Noah Alexander Crowned Battle of the Builders Champion

DIAMOND BAR, CA – November 14, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The second decade of the SEMA Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers, the aftermarket industry’s ultimate vehicle competition, got underway with Noah Alexander winning the contest with his ’68 Dodge Charger. Alexander won the Hot Rod/ Hot Rod Truck category and edged out the other class champions – Bruce Yarnell’s ’65 Aston Martin DB5 (Sport Compact/Import Performance), Rob Lindsay’s ’49 Willys Pickup (4-Wheel Drive & Off-Road), and Connor McElvain’s ’69 Datsun 2000 Roadster (Young Guns) – to secure the overall title.

Noah Alexander winning the contest with his ’68 Dodge Charger

The victory was a testament to the craftsmanship and fabrication skills of Alexander and the team at Classic Car Studio in St. Louis, Mo., whose ’68 Dodge Charger faced off against 171 other entries at the 2024 SEMA Show.

“The competition from this year’s Battle of the Builders was intense, and to come away with a win is something our shop will never forget,” said Alexander. “Some of the people we look up to the most in the industry have won this award, so to appear alongside those people is really incredible.”

Bruce Yarnell’s ’65 Aston Martin DB5

The winning build came to fruition following a chance meeting with the car’s owner, Ed Ganzinotti, in the checkout line at a Barrett-Jackson auction six years ago. After owning the car for 20 years,  Ganzinotti, a Houston native, reached out to Alexander to spruce up the Charger.

“We were going to fix some paint issues, do an interior refresh, and rebuild the engine. We said, ‘Ed, before we start, come to our shop, see what we’re capable of, and become somewhat of a regular as we work on this build,’ ” said Alexander. After visiting the shop, Ganzinotti commissioned the team to build him “the baddest Charger out there.”

Rob Lindsay’s ’49 Willys Pickup

The ’68 Dodge Charger features original sheetmetal that was refined with sharpened body lines, a relocated wheelbase, shaved drip rails, flush-mounted glass, custom hood and trunk skins, and a bespoke belly pan. Built on an altered wheelbase Roadster Shop chassis, all suspension components were body-worked and painted.

The car is powered by the original 440-cid Dick Landy engine with eight-stack fuel injection and a deburred, smoothed block. Inside the vehicle, a custom dash features one-off milled bezels, unique seats and door panels, and a…