Modified American
SEMA 2009: The Trucks of the SEMA Show
A big part of the SEMA Show each year (both in terms of quantity and, well, size) is the truck and off-road industry. Some trucks get lowered suspensions and some lifted, some run on supercharged 4-cylinders, while others rely on massive turbocharged diesel units. Yet despite all that divides some truck lovers from others, they…
Report: Shelby Unveils Supercharged F-150 Super Snake Muscle Truck Concept
It’s just a concept for now, but Shelby Automobiles Inc., is hoping there’s enough interest to go ahead and start building production versions of this muscle truck. Called the F-150 Super Snake Concept, the Shelby-inspired vehicle is based on a 2007 F-150 regular cab and lists extensive modifications to improve handling, styling and power. For…
SEMA 2009: Robby Gordon to Compete in 2010 Dakar Rally in New Full Carbon H3
As a brand, Hummer’s time in the spotlight is pretty much over, although if there is something that can save the brand it might be a core group of enthusiasts and a strong motorsports background. While Hummers are best known for being excessive street machines, unlike a lot of SUVs, they are actually incredibly capable…
SEMA 2009: SMS Supercars Announces Superparts Division to Sell Parts Individually
Over the past year or so Steve Saleen’s new project, SMS Supercars has released high performance versions of the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger. This week at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show, SMS announces the introduction of SMS Superparts, a division of the company that will sell the parts individually through a distribution network….
SEMA 2009: Hennessey HPE700 is a Camaro, ZR1 Love Child
One of just two vehicles worthy to flank the Mobil 1 booth at the 2009 SEMA Show is the Hennessey HPE700 LS9 Camaro. As the name suggests, under the hood there’s a supercharged LS9 motor lifted from a Corvete ZR1. The easy-to-remember HPE700 name isn’t entirely accurate, however, as the engine has been tuned somewhat…
SEMA 2009: Ford’s Massive Mustang Presence at SEMA in Detail
There was no doubt that the focus of Ford’s SEMA Show booth was the all-new 2010 Mustang, with a total of nine modified Stangs, plus the all-new Cobra Jet model. Ford originally scheduled eight cars, but it looks like Galpin Auto Sports snuck in a second entry. The cars were built by tuner shops, race…
SEMA 2009: Hurst Unveils Supercharged Performance Series Camaro and Mustang
Hurst Performance Vehicles used the 2009 SEMA Show to expand its product lineup significantly with the introduction of Performance Series versions of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. Both cars appeared in predominantly white livery with black and gold detailing. The Hurst Performance Series Camaro features a Magnusson Supercharger, Hurst Competition/Plus shifter with a…
SEMA 2009: Kevin Morgan Designs Trans Am Makes Official Debut
The Lingenfelter Trans Am Concept wasn’t the only TA on display at the 2009 SEMA Show, with Kevin Morgan Designs debuting its version of the iconic car. Based on a slightly more modern interpretation of the Trans Am, the Kevin Morgan car takes its cues from the 1977-’78 model and is based on the all-new…
SEMA 2009: Mopar Jeep Lower Forty Is Ready for the Rocks
The Mopar performance department at Chrysler went all out in building the Mopar Jeep Lower Forty, which is designed to deliver serious off-roading – just the way Jeep drivers like it. Starting life as a two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, the gear-heads at Mopar decided to add on a set of 20-inch Mopar wheels and 40-inch…
SEMA 2009: Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary Camaro SS Gets ZR1-Inspired Looks and Performance
NASCAR racing team Hendrick Motorsports chose the SEMA Show to officially debut its limited edition run of Camaro SS models, built 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 ZR1-inspired muscle car was displayed prominently…
SEMA 2009: Chevy Unveils Four Custom Camaros, Including Twin-Turbo V6 Designed by Jay Leno
