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You can't make this SEMA stuff up sometimes. The guy who invented the big red gumball machine with the globe of gumballs at the top and the spiral ramp down the stand? Yeah, he's decided to try his hand at custom cars, producing a somewhat-faithful recreation of the 1993 Ford Mustang Mach III concept. The car is based on an early fourth-generation Mustang with custom bodywork to emulate the original concept, a Kenne Belle supercharger strapped to the factory 4.6-liter V8 and an interior to match the outside. To see more about what Modified Mustang magazine calls "The Mock Mach" head over to mustangconcept3.com. Just don't tell them we sent you. More »
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Following the example of the RKSport Hyundai Genesis Sedan, the Volkswagen CC Eco Performance Concept is debuting at SEMA without super-gaudy bodywork, dizziness-inducing interior and a paint job that would make Zsa Zsa Gabor blush. The car features a 2.0-liter TSI inline-four with a three-stage turbo from APR, but you can select how much power comes out the end. More »
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Toyota Tundra Dually concept debuted at the 2007 SEMA show but returns for an encore with its 8.0 liter Hino heavy truck inline-six diesel engine normally used in a 35,000 lb beasts, an Eaton five-speed manual transmission and a matching Hino rear end, and you've got a truck beefy enough to drag the entire SEMA show around. We would have loved to know more about the specifics of that powertrain, but Toyota tooted its horn about the "opulent interior" and “Road Warrior exterior," 22.5 inch Alcoa wheels, blah, blah, blah. Tell us how many fully loaded train cars it can pull. Incomplete details below. More »
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"Big Daddy" Don Garlits is kind of a big deal when it comes to drag racing, having birthed the rear-engine top fuel dragster, and being the first in the NHRA to cross the quarter-mile lights at 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, 260, and 270 MPH, so when he buys a Dodge Challenger Drag Pack, you know it's got to be good. This Drag Pack Challenger is the third off the production line and signed right on its composite hood by Garlits, claiming it as his own, along with everything else packed into the car like racing seats, polycarbonate door windows, manual rack-and-pinion steering, fuel cell and factory roll cage along with a stinky race-modified engine. We don't know if it's a 5.9-liter Magnum wedge, 5.7-liter Hemi or the nasty 6.1-liter Hemi, but at around 3100 pounds, we suspect it'll move — especially with Garlits at the helm. More »
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Toyota apparently wanted a little of that Italian passion mixed into its Toyota Tundra crew cab for SEMA. Engineers stretched the frame and dropped on an awesome 6.5-foot bed set-up with all kinds of storage for track day support, then slathered the whole thing in red paint. The truck actually looks pretty darn slick in Ducati livery matching the accompanying 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR Motorcycle. Those dark, 22-inch Alcoa wheels do their part to set the paint off, but its the 500 HP supercharged V8 under hood that makes the 'go' match the 'show.' Full details on the truck and its modifications below. More »
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We told you about the speedy Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but what about that other Hyundai Genesis in the unveil video? That was the 460 HP, supercharged, 4.6 liter V8-powered RKSport Hyundai Genesis with experimental cylinder deactivating. The IHI screw-type supercharger provides 11 pounds of additional intake pressure and helps motivate the car to sixty in a scorching 4.9 seconds with a quarter-mile run coming in 13.58 seconds at 108 MPH — all while being capable of returning 27 MPG. Yes, that's from a full-size Hyundai luxury sedan. Holy crap. And we haven't even touched on the upgraded styling. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5077118&view=rss&microfeed=true The cloth has dropped at SEMA on a Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe that doesn't quite look like it did in the original rendered concept. The fortified and honest to goodness "Art Of Speed" race car made from the guts of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe is stripped of all the superfluous interior amenities and upgraded with an eight point safety cage, racing seat, quick release steering wheel and all the other requisite goodies of a race car. Under the hood the 2.0 liter turbo four cylinder gets upgraded with Turbonetics goodies breathing through a new intake. The suspension is updated accordingly and the whole shebang seems to offer the appropriate bite for the obvious bark. Complete details and way more pictures available below. More »
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The new Nissan GT-R is just too hard to modify for performance, what with the tricky, unhackable computer system and the already Porsche-confounding performance. That's why Japanese tuners Branew brought their Branew GT-R to SEMA with only appearance upgrades. The car gets a revised front clip, side skirts, massive 23 inch wheels, a triple-tipped exhaust outlet, functional spoiler and rear splitter mounted on a very C5 Corvette-inspired tail end. The Branew GT-R will probably suffer from the classic tuner problem of being slower with all the extra pretty stuff on it — a characteristic most tuner car enthusiasts are able to ignore. More »
