SEMA 2025: Dillon Houck’s Project SHO-OFF Falcon

SEMA 2025 is a sea of high-dollar builds, but one of the most inventive Blue Oval machines was parked at the OSH Cut booth. It’s Dillon Houck‘s 1965 Ford Falcon, Project SHO-OFF, and it’s a masterclass in creativity and problem-solving. Houck isn’t new to this; he’s a young builder who already made multiple trips to the SEMA floor, earning the backing of major brands like LIQUI MOLY. But this build is special.

The car’s story is incredible. Houck found this four-door Falcon in a field when he was in middle school, imagining it as a cool cruiser for him and his friends. He brought it back, did the bodywork, paint, and interior, and even brought it to SEMA 2023 as a clean, six-cylinder restomod. For its 2025 return, he raised the build to an entirely new level.

The centerpiece of the car’s transformation is an engine that is a common swap candidate, the multi-valve V6 engine from a 1991 Taurus SHO. This wasn’t just any engine; it was a near-perfect specimen with only 357 original miles, preserved in an early Ford test car. The monumental challenge is that the transverse installation of the SHO engine.

To make it work in a rear-wheel-drive Falcon required an immense amount of custom fabrication. This is where the Project SHO-OFF name really earns its keep, relying on 108 custom-designed adapters from OSH Cut, new engine mounts, relocated coils, and a heavily modified intake. As if that wasn’t complex enough, the team also brilliantly tucked a ProCharger P-1SC into the engine bay, feeding a TREMEC T-5 five-speed manual transmission.

The car’s foundation is just as impressive, with a Heidts Superide II front end and 13-inch, six-piston Wilwood brakes. Dillon wisely kept the unique two-tone Champagne and Cherry Red Metallic paint, which now complements a new, four-bucket leather interior, a custom dash with Dakota Digital gauges, and a roll bar. Project SHO-OFF is a stunning example of what happens when a young builder’s passion and ingenuity meet a forgotten field find, resulting in a true SEMA showstopper.