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SEMA 2009: Toyota Tundra Hot Rod Revealed Ahead of SEMA Debut
Ahead of its official debut later today at the 2009 SEMA Show, Toyota has revealed a single photo of its Hot Rod Tundra. Build by Phoenix-based motorcycle shop Sucker Punch Sally’s, the Tundra gets a long list of design cues from the hot rods of the 1950s and ’60s. The Regular Cab 4×2 gets some…
SEMA 2009: Scion Show Cars Revealed Ahead of SEMA Debut
Having already been privy to all the info on Scion’s SEMA Show cars, we can now bring you full photos of each custom vehicle ahead of their debut at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Let’s start with the Tuner Challenge cars, which are once again all xB models for 2009. First up is…
SEMA 2009: Mazda to Show Custom MazdaSpeed3 and Turbo Mazda3s in Vegas
For the 2009 SEMA Show Mazda is playing it low key, but that doesn’t mean the two vehicles on display are any less cool. Sure there aren’t LCD screens galore, nor is there any 600-hp twin-turbo V8 under the hood, but Mazda’s two modified 3 models are clean and performance oriented – just the way…
SEMA 2009: Lexus Tuners Build Four Custom IS350 Convertibles
Last year Lexus used the SEMA Show to help promote the IS-F, but for SEMA ’09, the IS Convertible is taking the stage. Lexus shipped out three IS Cs to different shops and organizations, letting them be as creative as they liked. A fourth IS C was built by Lexus’s in-house F-sport performance division. First…
SEMA 2009: Lexus Rocks It Old School With 1,000-hp IS300
Looking more like something we might have seen at SEMA in 2002, Lexus has decided to showcase David Huang’s wild IS300 along with its collection of custom IS Cs, a TRD GS and the new LFA Supercar. Making about as much power as two LFA’s, Huang has dubbed the car the IS1000, due to its…
SEMA 2009: Subaru Builds Rally-Prepped WRX STI With Even More Grip
We were really excited when we started reading Subaru’s latest SEMA press release, as it listed things like a 400-hp WRX STI, the word’s “rally-prepped” and “Ken Block.” That was all well and good, but entirely too normal for a SEMA show car. And that’s what we discovered upon continued reading as we downloaded the…
SEMA 2009: Subaru Builds a 300-hp Legacy Wagon… and We Want It
Along with a more traditional modified STI and a wild Legacy show car, Subaru is set to debut a stunning Legacy wagon at the 2009 SEMA Show. Called the Legacy GTk, this wagon is designed to be an autocross champ and can also carry your family and an autocross secret weapon. Subaru designed the car…
SEMA 2009: Canadian Supercar Locus Plethore Rolls in to Vegas
The Locus Plethore has no trouble standing out in a crowd. In fact, we couldn’t help but be drawn towards its oversized backside, hardly noticing a bright green Lamborghini Murciélago on one side and a pristine white twin-turbo Gallardo on the other. Built by HTT Technologies, the Plethore is a Canadian supercar and is manufactured…
SEMA 2009: Mr. Norm’s Garage Rolls into SEMA With a Rainbow of Challenger Convertibles
With the SEMA Show officially starting tomorrow, we were in town early and thought we drop by to see what we might stumble upon. It was hard to miss the tasty Skittles rainbow of convertible Challengers parked out front. Dodge tuner Mr. Norm’s Garage was displaying five of the drop-top Challengers in different colors and…
SEMA 2009: Pirelli Shows 405 Series Tire on Widebody 2010 Camaro
It doesn’t get much more extreme than this in the tire business. Known for building ridiculous one-off tires for the SEMA Show, in the past Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli has shown such monstrosities as a 30-inch tire – on a Hummer no less. For the 2009 SEMA Show, the company has decided to go in…
Report: Dodge Officially Unveils Challenger for NASCAR Nationwide Series With Two Car Penske Team
Dodge has officially unveiled its 2010 Challenger NASCAR racer (at least from one angle) with an announcement that it will field a two car team in next year’s Nationwide Series, run by Penske Racing. “As the performance brand of our new company, we are excited to expand our relationship with Penske Racing and introduce the…
SEMA Preview: Edelbrock to Unveil 599-hp Corvette Supercharger Package
Those wandering the isles of the SEMA Show next week in Las Vegas probably won’t pay much attention to the red 2009 Chevy Corvette in the Edelbrock booth. But they should. As the performance-oriented company that it is, Edelbrock’s Corvette won’t have 22-inch diamond-encrusted wheels, or orange paint, or six LCD screens. Nope. In fact,…
Report: Top Chevy Volt Engineer Leaving GM for Opel
