SEMA
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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Matte Black Lexus LFA Makes North American Debut in Las Vegas
After its world debut just a few weeks ago at the Tokyo Auto Show, today Lexus gave an audience of media and aftermarket tuners the first look on U.S. soil of the its new LFA supercar. It is undeniably the most expensive Lexus, the company has ever created. The LFA supercar, priced at $375,000 is…
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 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…
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,…
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…
