SEMA Show


The backstory behind HPP's showstopping Daytona conversion... is a Chevy Camaro next?

When we saw the HPP Daytona at this year's SEMA show, two things became very apparent. One, we'd really like to drive it. Two, we need better pictures of it. See, the poor thing got itself shoved into a tight booth at SEMA and we just couldn't get too many decent shots. So, being the enterprising lads that we are, we wrote HPP and asked if they had some better pictures. Guess what? You're looking at 'em. One thing we really dig about these studio shots is the detailing. Just check out the custom exhaust tips – the square suckers ... Read more →

SEMA Scraps: 15-series tire from Nexen barely holds air Frank Filipponio

While in Vegas for SEMA this year, we did our best to concentrate on the cars... and occasionally their hostesses. We deliberately stayed away from the thousands of individual products being ...

First Petty's Garage Challenger heading to Barrett-Jackson Frank Filipponio

And with this official decree, let it be known that one custom 2009 Dodge Challenger, painted in a very familiar and regal blue shall be offered for sale to the highest bidder in Arizona in the ...

SEMA 2009 Worst of Show: This car stinks... Jonny Lieberman

Stinks. You might think that we're talking about the overall design of this shockingly orange scissor-door/scissor-trunk Dodge Charger R/T. Or the build quality, what with panel gaps that you can ...

SEMA 2009: Gran Turismo Best in Show is the Trans-Cammer Mustang Frank Filipponio

Phillip Koenen brought a really gorgeous, miles-deep-black, 1970 Mustang to SEMA and came away with another fine piece of hardware:The Gran Turismo Best in Show award. For the past several years, ...

SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals are anything but stock 29 days ago on Autoblog

This year's SEMA show in Las Vegas didn't have quite the gravitas of years past, as the state of the economy and the automotive industry in particular seemed to be a wet blanket over the whole proceedings. Thank goodness there were plenty of friendly faces throughout the halls to keep our ...

SEMA 2009: What we didn't get to cover 29 days ago on Autoblog

Every year at SEMA, we fill the week with posts featuring special vehicles and products that we felt were important enough to share. Generally, they are the most newsworthy projects and new model introductions, but sometimes they are just things that caught our eye. When all is said and done, we ...

SEMA 2009: Chevy Graphics Camaro not bashful about changing in public 1 month ago on Autoblog

Chevrolet decided that it might be fun to have a contest to pick out a new decal pack for its hot new Camaro. They posted six different possible decal sets on Facebook a while back and after letting their online friends vote, the automaker chose four finalists. Those four looks were applied to ...

SEMA 2009: Galpin builds custom '69 Mustang right on the show floor 1 month ago on Autoblog

While those of us in the media walked around the show floor at SEMA looking for the cool, the crazy, and the just plain awesome, there were people doing actual work. Real work. No, we're not talking about the security people that wouldn't let us in the show before 9:00am no matter how we tried to ...

SEMA 2009: Knee-high tri-axle pickup by Air-Zenith is down and (not so) dirty 1 month ago on Autoblog

We're not exactly sure what this used to be in its former life, but it all kinds of cool in its current iteration. Just knee-high to a Hobbit, this six-wheel convertible was parked in the shadow of Bigfoot and we almost tripped over it. We were able to locate an Air-Zenith banner on the ...

SEMA 2009: 1951 Henry J gasser is a 7-second blast from the past 1 month ago on Autoblog

Here's another black beauty that caught our attention in the halls of SEMA 2009. It's a 1951 Kaiser Henry J owned and raced by Chris Beanes of California. Running in A/Gas, this gloss-free gasser can storm the quarter in the mid-7s at better than 174 MPH. We read somewhere that it's powered ...

SEMA 2009: The rest of the best at the Ford display 1 month ago on Autoblog

SEMA is an interesting show. We go in knowing full well that 60-75% of the cars we'll be walking past and/or covering are just trash. Sorry if this bombshell offends anyone, but your Chrysler 300C doesn't need 26-inch hoops, nor seventy gallons of sparkle orange paint. Or diamonds. But, as ...

SEMA 2009: The Chevrolet Camaro 'splosion!!! 1 month ago on Autoblog

In past years at SEMA, there has always been a single vehicle that seems to be the most popular at the show. Last year, it was the Dodge Challenger and Nissan GTR, but there weren't enough to be overwhelming. This year, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro came and infested the Las Vegas convention ...