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There's no good excuse for this customized Toyota Prius muddying up the floor at SEMA, and we couldn't love hating it more. Why the engine-turned light covers? The scissor doors? The triple-blade-razor inspired hood? We're not even going to get going on the paint job choice, interior fit-and-finish and those glorious wheels. Get that new Toyota Prius out ASAP — it can't possibly look this bad when it goes under the knife. We're experiencing a serious case of schadenSEMA with this one. More »
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In conjunction with the upcoming 25th anniversary release of the greatest ghost-hunting comedy ever, Ghostbusters, Sony has outfitted the original, fully restored ECTO-1 with an extensive Sony entertainment system packed with all manner of gadgets for SEMA. The classic Cadillac ambulance features Sony Xplod subwoofers, a DVD player, iPod adapter, Sony marine amps and speakers, an MP3 player, 10-disc CD changer and a navigation system. It all seems like a bit of overkill considering the only thing that'll ever get played in there is Ray Parker Jr.'s Ghostbusters theme song with the DVD running in the background. Complete details below the fold. More »
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Now here's something interesting coming from the Wolfsburg crew: The VW Tiguan Performance Concept set to debut at SEMA. The details are thin so far, but the tiniest SUV from the people's brand gets a three-stage turbo pushing output up to 312 HP and 319 lb-ft of torque to go along with the upgraded Dakar-style body work. Since it's coming out at SEMA it's also getting a silly and irrelevant Rockford Fostgate sound system which makes us shake our heads. Still, we want to run it against the new 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor in a desert-racing death match. Click here for a high-res view and check out the "release" below the jump. More »
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In addition to the Raptor pickup, Ford will be unveiling its latest purpose-built drag racer, the 2008 Mustang Cobra Jet. The Cobra Jet, also known as the FR500CJ, is an attempt by the Dearborn, MI-based automaker to expand its offerings of racing pony cars. The Cobra Jet gets a beefed up 5.4-liter V8 with a cold air intake, A/C delete, 9-inch rear end, a six speed manual or three speed auto, a roll hoop and a specialized suspension. While no horsepower figure is given yet, Ford is calling it a car any drag racer can get in and immediately be able to compete with ten second cars. Not too bad for a factory racer, sounds like it'll do the Cobra Jet name justice. Details in the press release below. More »
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Back before they became the enormous and bloated choice of bugeye sunglass-wearing urban white trash, Toyota FJ Cruisers were compact, capable off-roading machines. We told you about TLC's plans build up some of their old-looking new trucks with a trio of FJ's for the floor of SEMA. They already build an FH40 version, but now they're adding FJ43 long-wheelbase and an FJ45 pick up with a long-travel coil suspension, Stoptech brakes and a 550 HP LS2 V8. Mighty fine figures for a vintage inspired truck even though they're purpose built off-roaders to begin with Take a look at some new pictures below — we'll bring you the trucks from the show floor this week. Also, hit the jump to see a video from the folks at Streetfire of the truck build in process. More »
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Here's some hotness bound for the endless halls of SEMA — a pair of heavily massaged widebody Dodge Challengers by Classic Design Concepts. Outside, the Challengers get shaker hoods, a very snazzy wire mesh grille, and extra wide composite fenders which are particularly slick in the back, presenting a bulged-out version of the famous billboard side stripes. Under those fenders are 10-inch wide wheels in the front and 11.5 inchers out back, stopped by massive Baer brakes. Those big brakes will be put to good use as both Challengers get supercharged, with a Vortech in the black version and the Procharger in the white. Think 560 HP; now that's a proper power-to-weight ratio. Details and more pictures below the fold. More »
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In case you haven't seen the 2010 Chevy Camaro enough yet, GM is bringing four concept Camaros to SEMA this week, some of them actually interesting. The lineup includes the Camaro LS7 Concept (guess what that one's got under the hood), Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept (yeah, we figured), Camaro Black Concept and the Camaro GS Racecar Concept, along with a GM Performance Parts car loaded to the gills with stuff you can buy for your Camaro — the one that won't be in your garage until at least next year. Let's take a closer look at this bevy of concepts for the official car of this year's SEMA show plus all the accessories. Hit the jump for all the details after perusing the galleries below. More »
