When it comes to putting on a great event, the folks at Goodguys have it down to a science. When it comes to finding cars that far exceed expectations in regards to high-quality standards, once again, Goodguys knows how to do it. That’s why they were able to choose five cars at the SEMA show to dub as their winners.

Each of the five Goodguys Gold Winners will get a gold-anodized bar as a trophy, and an invitation to the Goodguys 19th Southwest Nationals held at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona. The winners will also be photographed for inclusion in the Goodguys Goodtimes Gazette magazine.

Trying to choose only five vehicles as Gold Winners is a daunting task. Although not an easy undertaking, the choices were made, and we wanted to show you which cars were dubbed as their winners.

1961 Chevy Blazer

Scott Laitinen and the crew of Lake Havasu’s Sic Chops, took a severely rusted 1961 Chevy Suburban and “chopped” it into a shortened Blazer custom. They removed 22 inches from the middle of the big ride, and then chopped the roof 2 ½ inches. It’s painted silver and white, and is riding on a Roadster Shop chassis with AccuAir suspension. The large by huge wheels are 22 inchers from Colorado Custom. Inside, Ron Mangus assembled the leather interior, and Don Hardy Race Cars built the the 840 horsepower LSA engine.

1969 Camaro

The Roadster Shop is responsible for this eye-searing yellow ’69 Camaro that is aptly named “Nferno.” Nferno took several years to build, this first-gen features a hood, firewall, dash, cowl, and rear spoiler, that are all hand formed. Under that hood rests a Texas Speed LT1 delivering 680 horsepower. Cornering chores are handled by a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis, and Greening Auto Company wheels.

1948 Cadillac

Built by Ringbrothers, the “Madam V” 1948 Cadillac Series 62 benefits from the underpinnings, drivetrain, and interior that was originally in a 2016 Cadillac ATS-V. Keeping the functions of the 2016 “Caddy”, was surely a daunting process, but was acomplished. The exterior was the recipient of one-off carbon fiber hood and bumpers to replace the heavy, old school “Caddy” parts. Under the hood is a twin-turbo’d V6 pumping out 464 horsepower, backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission.

1952 Mercedes 170S

It’s not often that a European-inspired hot rod makes such a splash, but Mark Gooden’s 1952 Mercedes was the talk of the hall. Built at Samson Design in Marshall, Missouri, the roof has been chopped and wedge-cut, a pair of hand-made fenders join the running boards, and a custom frame supports the whole shebang with the aid of a modified Heidt’s suspension with QA1 coilovers.

The brown leather interior features Mercedes moldings, as well as machined trim and handles. The LS3 was moved rearward 10 inches, which caused the need to build a new firewall and dash.

1951 Ford Coupe

This ’51 Ford was built by Wicked Fabrications. It is riding on an Art Morrison chassis with a hand-made independent rear suspension. The body has a sleek, cut-down roofline, integrated rear air scoop, and flush-mounted windows.

Inside is a handmade dash filled with Classic Instruments gauges, polished bucket seats trimmed with Italian leather, and a countless number of rivets and several pieces of machined trim.

Under the hood is a Ron Shaver-built 368 ci Lincoln V8 from a 1956 model. Fuel delivery is via Hilborn stacks that have been converted to EFI.

To learn more about these cars, and all of the happenings with Goodguys, check out www.good-guys.com.