SEMA 2005 Coverage

Friday, June 6, 2008

Leave it to the city of Las Vegas to draw some of the flashiest vehicles, aftermarket parts, and accessories together for the 2005 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show.

SEMA is an organization that specializes in aftermarket parts, vehicles, and accessories in the automotive industry and has morphed, over time, into a behemoth of an international trade organization with over 6,466 member companies contributing to a $31 billion a year industry.

The crown jewel of SEMA is, of course, the annual convention that showcases some of the newest, best, and most innovative cars, parts, and accessories in the world. 2005 offered an array of automotive goodness that was so massive in size that not even the gargantuan halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center could contain it. The show boasted over 2 million square feet of exhibit space, two temporary exhibit halls, and numerous outdoor setups.

Every available space was packed full of some of the most beautiful and innovative examples of aftermarket brilliance around. However, the show was so large it almost bordered on chaos. There are random cars scattered throughout the entire show that aren’t always in any particular order or marked with any information about what you’re actually viewing.

But having said that, the SEMA show truly is a unique experience that offers so much stuff to look at it is nearly impossible to see everything. Unfortunately for most of you, the SEMA show is an industry only event, meaning it’s not open to the general public. So we’ll do our best to convey some of the amazing things that went on to you.

Where to begin… There were so many different things to look at that the SEMA show had to be divided into numerous categories including, Vehicle Manufacturers, Performance Tires & Wheels, Racing & Performance, Restoration Marketplace, Restyling & Accessories, Hot Rod Alley, Tools & Equipment, Trucks, SUV’s & Off-Road, and Mobile Electronics & Technology, in an attempt to keep things organized.

We could spend days covering the different types of products, cars, and interesting things that had to be seen to be believed, but for your sake, and because I’d rather not get carpal tunnel syndrome writing this article, we’ll just stick to the highlights:

Some of the major car manufacturers had a huge presence at SEMA. DaimlerChrysler made a its presence known with the not so subtle inclusion of Mopar Alley, a covered walkway connecting two exhibit halls where dozens of modified Vipers, Mustangs, and classic Detroit steel were prominently on display.

Ford also made its mark with a huge display that spanned the width of one of the convention center’s massive buildings. After covering the backdrop of their exhibit with an eye-catching blue fa็ade, the folks at Ford populated the area with plenty of custom versions of some of the company’s most popular models, including the GTX1 and Ford ’40 GT.

The GTX1, in case you were wondering, is the brainchild of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) engineering supervisor Kip Ewing. Basically a roadster version of Fords already stellar Ford GT, the GTX1 relies on a unique four panel system that allows it to morph from a coupe, into a targa configuration, to an actual convertible. Top down, the GTX1 is a beautiful car. But it’ll cost you. In addition to the $150,000 Ford GT, the GTX1 conversion will require an additional $38,000. But, given what we’ve seen, it’s worth it.

Ford’s other eye catcher is a beautifully manufactured copper bodied automobile that has been dubbed the Ford ’40 GT. The pristine copper panels, etched with a cool flame pattern, were created in a former Soviet aircraft factory in Poland and then shipped to the United States where they were assembled on a Ford GT frame. Not surprisingly, the ’40 GT shares the same engine as the “real” GT.

Also on display at the Ford exhibit was the new Shelby GT 500, a Ford GT that was sliced down the middle to allow prying eyes inside, and a yellow Mustang used for dynamometer drag runs within the convention center itself.

But wait, there’s more to the SEMA convention than just the cars…

Absurd Items: If we happened to win the jackpot during our time in Las Vegas we’d buy these decadent examples of blatant consumerism. The ultimate in bling, these Asanti wheels aren’t just huge, they’re encrusted with jewels. That’s right, each wheel has 1,100 karats of diamonds and sapphires set in the five spokes and center crest. Price - $1,000,000 for a set of four.

Automotive Icons: All the influential people of the aftermarket world made the journey to Las Vegas to attend SEMA 2005, including Boyd Coddington, Chip Foose, Phillip McGuire, Carol Shelby and many more.