SEMA 2009: Pinkee's ignites lust for a Pontiac Firebird 1 month ago on Autoblog

This year's SEMA show might have been a bit smaller than in years past, but there were certainly some heavy hitters in the crowd that proved the old "quality, not quantity" adage. Take, for instance, this super-clean, super-fine 1977 Pontiac Firebird. Like the Ringbrothers "Afterburner" Fairlane ...

SEMA 2009: Blackout Bentley balances the bad 1 month ago on Autoblog

It seems that matte black is the new black this year at SEMA, especially if you broaden if to gray and slip bare carbon fiber into the category. This particular application of said coloring resides on a sinister looking Bentley Continental GT. Besides the satin paint, it's wearing a Premier ...

SEMA 2009: Meguiars Wraptivo brings vinyl car wraps to the masses 1 month ago on Autoblog

When we think of vinyl wraps, we usually picture flat-billed baseball caps worn by tattooed dude-bros driving lifted pickups with the latest energy drink plastered on the sides. Or budget Bubbles. Or Fast and Furious poseurs. But we've always seen the potential for enthusiasts looking for an ...

SEMA 2009: Ford SVT Raptor even more appealing with 6.2-liter V8 1 month ago on Autoblog

If Ford had only offered the 5.4-liter V8 in the SVT Raptor and called it a day, we doubt anyone would have complained. Just the fact that the Blue Oval even had the guts to build such a vehicle deserves applause. But they didn't. The 2009 SEMA Show saw the introduction of Ford's 6.2-liter V8 ...

SEMA 2009: We expected a Camaro Convertible, but got two 1 month ago on Autoblog

When we received the press release from Drop Top Customs saying that they would be bringing a Camaro convertible to SEMA, we could hardly contain ourselves. Ever since the Camaro Concept was first shown some way too many years ago, we've been expecting a droptop version as well. General Motors ...

SEMA 2009: Ford Taurus puts on a good SHO 1 month ago on Autoblog

We didn't expect much from Ford's new fulls-size four-door at this year's SEMA show, but the quartet of Taurus Concepts were actually pretty impressive. The design lends itself better to customization than we might've thought, and we wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few owners ...

SEMA 2009: Ford shows off Healing Heroes Network grand prize Shelby GT500 pair 1 month ago on Autoblog

In the Ford booth at SEMA this year, we spotted a matching set of 1967 and 2010 Shelby GT500 Mustangs. White with blue stripes, they looked incredible even in the unflattering lighting of Central Hall. The 1967 example is a verified Shelby original, number 3139 in the Shelby Registry. The 2010 ...

SEMA 2009: Rev for iPhone reaches 2.0, includes data-logging [w/ VIDEO] 1 month ago on Autoblog

Since there are approximately one trillion iPhones in the world and about ten-times as many apps, it's not hard to find a program to suit your needs. But in the automotive sphere, there aren't nearly as many quality applications and even fewer that can deliver the information most gearheads ...

SEMA 2009: World's only known four-rotor Mazda RX-8 1 month ago on Autoblog

We came across this RX-8 at SEMA and it immediately rang a bell. Time Attack, four-rotor, Mazda RX-8? It's the BMI Racing car we saw on Streetfire a while back. It's said to be the only four-rotor RX-8 in the world and it looks and sounds incredible. Don't believe us? You can see a couple of ...

SEMA 2009: Grunewald Racing Camaro sets its sights on 2010 Formula Drift season 1 month ago on Autoblog

Conrad Grusewald has been an occasional participant in the Formula Drift series for the past several years with a supercharged C5 Corvette as his vehicle of choice for piloting around clipping points and narrowly missing concrete barriers while in opposite lock. For the 2010 season, however, he ...

SEMA 2009: Mavizen introduces 130-mph TTX02 electric racebike 1 month ago on Autoblog

Right on schedule, Mavizen has released its TTX02 electric motorcycle at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Well, if you listen to Azhar Hussain, TTXGP founder and the entrepreneur behind this racebike, the TTX02 is a "laptop on wheels." How so? For starters, each machine is fitted with an ...

