Alloway Wins 2015 SEMA Battle Of The Builders With PPG-Painted Roadster

Bobby Alloway recently won the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition during the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, adding another major award to his already jam-packed trophy case.
The winning PPG-painted 1933 Ford Roadster, owned by Larry Olson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was displayed in the PPG booth throughout the show. The award-winning entry featured Alloway’s trademark black finish, set off with contrasting blazing orange flames running down the sides of the roadster’s body.

At Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop in Louisville, Tennessee, he exclusively uses PPG products, and the roadster’s prize-winning finish was achieved with DELTRON DBU 9700 Basecoat and DCU 2002 CONCEPT Clearcoat by PPG. The car’s aggressive profile and stance resulted in an “old-school” street-rod look that helped Alloway battle a standout crowd of elite aftermarket builders to win the honor.

“It feels so good to win the SEMA Battle of the Builders,” he said. “This is just as great as a Ridler or Great Eight win. I almost didn’t enter because I didn’t think I had a chance with an old hot rod; it doesn’t have all the technology that the other builders’ cars had.”

In the end, Alloway’s approach won out. Expert judges Fred Williams (Petersen’s 4Wheel & Off-Road), David Freiburger (Hot Rod) and R.J. de Vera (Meguiar’s) narrowed a field of more than 200 car builders and customizers, and the 260 custom cars they entered, to 10 finalists. The finalists then evaluated the entries and decided among themselves who would take Top Builder honors. Six of the 10 finalists used PPG products to finish their cars.

In addition to Alloway, these included: Jeremy Gerber, 1973 Camaro (Roadster Shop); Phil and Jeremy Gerber, 2015 Chevy Colorado (Roadster Shop); Alan Johnson, 1953 Studebaker (Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop); Andy Leach, 1962 Chevy Bubble Top (Cal Auto Creations, painted by Charley Hutton); and Kyle Tucker, 1970 Chevy Chevelle (Detroit Speed).
Alloway has built ageless street rods since 1978, and he is no stranger to winning major awards. He’s won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award twice, as well as the Best Rod honor at the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) in Pomona, California, and he placed in the top 10 in the Builder’s Challenge at SEMA last year. Alloway’s cars have won the Goodguys’ Street Rod and Street Machine of the Year awards and the prestigious Ridler trophy, among others, and he has been honored as Detroit Autorama Builder of the Year and inducted into the National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame.