Gumball Machine Inventor Recreates Mustang Mach III Concept For SEMA

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 »

Honda Civic HFP Concept Sits Efficiently On SEMA Show Floor

It may not be the spiritual successor to the CRX HF, but the Honda Civic HFP Concept is the result of Honda Access America — the in-house accessory division — taking a Civic Si and adding lightness. Both exhaust and wheels have been replaced with high-performance ultra-lightweight versions, while an aero body kit streamlines the cD for a slipperier shape. So how much more efficient is the HFP? Well...they don't quite say, but we'd venture a guess that Honda's working in one or two MPG increments here. Press release below the jump. More »

Ronn Motors Scorpion Hydrogen Internal Combustion Supercar Debuts At SEMA

Standing out among the carbon fiber and large wheels at SEMA was the debut of the Ronn Motors Scorpion hydrogen-powered supercar. Built in Texas, this hydrogen vehicle isn't a fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity to power an electric motor. Instead, the Scorpion features a modified 3.5-liter Acura V6 that has hydrogen injected into it. Where does the hydrogen come from? Using a process similar to electrolysis, water is zapped with electricity in order to create a hydrogen gas that is then pumped into the engine. When the hydrogen is added to the V6, the claim is that the car will achieve 20-40% better fuel economy with lower emissions. More »

Toyota Tundra Dually Returns To SEMA With Monster Diesel Mill

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 »

"Big Daddy" Don Garlits' Dodge Challenger Drag Pack At SEMA

"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 »

2009 Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger Slides Into SEMA

In an attempt to expand the appeal of the 2009 Dodge Challenger to every corner of the automotive enthusiast world, Chrysler has unveiled the Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger that will be piloted by Samuel Hübinette during the 2009 Formula Drift season. In order to prep the car for FD, the Challenger dropped a significant amount of weight with the use of carbon fiber everywhere and received a bit more safety equipment than your average SRT8. Under the hood is a custom-built Mopar A8 aluminum engine that should pump out 850 horsepower and 849 lb-ft of torque. They've also installed a minor tweak in order to let them drift along the walls, which we highlight below the jump. More »

Nissan Gets Ballsy, Breaks Out Bone-Stock GT-R For SEMA

You see some rare, one-of-a-kind ABS plastic carbon fiber sheetmetal on the SEMA show floor, but nothing is less common in Vegas this time of year than a completely stock example of one of the hottest cars on the planet. That's right: Nissan elected to bring a bone-stock GT-R to SEMA, almost as a challenge to the customizers on-site. "Blank canvas, boys. Whatcha gonna do now?" it taunts, no doubt causing the creative wheels to turn even faster than when confronted with someone else's interpretation of the car. Well played, Nissan. Well played. Also, considering mods apparently void the warranty, we should have expected it. More »

Toyota Brings A Ducati To SEMA Via Big Red Custom Tundra

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 »

Branew Nissan GT-R Is All Show And No More Go For SEMA

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 »

Bulletproof GT-RR Not Death Proof

In Quentin Tarantino’s "Death Proof", Kurt Russells’s character modifies his car to protect its driver in even the most severe of accidents, thus rendering the machine impervious to death. Bespoke Ventures has done exactly the opposite, modifying their Nissan GT-R in such a way that severe back injury is virtually guaranteed by any front-end collision. Click through to find out why. More »

Tunerized SEMA Prius Makes Us Weep For Humanity

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 »