Along with a host of wild and wacky Camaros at the General Motors booth at SEMA, the General also built five in-house muscle cars that are noticeably more subtle. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t as impressive. In fact, one of the most original Camaros of the dozens on display at SEMA is included in…
SEMA 2009: Chevy Silverado ZR2 Concept Gets Supercharged LS Engine, Carbon Fiber Body Parts
Inspired by Chevy’s highest performance vehicle, the Corvette ZR1, the Silverado ZR2 concept gets plenty of high performance options, like a supercharged LS motor and plenty of carbon fiber. Unveiled at the SEMA Show, this extended cab/short box truck also boasts a massive new front grille, carbon fiber fender flares, a four-inch suspension lift, a…
SEMA 2009: Lingenfelter Trans Am Debuts in Vegas
On display at the Nitto tires booth at the 2009 SEMA Show is a modern interpretation of the Pontiac Trans Am. Based on a 2010 Camaro, the car was designed and built by the Corvette and Chevy tuning experts at Lingenfelter. The car takes cues from the 1971 second-gen TA and so in order to…
SEMA 2009: Dodge Challenger 1320 Unveiled With 556-hp and a Light Weight Chassis
Mopar always has a big display at the SEMA Show and 2009 is no different, with plenty of Mopar-modded Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. One of, if not the, most impressive car on hand is the Dodge Challenger 1320. Named after the number of feet in a quarter mile, the 1320 is essentially a street-legal…
SEMA 2009: Mopar Dodge Ram Bianco Ready to Take on Ford F-150 Platinum
Dodge’s unveiled its custom Mopar Dodge Ram Bianco Image Vehicle at the SEMA Show today, possibly firing a warning shot at the Ford F-150 Platinum and letting he Blue Oval know that there may be competition in the luxury truck business. Ford’s F-150 Platinum caters more to ranch owners than ranch hands, and the Mopar…
SEMA 2009: Lingenfelter Camaro Debuts With Supercharged Z06 Motor and 750-hp
Garnering more than just a few stares at the 2009 SEMA Show was the Lingenfelter 2010 Camaro. The car looks stunning with a complete aero kit including a more aggressive front and and a new hood. And look more aggressive it should, with plenty of power on tap. Being Corvette experts, the team at Lingenfelter…
SEMA 2009: Ford Unveils 411-hp F-150 SVT Raptor and 500-hp FR Raptor XT for Off Road Racing
As though Ford didn’t have enough going on at the 2009 SEMA Show, the automaker today announced two big updates for the amazing F-150 SVT Raptor. First up is official confirmation and performance numbers for the new, larger V8 engine. Possibly the only weak point in the Raptor was its relatively average 320-hp 5.4-liter V8…
SEMA 2009: Bomex Camaro Pushes the Limits of Extreme
With the SEMA Show barely open for a few hours, we’ve only seen a small portion of the vehicles on display and while we don’t want to jump to conclusions, it’s entirely possible that the Bomex Camaro featured in the General Motors booth is the most extreme Camaro on display. Looking like some sort of…
SEMA 2009: Vaughn Gittin Jr. RTR-C Mustang Gets a Full Carbon Fiber Body
Easy one of the most eye-popping cars at Ford’s SEMA Show booth is the Vaughn Gittin Jr. RTR-C 2010 Mustang – and that’s saying a lot considering Ford’s massive presence at this year’s show. With a complete carbon fiber body, all we know is the folks at German tuner Mansory (know for building cars like…
SEMA 2009: 2011 Ford Super Duty DeWALT Contractor Concept Could be a Transformer
The truck isn’t even for sale yet, but Ford shipped one of its new Super Duty pickups to tool maker DeWALT, to build a custom work vehicle for the 2009 SEMA Show. The simply massive truck gets special items like a winch, special cargo compartments on the outside of the truck’s bed and even a…
SEMA 2009: Yenko Camaro Concept Debuts in Vegas With 600-hp
With some of the wacky Camaros over at GM’s booth, the Yenko Camaro concept at the OER booth looks rather unassuming – but isn’t that what a Yenko is all about after all? With the Yenko name owned by General Marketing Capital Incorporated (GMCI), the company has decided to resurrect the brand and hopes to…
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…
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,…