SEMA 2009: HPP Daytona is one big Hot Wheels toy 1 month ago on Autoblog

We've been hearing about this car for three days, but we just couldn't find it. Then, just before lunch, one of our intrepid reporters tracked the beast down within the tropical bowels of Las Vegas Convention Center's Central Hall. Behold: the HPP Daytona! Yes, it's a new Dodge Challenger ...

SEMA 2009: Mid-engined Ghepardo is one part Corvette, one part Camaro, 100% SEMA 1 month ago on Autoblog

Here's what we know: Caccia Custom Cars took a 2002 Chevy Camaro and a 2002 Chevy Corvette and created the Ghepardo. The car uses the Camaro's frame and the Corvette's motor and suspension. The motor is mounted amidships, albeit backwards (note the throttle body). And the House of Kolor paint is ...

SEMA 2009: 1962 Corvette C1-RS is a worthy Goodguys Street Machine of the Year 1 month ago on Autoblog

It takes a lot to win the the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year award, but this custom 1962 Corvette convertible you see here easily deserves the honor. The car not only looks incredible, but it posted the fastest time at the Goodguys autocross track as well! Every single one of the body ...

SEMA 2009: Badass Chevy Chevelle isn't as fuelish as it seems 1 month ago on Autoblog

The clean exterior of this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle hides a wicked little secret – if you take a look at the photo above, you'll see what we mean. The bundle of plumbing you see spilling out of the engine bay tells only part of the story – that's no overworked Chevy small block in ...

SEMA 2009: Hyundai Genesis Coupes out in force in Vegas 1 month ago on Autoblog

While the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang are the de facto coupes of the show, as suspected, tuners have taken a liking to Hyunda'si Genesis Coupe, with numerous modified examples peppered throughout the show floor. The 3.8-liter V6 is arguably the better driver, and the Road/Race version in ...

SEMA 2009: Turbo rotary Mazda MX-5 begs to be flogged 1 month ago on Autoblog

If you get the impression things are all high gloss and dubs in Vegas, you wouldn't be far off. But walk around the SEMA compound long enough and you come across something cool that that speaks to the gearhead, track rat in each of us. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of details about this ...

SEMA 2009: Hummer quartet is a pretty sweet swansong 1 month ago on Autoblog

We almost skipped the Hummer section of the General Motors booth this year at SEMA, concentrating instead on the plethora of Chevrolet Camaro concepts all around them. When we went back for a second look at the day's new design for the Graphics Camaro, we saw the truck above and figured we ...

SEMA 2009: Inside-out Toyota Alphard is the ultimate brougham 1 month ago on Autoblog

Most Americans know very little of the Toyota Alphard and its Vellfire offshoot. It's basically one of Toyota's JDM minivans, although it's also frequently used as a limousine too. It's kind of funky and cool in a totally Japanese way. While we've gotten the moderately cool Previa in the States, ...

SEMA 2009: Bigfoot still a crowd favorite, 35 years later 1 month ago on Autoblog

We distinctly remember 3rd grade. Specifically, sitting in the library once a month during recess. Why would we give up dodgeball and four-square to sit inside and read? Because the new issues of Off Road and 4Wheeler had just dropped and they had stories about Bigfoot! Bearfoot too, and ...

SEMA 2009: WD-40 Camaro looks cool, needs more stickers 1 month ago on Autoblog

With a 600-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8 residing underhood, we'd happily spray ourselves into the seats of this WD-40 showcar. The legendary lubricant company actually contracted a slew of top-shelf builders to do the custom outfitting, they just sponsored it. Either way, this blue-and-yellow 2010 ...

SEMA 2009: Mazda introduces us to a happy couple, inspires 3-some 1 month ago on Autoblog

For SEMA 2009, Mazda introduced us to a pair of the happiest Mazda3 derivatives we've ever seen. Part Le Mans-winning 787B tribute, part rolling showcase (for their Mazda accessories catalog) and part 40th anniversary present to itself, this couple with their odd, knowing smiles was pretty easy ...

SEMA 2009: Custom Suzuki Kizashi models impress, upset 1 month ago on Autoblog

We totally dig the new 2010 Suzuki Kizashi. It's a bold step forward for Suzuki and (hopefully) a harbinger of great things to come, which also happens to be what "Kizashi" means. However, the looks are a little, well... not outstanding. Not that it's particularly bad-looking (it ain't), but ...

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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

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