When Terry Van Dyke began planning to create the inTENse C10 project, he knew well it would involve plenty of details and he wanted to make certain his students would get the best experience possible. As a long time, custom vehicle builder himself, Terry knew well the issues that would be part of the process and he also knew that having sponsors to help navigate all the needs for such a project would be difficult. But he also knew it was possible to gain the confidence of sponsors who would not only offer their expertise but provide in many cases the actual products and technology to make inTENse stand out in the ever-growing custom vehicle universe.
One of the early sponsors was Jim and Mike Ring in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Terry and the
brothers have a common background in the auto body business and Classic Auto Body has been a staple of the Spring Green community for over 20 years.
The Ring Brothers (www.ringbrothers.com) have become one of the foremost custom vehicle builders in the country, garnering awards from the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA), including this past year’s 2022 SEMA Battle of the Builders first and second place awards for two of the four customs they took to the week long event in Las Vegas, NV. Ringbrothers (their official company name) has blazed a trail among vehicle builders and what better place than this Wisconsin-based small-town builder to offer their name recognition but also some of their specific custom billet products to take inTENse C10 to a professional level.
“I’ve worked with Jim and Mike on some of my own projects,” noted Terry, as he described how the small collision repair shop helped to give the brothers their initial experience in all things related to custom building. “From complete disassembly of a vehicle right down to its foundational structure, to creative ways to improve and enhance a vehicle’s appearance and performance, the Ring brothers have shown how important that collision repair experience has been in their own custom-building journey.”
The line of billet accessories from Ringbrothers has become the go-to items for builders all over the world and the company also provides both fiberglass and carbon fiber body panels.
The company operates from a non-descript group of buildings on the outskirts of the 1600+ population of Spring Green, located about 60 miles east of the Iowa border. It is not what you would imagine after seeing their creations at some of the most prestigious custom vehicle venues.
Jim and Mike Ring bring a passion to their work that Terry Van Dyke hopes to instill in his students. “These two began doing body work at 10 and 11 years old,” Terry describes. “They were painting cars and parts in their parent’s basement and in a friend’s chicken coop. And they still operate their repair shop, so you know it continues to be an important piece of their legacy as builders.”
The company’s billet accessories came along as the brothers realized they had ideas combining form and function they couldn’t find anywhere else, so they decided to create their own. And their impressive CNC operation has a bevy of young talent eager to produce the next great ideas Jim and Mike dream up.
Rocketing to the top of American car builders has been a challenging process, but the two brothers are determined to not only present their creativity to the world but to also encourage builders of all ages to do things in a unique way and have some fun making their own rides something that stands out from the crowd. Winning numerous awards from General Motors, SEMA, Goodguys, Mothers Shine and garnering multiple enthusiast related magazine covers hasn’t changed the Ring brother’s approach. “They continue to show awesome creativity in an industry that goes back decades,” explains Terry. “The very earliest car customizers started a trend that today is stronger than ever, and I hope inTENse C10 can give my students just a taste of what can be done with the right learning, techniques and resources.”