SEMA
SEMA 2009: WALD Black Bison GT-R Debuts at Aftermarket Expo
To our surprise, the number of Nissan GT-Rs at this year’s SEMA Show is much lower than expected, with the Camaro being the obviously dominant vehicle. One of the nicest GT-Rs on display is the Black Bison model from Japanese tuner WALD. We found the car over at the Jonari booth, the company that distributes…
SEMA 2009: AIT Racing Delivers Carbon Fiber Widebody Nissan GT-R
One of the most surprising vehicles a this year’s SEMA show (and a refreshing change from the excessive number of Camaros) was the dry carbon widebody Nissan GT-R. Hidden away on the back side of the 3T Motorsport booth, the car was built by AIT Racing, which specializes in aerodynamics for a long list of…
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: Toyota’s Hard Kandy Yaris is Aimed at Female Buyers… Duh!
Toyota actually bothers to spell out in its press release on the Hard Kandy Yaris, that it is aimed at attracting the attention of female buyers. We kind of thought the pink and white interior and exterior was a bit of a give away, but…. whatever…. The custom Yaris also gets a custom body kit,…
SEMA 2009: Toyota Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer Might Be the Most Ridiculous Thing at SEMA
Hideous? Absurd? Why of course it is! This is the SEMA Show after all. Known throughout the world for some of the most extreme show cars that are destined to be thoroughly mocked before being retired to collect dust in a backlot warehouse, the Toyota Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer is just such a vehicle. Starting life…
SEMA 2009: Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater a Tribute to Brooks and Dunn
Built as a tribute to country music duo Brooks and Dunn, Toyota unveiled the Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater at the 2009 SEMA Show. Out back, the truck’s bed folds out to reveal a complete tailgating station with countertops, a BBQ, an ice chest and even a draft beer tap. Oh, and let’s not forget an…
SEMA 2009: Toyota Tundra Hot Rod Gets Rock and Roll Treatment
Toyota and the Hot Rod movement aren’t two things you’d normally associate with each other, which is why a Hot Rod Toyota Tundra is the perfect concept vehicle for the SEMA Show. Built by Phoenix-based motorcycle shop Sucker Punch Sally’s, the Tundra gets a long list of design cues from the hot rods of the…
SEMA 2009: Five Axis Priuses Make Going Green Stylish… and Blue
Thanks to tuner Five Axis, the Toyota Prius has never looked this cool. Now in its third generation, the 2010 Prius has gotten considerably better looking over the years, but the two modified versions on display this week at the 2009 SEMA Show take green motoring to a stylish new level. Five Axis has built…
SEMA 2009: GReddy Gives the Hyundai Genesis Coupe a Total Tune-Up
As promised, import car tuner GReddy debuted its X-Gen Street Genesis Coupe at the 2009 SEMA Show. Apart from the wild and wacky paint job (a SEMA necessity), the modified 2.0T model is the kind of car we’d like to have in the driveway. The philosophy behind the build was to improve performance in all…
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: Mummbles Marketing xB Wins 2009 Scion Tuner Car Challenge
It wouldn’t have been our choice, but a panel of judges awarded the team at Mummbles Marketing as the Scion Tuner Car Challenge winner for their Teal Blue Pearl xB. Looking more like something we might have seen at SEMA in 2003, the Mummbles xB features a 9-piece widebody kit from BRS Autodesign with shaved…
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: Pagani Zonda R Makes North American Debut at SEMA
With the Wheel & Tire section at the 2009 SEMA Show drastically less impressive than in year’s past, Pirelli didn’t shy away and brought out a car that even frightens the Veyron. That’s right, the Italian-made Pagani Zonda… and not just any Zonda, but the Zonda R. The R model is a track-only version and…
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: Kia Officially Announces Forte Koup Motorsports Program for 2010
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: 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: Honda Celebrates 50 Years In North America With Classic Car Display in Las Vegas
Along with a selection of new vehicles outfitted with the company’s factory accessories, Honda also has on display a selection of vehicles highlighting the company’s successful past on the road and in motorsports. Included in that lineup are three particularly old school vehicles, including a 1974 Civic, an ’84 CRX and a ’71 N600. The…
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: Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec World Premiere
Hyundai couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate venue for the launch of the tuner-friendly Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec than the SEMA Show. Shown for the first time at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, the R-Spec model gets all the goodies included in the excellent Track pack, but without all the…
