What a privilege. I mean really, what a privilege to go out to Las Vegas and cover SEMA 2010. My buddy and I had plans to go out last year, but we just didn’t have the time to make it. This year we planned early and had the opportunity to cover the entire show. I went on behalf of my local car forum/scene (www.mdstreetscene.com) since this is an invite only show and media/press passes had to be issued. Enough talk, let’s get started.
Ken Block giving a little demo on the monstrous 600hp 4WD Fiesta. 0-60mph in what, 1.9s?!
See that black Viper lurking in the front? See that massive turbo…
By the beard of Zeus!
http://www.twinsturbo.com/
Vaughn Gittin Jr. out in his Mustang.
Ha, remember seeing the video of this thing? Very cool.
Honda’s booth, littered with CR-Z Hybrids.
I never thought I would ever see one of these in person, let alone a car show. I spotted this orange crush from a distance and thought to myself, “This can’t really be a Gumpert at SEMA, can it?” Rest assured, it was. Really an amazing sight viewing to up close. What a beast. Mad props for HRE acquiring one of these and slapping some killer wheels on it.
Another car I would never expect to see in person. For what it is and worth, it’s actually a beautiful car.
Did not realize this was a Veyron till I saw the grill! Not sure what Epson was thinking besides having a $1mil car at their booth, but to each his own?
Hyundai PM580 anyone? I tried asking for the booth attendant to take off the tape, but he told me no :(
Do not, I repeat, do not look into the eyes of Ken Block and get sucked into the Monster powah!!!
So what have I learned from SEMA? 1) Bring more flash setups. The lighting in each building is different as well as the displays. 2) Models are friendly. 3) Every booth had either a Mustang, CR-Z Hybrid and 458 Italia 4) Lastly, expect triple the amount of people in the crowd prior to arrival. Seriously, I was dumbfounded as to how people were actually at this show. I never expected that many ‘vendors’, ‘buyers’ and ‘press’. In all seriousness, I had a freaking blast at this show. I don’t think I’ve ever taken that many pictures and there was a 66% of actually using the photos. Usually it’s what, a 1-5 ratio on pictures that make the cut? I will most definitely be back next year. This time, arrive a day earlier and stay a day later.
Now, you are probably asking yourself, “Where are the actual parts that were on display?’ Okay. Well, I’d rather see the parts on the specific application than alone on a shelf. I mean really, do you buy a car part that you just see sitting on the shelf or in a glass case? Well, some of you might, but I sure do not. I want to see how that part is utilized for its application. Unless we are talking torque bolts and fender clips, I want to see how that part looks on a car. Some vendors had both (the bigger names), but mostly the automobiles, etc. had the part(s) installed.
To view the entire collection of photos from SEMA 2010, visit my flickr set,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamzrad/sets/72157625336845224/