Meguiar’s SEMA Booth Pairs A Classic Ford F-100 With An Aston Martin GT3 Racer, And The Contrast Is The Point
Meguiar’s used its 125th anniversary to make a point about what good detailing actually looks like, unveiling two project vehicles at its Central Hall booth during an 11:30 a.m. press conference on the opening day of SEMA 2026 in Las Vegas. One is a 1956 Ford F-100 GT/FX built by Fat Fender Garage, the other is YouTuber TJ Hunt’s 2013 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 conversion. They have almost nothing in common mechanically, and that’s exactly why they’re standing next to each other.
Meguiar’s traditionally pairs a vintage hot rod with a modern import-style build at SEMA to showcase detailing across generations. This year, a supercharged Coyote-powered restomod truck shares the spotlight with an Aston Martin wearing Porsche paint.
TJ Hunt’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Skips The Obvious Color Choice
Hunt’s Vantage GT3 is the latest in a string of GT3 conversions he’s built and revealed at the Meguiar’s booth, following a Ferrari 458 GT3 in 2020, a 2022 BMW M4 GT3 shown at SEMA 2023, and last year’s Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo. For 2026 he picked a 2013 Aston Martin Vantage and fitted it with a modified version of the Aston Martin Racing GT3 body kit, including the deep front splitter, vented hood, side skirts, rear diffuser, and wing.
Power comes from a hand-built, naturally aspirated 4.7-liter V8 with GT4-spec headers, a VelocityAP exhaust, and that company’s clutch package for the six-speed manual. Other upgrades include Nitron R1 coilovers, 20-inch HRE R101 Lightweight wheels, and an AP Racing Air Jack system. But the paint steals the show: Hunt skipped the expected British Racing Green for Porsche Macadamia Metallic from the Paint to Sample program, a subdued shade chosen to distinguish the car from his previous builds without sacrificing timeless craftsmanship.
The Fat Fender Garage F-100 Brings 15,000 Hours To The Other Side Of The Booth
The second build, Fat Fender Garage’s 1956 Ford F-100 GT/FX, is owned by collector Tony Peressini and took the Gilbert, Arizona shop roughly 15,000 hours over five years to complete, at an estimated cost north of a million dollars. The all-steel body was sectioned two inches, fitted with a pancaked roof and hood, and widened at the fenders, with a Mustang Shelby GT350-derived rear diffuser and a custom double-walled bed. The original grille was left untouched as a deliberate nod to the truck’s 1950s roots.
Under the hood sits a third-generation Ford 5.0-liter Coyote V8 topped with a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger, making 800 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque through a Ford 10R80 10-speed automatic. The truck rides on Fat Fender Garage’s own FF1 Performance coilover chassis with six-piston Wilwood front brakes and 20-inch HRE wheels, and it’s finished in a custom champagne BASF paint with a hand-finished racing stripe.
Why The Two Builds Are Sharing A Stage
The contrast is deliberate. Meguiar’s uses a 1950s pickup and a GT3-inspired Aston to show that finish quality transcends eras and budgets. Both builds depend on exceptional paint, tight panel gaps, and flawless presentation under SEMA’s lights.
Meguiar’s is also handing out limited-edition signed posters tied to the unveil: TJ Hunt signs Tuesday at 2 p.m., Dustin Williams Wednesday at 10 a.m., and Fat Fender Garage Wednesday at 2 p.m., all at booth 22357. The booth also doubles as the launch point for Meguiar’s 2027 product lineup, timed to land during the same week as its 125th anniversary celebration. SEMA 2026 runs through November 6 in Las Vegas.
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