Frank Weber, the engineer that is currently running Chevy’s Volt project is parting ways with General Motors. Weber, will be returning to his homeland of Germany, where he will take up a senior management roll at Opel. GM is currently in the process of selling Opel to Canada’s Magna International and Opel is set to…
Report: IMSA Unveils Stunning Widebody Gallardo LP560-4
German Lamborghini tuner IMSA has just released its complete widebody tuning package for the LP560-4 and just like the company’s last Gallardo project, it’s absolutely stunning. The kit includes a new front splitter and rear diffuser, as well as fender flares and a rear spoiler. Arguably the best item IMSA offers, however, are the stunning…
Report: 2010 Canadian Car of the Year Nominees Announced
The Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has just announced the list of nominees for Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the year. This list is made up of the winners from each of the 12 categories and includes the Mazda3, Mazda3 Sport, Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI, Ford Taurus, BMW 335d,…
SEMA Preview: Callaway Builds Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary Camaro SS With 582-hp
NASCAR racing team Hendrick Motorsports is planning to launch a limited edition run of Camaro SS models to celebrate 25 years in the business. Called the Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary 2010 Camaro SS, each car will be built by famed Corvette tuner Callaway Cars. The package will include a stylish aerodynamics kit with a front…
SEMA Preview: Subaru to Show Factory SPT Tuning Package for STI, Plus VIP-Styled 2010 Legacy
Subaru will showcase three vehicles at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week, including one vehicle that owners can replicate, thanks to the company’s Subaru Performance Tuning division. That car is a WRX STI, which has been completely outfitted with a long list of SPT parts straight out of the factory catalog. The car…
SEMA Preview: Kia to Announce Forte Koup Motorsports Initiative?
Kia appears to be readying an announcement that for 2010 it will launch a motorsports initiative using the Forte Koup. We just received a brief (very brief) email from Kia Motors America stating that the Korean automaker will, “be accelerating its brand transformation” with an announcement at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) Show next…
Report: GM Expects First Monthly Sales Increase in Almost Two Years
GM’s sales numbers for October must be good because the company is already announcing that it expects to post its first monthly sales increase in 21 months. Still several days away, Mike DiGiovanni, GM’s executive director of global market and industry analysis, told the Detroit Free Press the good news. Looking back to October of…
Report: BMW Builds One-Off M5 CSL With 580-hp
To celebrate 25 years since the creation of the M5, BMW has built a light weight, even higher performance version of the current E60 super saloon. But don’t get too excited, BMW only built one and there are no plans to bring this model to production. BMW M division R&D boss Albert Biermann described the…
Video: Chevrolet Camaro Grand Sport Headed to SEMA
Much like last year, Chevy is planning a display of tricked-out Camaro models for the SEMA Show and one of those vehicles is apparently a Grand Sport model. Chevy hasn’t made any comments other than releasing the video, which shows a few different vehicles, including a lime green Camaro and the dark gray car with…
Leaked: Full Details of Scion’s SEMA Show Cars Slip Out
Later today Scion is planning to display a selection of its 2009 SEMA Show cars before they hit the convention center floor in Las Vegas next week. But if you can’t wait until later today, let alone next week, we have a sneak peak at just what modifications each car will receive. We already reported…
Report: Scion Sets September 2010 for Expansion into Canada
Toyota Canada has announced that it will expand its product offering significantly in Canada with the introduction of the youth-oriented Scion brand in September of 2010. The launch will be targeted at several major markets including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. In total 45 dealers will be a part of the expansion. The Scion dealers will…
SEMA Preview: Suzuki Bringing Kizashi Quartet to Las Vegas
Suzuki is hoping to drum up interest in its new Kizashi mid-sized sedan with a quartet of customized versions that will be officially unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week. Suzuki has already released some info on three of the cars built by different tuner shops, while a fourth car, built by…
