?! Well, we can’t gloss over the end-of-year bash and our annual pilgrimage to the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip, which compete with the retina-searing glow of polished billet and fresh clearcoat. That’s right, the SEMA Show has once again descended upon Vegas, transforming the convention center into a high-octane mecca for everything on four wheels.

But let’s be real for a second, as the landscape at SEMA is shifting. Walking the miles of aisles this year, you’ll see plenty of EV conversions, high-tech overlanders, and the latest aerodynamic wizardry. For those of us who live and breathe classic iron, there’s a bittersweet reality settling in: the venerable Chevy C10 is becoming a rarer sight on this grand stage. As the supply of clean project trucks dries up and prices continue to climb into the stratosphere, seeing a C10 under the SEMA spotlight isn’t just a treat anymore—it’s a statement.

In years past, you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a bagged ‘67–’72. This year, the “sea of C10s” has thinned out, but don’t let that fool you. What we’re seeing in 2025 is a move toward absolute perfection. When a builder decides to bring a C10 to SEMA today, they know they can’t just “mail it in.” They have to really bring the heat.

Take, for instance, the CRC Industries 1977 C10 Pro-Street build. Collaborating with the likes of Jeff Lutz and Clay Millican, this truck isn’t just a showpiece; it’s a “build for the future” powerhouse. Rocking an Edelbrock/Musi 555 big-block topped with an 8-71 supercharger, it’s a reminder that while the world might be going electric, there is still no substitute for the raw, visceral punch of a blown V8. This C10 features “super-sano” execution at its finest with clean lines, a purposeful stance, and enough horsepower to move the earth’s crust.

 

 

Tony Leal’s 1964 C10 build was laid out flat in the Air Lift Performance booth. What a statement in absolute subtle perfection. Every single detail, top to bottom, tip to tail, inside and out—a pure treat to the senses through and through (hence what earned the Leal family the top spot in the last issue).

Speaking of cleanliness, the trend in 2025 was all about “reverse retro.” We’re seeing builders like Chris Pate pushing the boundaries of what a C10 can be. His 1970 four-door C10, a custom-stretched masterpiece, stole hearts at the Hemmings Honors. It’s laid out flat on the deck, wearing a shade of red that’ll make you forget your name, and features a level of metalwork (check that forward-leaning tumblehome on the rear window) that proves the C10 community isn’t dying; it’s evolving.

Then there’s the 3D Car Care booth, where Randy’s 1970 C10 showed us that “simple” is often the hardest thing to get right. It’s a truck that demands you to stop and stare, not because it’s loud, but because every gap is perfect, every stitch is straight, and the paint looks like you could dive into it.

It’s easy to get caught up in the “new-new” here in Vegas. But as we navigate the sensory overload of SEMA 2025, it’s these classic Bow Ties that provide the soul of the show. They represent the grit of the garage and the passion of the builder who spent late nights chasing that perfect body line. C10s might be getting harder to find on the SEMA floor, but that only makes us appreciate them more when they do show up. They are the anchors of our culture—reminding us where we came from as we speed toward the future.

If this is what the “fewer but better” C10 era looks like, we’re all in. Stay tuned as we dive deeper into the individual builds that made our jaws drop this year..