Swag: Webster’s defines “swag” as slang for stolen property or loot. Well it’s not stolen if everyone in sight is giving it away for free. And if it wasn’t free… we’d steal it anyway, because there’s some cool stuff to be had. In a marketing ploy that is widely adopted by almost everyone at SEMA, companies give away tons of free stuff in an effort to attract people to their exhibit booths. After a few days at the SEMA show, we left Las Vegas with bags full of free posters, stickers, key chains, hats and much more.

Models: Aside from swag, it seems that the best way to attract attention to an otherwise boring or useless product seems to be: A) Hire attractive women. B) Dress them in skimpy attire with your company’s name on it. C) Let them stand around your booth and smile at potential customers. This technique, by the way, is also widely adopted.

In-Car TVs: A wise man once said, “You can never have too many TVs.” Okay, so we probably just made that up. But that seems to be the sentiment at SEMA. These guys can cram multiple LCD screens into any vehicle, sometimes with awe-inspiring efficiency and attention to detail that borders on art, and sometimes with ham-fisted brutality to create a sight even Antoni Gaudi would say is, “a bit over the top.” For an example of the former see the Scion xA below.

Honda and Acura were present with the usual slew of tricked out and heavily modified versions of their base models. Acura decided to throw in a new twist however, by creating the first ever RSX Challenge, in which Acura volunteered new RSXs to six different magazines to see who could come up with the best modifications. Final results were tallied after every Acura had completed a series of trials. Kudos goes to Car and Driver for taking top honors.

The Mazdaspeed division of the Japanese manufacturer of the same name also made an appearance featuring some impressively styled versions of the MX-5, Mazda 6, and assorted performance oriented parts.

Volkswagen, Hummer, and others also reared their heads for the SEMA show, though with somewhat less of a presence. Each, as you might expect, sported some sort of aftermarket inspired accessories and special modifications.

With all the speed oriented vehicles littering the Las Vegas Convention Center we probably could have made a killing with an armful of copies of the Nuts for Cars best selling e-book, “How to Fight a Speeding Ticket – And Win Every Time.”

Aside from the major manufacturers were a number of stellar customizations from the minds of well known customizers and other aspiring mechanics looking to make a name for themselves, such as this 1939 Lincoln Zephyr, or “Lead Zephyr,” created and signed by Boyd Coddington that will be featured at the 35th annual Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, AZ.

There were other highlights too, such as the all-new Volvo roadster concept, a Pagini Zonda, a Saleen S7, dozens of custom bikes and trucks, superchargers, electronics packages, more scissor doors than you can shake a stick at, a simulated off-road proving ground in the convention center parking lot, speedboats, and countless other things to occupy our dreams for nights to come.

But we digress. As stated earlier we could spend days writing about the SEMA show (hell, it took us that long just to see it all), but there’s just too much stuff to cover in one article. Or in two, or three, or four, or… well you get the idea.

Well, that’s about all we have to share with you, the general public, about SEMA 2005. At this point you’ve pretty much read about all the highlights. Okay, that was a lie… there’s still so much more for you to see. But we can’t possibly convey it all to you, not even the best writer in the world could do that.

If you want to see SEMA first hand, just do what we did. Drum up a little ambition and start your own automotive business (for details see the Nuts for Cars best selling e-book 1001 Ways to Make Money with Your Car Hobby). Then you’ll be considered “in the industry” and a ticket to next years SEMA event is only $50 away, plus airfare. We’ll see you there.

Zack Engel is the Lead Automotive Event Correspondent for The Driver's Seat, the bi-weekly e-zine produced by Nuts for Cars.

Nuts for Cars is a membership organization dedicated to enhancing the automotive hobby by providing information to members about a variety of automotive topics. Nuts for Cars also features the world's largest online automotive event directory. Find a car event near you in just seconds!

For more information visit http://www.nutsforcars.com or e-mail your questions to info@nutsforcars.com.