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SEMA 2009: Kia Officially Announces Forte Koup Motorsports Program for 2010
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When we arrived at Kia’s SEMA Show booth, PR boss Alex Fedorak told us that we had guessed correctly – the big announcement, as we correctly surmised, was that Kia is going racing in 2010. Kia will be racing in the Grand Am Koni Challenge series in a race prepped version of its Forte Koup,…
SEMA 2009: Honda Announces Mugen Accessories for Accord
Honda used the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show to announce the introduction of a new line of Mugen Accessories for the 2010 Accord. Mugen has long been known as a performance parts company, building special edition cars for Honda as well as assisting in the company’s motorsports programs. The list of Mugen parts for…
SEMA 2009: Subaru Performace Tuning WRX STI Unveiled in Vegas
To help promote Subaru’s in-house performance tuning department, the automaker build a custom WRX STI using only parts from the Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) and STI catalogs. Unveiled at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the SPT WRX STI makes 315-hp (up from 305-hp), thanks to an SPT exhaust system. Otherwise, the factory turbocharged…
SEMA 2009: Subaru Legacy Gets VIP-Style at Aftermarket Expo
Kept under wraps until today, Subaru used the 2009 SEMA Show to showcase the tuning possibilities for the new 2010 Legacy with a VIP-styled Legacy 2.5GT. In true Japanese VIP fashion, this Legacy 2.5GT gets a deep purple paint job, an air ride suspension and a set of 20-inch wheels wit a 4-inch lip. To…
SEMA 2009: 300-hp Subaru Legacy Wagon GTk Breaks Cover in Las Vegas
Out of all the tuned vehicles at Subaru’s 2009 SEMA Show booth, we have to say the Legacy Wagon GTk is our top pick. Designed to bring together the best aspects of the Legacy sedan and the Outback wagon/crossover, the Legacy Wagon GTk was built as a capable autocross vehicle that can also carry a…
SEMA 2009: Rhys Millen Racing Unveils Mid-Engine V8 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
After much anticipation, Rhys Millen Racing has finally unveiled its mid-engined V8-powered Genesis Coupe at the 2009 SEMA Show. The RMR460 gets its name from the powerful Tau 4.6-liter V8, that has been borrowed from the Genesis Sedan. But RMR wasn’t satisfied with leaving the engine stock, instead choosing to upgrade the engine’s internals (with…
SEMA 2009: Toyota to Display Two Modified Priuses by Five Axis
For the SEMA Show, Toyota often calls on the Five Axis tuner shop to create wild and wacky Scions or Lexuses, but for the first time the custom fabricators have been called upon to modify a Prius. Actually, Five Axis has built two versions of the 2010 Prius, the first called the Prius Aerius (Latin…
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 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…
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…
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…
SEMA Preview: Fox Marketing Reveals 405-hp IS350C Ahead of Las Vegas Debut
Set to officially debut next week at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, next to a selection of other modified Lexus vehicles, Fox Marketing has decided to jump the gun, revealing all there is to know about the extremely custom IS350C. While the bright green paint (in true Fox Marketing style) might be the most…
SEMA Preview: Hot Rod Brooks and Dunn Toyota Tundra Headed to Aftermarket Expo
Thanks to the folks at PickupTrucks.com we have our first glimpse at what the Brooks and Dunn Toyota Tundra SEMA Show truck will look like. Interestingly, the theme of the pickup isn’t so much country music, as it is the Hot Rod car craze. Built to look like a 1950s-style hot rod, the truck will…
SEMA Preview: WALD Black Bisson GT-R Headed to Las Vegas
There will no doubt be numerous modified GT-Rs at this year’s SEMA Show. One of the nicest, is sure to be WALD’s Black Bisson model. WALD’s U.S. distributor, Jonari Corp., has said it is building a GT-R for the aftermarket trade show. The car will feature the full aero kit including side skirts, rear fender…
SEMA Preview: GReddy Tuned Genesis Coupe to Make Over 350-hp
As though there was any doubt, the 2009 SEMA Show is gearing up to be an exhibition of modified Hyundais. The tuning experts at GReddy have announced that they will be bringing a Genesis Coupe 2.0T, with all sorts of aftermarket goodies and an expected power output of 350-hp and 320 ft-lbs of torque. Called…
Report: Viper Tuner Hennessey Planning 500hp Genesis Coupe for SEMA
How’s this for a school assignment: take a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, construct a twin-turbocharger system to make it pump out 500hp and present your work at SEMA. That’s the task facing students at John Hennessey’s Tuner School. Best known for his work with Dodge Vipers, Hennessey has assigned students at the State of Texas-accredited…
SEMA Preview: Scion Teases Trio of Wild Show Cars
Along with three xB Tuner Challenge Cars, Scion will be bringing a trio of additional custom creations to the 2009 SEMA Show. The three cars include a tC, xB and xD, created by Cartel Customs, Five Axis Design and 0-60 Magazine. First up is the Cartel Customs tC,which promises to follow in the tread patterns…
