Make Room for Marten: Penticton, B.C.’s Cole Marten claims Golden Ticket for SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns

Las Vegas, Nevada — A British Columbian builder has been awarded a ‘Golden Ticket’ for this year’s SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns virtual regional qualifier events.

Cole Marten, co-owner of  Throttle Thrashers Garage in Penticton, British Columbia, received the final Golden Ticket up for grabs for his ’91 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R.

Starting with the world’s first left-hand-drive conversion, the list of mods Marten has executed are endless, said SEMA.

His R32 features both a 1,000 horsepower 2JZ engine conversion along with a changeover to AWD requiring a custom front diff, transmission tunnel and adaptor.

A widebody kit was molded in to make the 6-in. wide body increase look seamless. The interior features enhancements, such as a custom LHD Dash and touchscreen display that allows for tuning on the fly.

With his Golden Ticket, Marten will receive a prize package including transportation and accommodations to the 2021 SEMA Show.

Two other builders were also awarded Golden Tickets: Thomas Dickerson of Athens, Georgia, claimed the first ticket for  his ’67 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang featuring 3D printed components and parts. Dayton Jacobsen of Burnsville, Minnesota, claimed the second for his ’00 Chevrolet S10 featuring a welded in Pontiac G6 panoramic sunroof, a hood vent from a Cadillac CTS-V and hand-formed front bumper, grille and tailgate.

Each of these young vehicle builders–all aged 27 and under–will compete in the coveted SEMA Battle of the Builders competition alongside hundreds of established vehicle builders.

For more information on the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition or the SEMA Young Guns program, visit semayoungguns.com or semabotb.com.