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The pictures are tiny, but Ford is apparently bringing quite a load of customs to the SEMA show in Vegas next week. There's a trio of Lincoln MKS's on the way, a couple of Foci and custom Escapes, a sinister looking Lincoln MKX, and our favorite, a tarted up Ford Transit Connect. Seriously, that thing can't hit the market soon enough; we'll take one with a set of those snazzy racing stripes too. Full details on all these customs in a healthy-sized press release below, and be sure to check out Jalopnik's on-the-ground SEMA coverage next week. More »
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When Doug Pelmear and his notchback Ford Mustang nearly broke the internet with his claims of some magical engine tinkering returning 110 MPGe (80 MPG) — while making 400 HP — we were skeptical to say the least. That "MPGe" figure is there because the car runs on ethanol, so the extra "e" on the end signifies the energy equivalent to a gallon of regular gasoline. Now Pelmear is taking the 110 MPG Mustang on a cross-country road trip to prove the skeptics (us) wrong, ending at this years SEMA show where he probably won't be popping the hood so everyone can poke around. The car is being entered in the Progressive Automotive X Prize contest as well, where it will compete against others with the goal of 100 MPG in a four-passenger car. We're going to continue waiting, edible hat in hand, for scientific measurements to back up his claims. [WNWO, via MustangRevolution] More »
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PML and Ford have been palling around for a while now, most recently to develop the Volvo Recharge C30 concept. Now they've gone in on an in-wheel electric drive plug-in hybrid Ford F-150 concept coming to SEMA. The in-wheel motors are a clever brushed pancake design that act as a part of the wheel and not just another add-in part. We've often thought hybrid tech would be best developed in the pickup market, where high torque matters and light weight and great driving dynamics don't. Don't be surprised if we go poking around this truck when we hit the show floor in Vegas. [Pickuptrucks.com] More »
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The new Jeep Wrangler is a damn fine off-road vehicle straight from the factory, but a 202 HP V6 just doesn't quite fit the bill for the folks at American Expedition Vehicles. Remember, this is the same group of guys who built the Hemi-powered SR-392 Roadster and the amazing Brute conversion kit that'll let you turn your Wrangler into an honest-to-goodness Jeep truck. This year at SEMA AEV'll be showing their latest and greatest new toy — the custom shop's dropped a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 into the evergreen off-roader...and then tosses us the keys for an exclusive first drive. That's right, they let us loose in this monster of an off-roader — outfitted with their complete HEMI conversion kit, a Flowmaster exhaust, an Nth Degree three-inch suspension lift, 35-inch BFG Mud Terrain KM2s on a set of their own wheels, 4.88 rear gears, their all-steel heat-extractor hood and a beefy front winch bumper of their own design. The result: A seriously badass Wrangler. More »
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The Galpin Scythe started life as a Ford Mustang, but as you can see, it has since taken another road. The car made a private debut recently and will get a full-on public unveiling at SEMA, but it may cause a singularity in the space-SEMA continuum. See, the Scythe is the inevitable distillation of all SEMA show cars: It's got a 4.6-liter V8 stroked to 5.0 liters and twin-supercharged to over 1000 HP, 16-inch Wilwood brakes, 22 inch wheels up front and 24's at the back, and an insanity-fueled body with reverse scissor doors, taking inspiration from every Hot Wheels car and George Barris original ever made. It's so SEMA it might cause the whole show to fold up on itself — we might not make it out of the car's attention-gravity field. We're scared. Press release below. More »
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RENNTech is known for tweaking Mercedes' best into fire-breathing bundles of badass, and they're preparing something interesting for this year's SEMA show. The RENNTech Mercedes-Benz GLK Rally Racer is said to be inspired by runners in the annual Pikes Peak climb and marks RENNTech's first foray into modding hybrids. We'll just have to see what that means as far as capabilities go when they drop details to match these teaser images. If we were forced to like a compact luxury SUV, the GLK would probably take the nod, so we're actually intrigued by what RENNTech is cooking up. More »
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We anticipate the Dodge Challenger will have a substantial showing at this years SEMA show, and if these two entries from Mr. Norm are any indication, its going to be a big horsepower show. The "Super Challenger" and "Super Cuda" are a pair of heavily modified Challengers sporting 900 HP from Kenne Bell supercharged V8s in addition to their snappy styling and big wheels. Considering the heft of the Challenger is one of its biggest problems, 900 HP seems a good starting point for upgrades. The production program for both won't start with 900 horses. Instead, they'll start at a base model, complemented by several stages with upscale performance and accessories. In addition, each of the parts and add-ons featured on the Mr. Norm's Super Challenger will be available to enthusiasts separately. So feel free to mix and match at your pleasure. Two of the most humorously cheesy press releases since Velveeta went into business await below to explain the details. More »
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