by Michael Satterfield and Lucas Kepner - 11/03/2023
Every year those of us with oil coursing through our veins make the pilgrimage to Las Vegas, a city of glimmering lights and vices that promise not to follow you home, we come for The SEMA Show, SEMA is short for the Specialty Equipment Market Association. Years ago, it started as a humble tradeshow where men like Carroll Shelby sold their latest parts and accessories to an eager crowd of speed freaks looking to get the most out of their Ford Mustang. Today, the SEMA show is the world's biggest Bob's Big Boy parking lot show, and it has a lot of media coverage. Brands unveil their latest custom builds, highlighting their products or services, and the general public has taken over. Nearly every person we spoke to with a "Buyer" badge was not a buyer but had secured their passes through a friend of a friend's shop so they could come and collect autographs from reality TV stars and fill their bags with literature and stickers.
Still...it's a mecca for anyone with a passion for cars, trucks, and all things automotive, where creativity, craftsmanship, and automotive ingenuity converge to push the boundaries of what's possible on the road and off. By far the most controversial car of the show was Gas Monkey Garage's Ferrari Testarossa EV. While this year's show seemed very different with the absence or reduced footprint of many major brands, there were some interesting cars and these are the good, the bad, and the ugly from SEMA 2023.
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