We just got back from the SEMA show and as always it was a blast. Cars and trucks from around the world all gather in Las Vegas at the largest automotive event on earth. This year, there was a resurgence of "Rice-Rockets" that was unexpected and Japan's infamous "VIP" style has made it to our shores.
Here is my opinion on what was Good, Bad, and Just Plain Ugly.
THE GOOD:
Clean Muscle Cars like this Camaro were plentiful this year, Mustangs, Chevelles, and Camaros were the most popular Muscle Cars this year.
Massive fender flairs were all the rage this year, but this AMG managed to pull it off with the right stance, wheels, and amazing fit and finish.
Vintage race cars like this So-Cal Speed Shop Land Speed Car, as well as Mark IV Ford GTs, old Lotus F1 Cars, and Vintage Alfas were all on display.
THE BAD:
This truck is one of those cars that it looked like they just ran out of time and said "Well just bring it anyways" the strange engine surround looked like it was made out of plywood and Bondo.
Remember how that Clean AMG above had done fender flairs right... here is what they look like when done really wrong. The crazy thing was that the tires were pushed out, but not all that wider than stock, they were just pushed out like 8 inches....ok.
Here is another car that boggled the mind, a late 70's MGB roadster with pink house carpet that had not even been trimmed to fit correctly, no seats, no top, the bodywork was questionable, and the "custom" dash looked like it was installed with a hammer or baseball bat. It is good to see that the fire extinguisher is already bolted in place even though the raw uneven cut edge of the carpet is still sticking out. It seems like SEMA just let anyone with a car show up this year to fill space. This year there were at least 12 apparel companies, a guy selling pre-fab log houses, and vendors retailing at the show... that is a first.
This poor Subaru has been turned into who knows what, we could not figure out what the theme or purpose of the car was. The trunk was upholstered (the outside look close) with basketball like material, the roof had a bunch of comic book pages glued to it and clear coated over, and the interior looked like a used car salesman's suit. To top it all of it had a British License Plate but was left-hand drive. Rice is back!
THE UGLY:
If you were impressed with the rice-racer-style of the Subaru than the car that was dubbed by a passerby as the Play-dough Car is your style! Featuring molded everything, we can only assume that the builder single-handedly kept Bondo in business for at least a year.
This started life as a Scion Xb, but now looks more like a snowplow, the VIP movement has come to the US, only 10 years behind the trend in Tokyo. Because nothing says VIP like a $6,000 car.
Direct from China was this tuner car we think it might have been an Eclipse, but it is not clear. The car featured covered wheels, and an interior made up of what could only be described as garbage. But don't worry, the fit and finish are what you would expect from China, the door mirrors did not fit, the door gaps were anywhere from 1/16th to 1-inch off. The shocking thing is, that it was chosen to represent the "tuning" scene in China. Wow.
UPDATE: WE GOT AN E-MAIL
The Pink MGB on Zoops booth...
I took both the Blue & Pink MGB's to SEMA to inspire fellow manufacturers to adapt their products for the British Car fan. I feel that they deserve a lot more options than currently exist.
In the six weeks prior to SEMA, we decided to get them painted in House of Kolor Shimrin2 Strato Blue & Designer Pearl Pink and paint our serpentine systems to match.
It was a valuable lesson for me, an MGB owner, as they both required serious bodywork and I wasn't about to spend $25,000 on a "SEMA" paint job. Maaco cost $3,000 and our local dent/repair shop, $5,900 - financially, much better for me.
Dakota Digital provided the 6-gauge instruments (blue & pink dials) and matching AC controller. Maval/Unisteer did the first power steering unit, Ididit made their first MGB sku, a custom-length column of 24" and Pertronix donated their performance distributor, ignition coil and plug set.
That's a good start for MG lovers.
My wife has always wanted a pink MG so I thought, why not, she puts up with enough of my long work hours. It has a 350 stroker with 700R4 transmission. We'll be putting in a new Mustang rear end with either Chassisworks (Chris Alston is the owner) or RideTech Air for suspension and Cory Lamarra @ The Brake Man is doing an all-round disc system specifically designed for the MGB.
Kicker donated a 1,000 watt speaker system that is controlled by her iPad mounted into the console. Alas, we simply ran out of time to get it all back together before leaving but we will be finishing them in the coming days/weeks.
We'd love to meet companies that can do replacement seats, pink automotive carpet and much more.
Thanks again for an update on your blog
Regards,
David
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