April 3, 2009
On eBay: Incredible Twin-Turbo SEMA Corvette
Bick66
There isn’t much that gives away this ‘69 Vette as a 1200-horsepower supercar–its slightly modified original C3 body and refined stance are only somewhat undercut by the implied performance of that through-the-fender exhaust. Take a closer look and you’ll notice that the body is concealing a twin-turbocharged 565 cubic inch powerplant cradled by a tubular chrome moly frame and modern Corvette suspension. Now, in my opinion the C3 Stingray is the most beautiful shape ever dreamt up, so I might be a little biased–but you can’t argue with 1200 hp nestled in such a perfectly updated package of modern features. I’m tempted to call this 2008 SEMA show car the most incredible custom Corvette I’ve ever seen. The guys at S/S definitely outdid themselves with this one.
More pictures after the jump, and check out the eBay auction here.
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January 22, 2009
The Meanest Sounding IS-F in America
By Steve Neill
JDMGTR
A long time ago, I used to think that a fully tuned RB26DETT or 2JZ-GTE made the best sound. Apparently I was wrong, as Fox Marketing and Artisan Performance have gone out and made what is likely the most heavenly sounding car I’ve ever heard. This puts Ferrari’s to shame no doubt (at least in my opinion), and makes me want an IS-F. CarDomain also got some exhaust clips in this interview with Brian Fox. Now where did I put those investment options…
November 25, 2008
Best of SEMA: 2008 Winners!
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
It seems crazy to try to pick 10 winners out of over 2,000 rides at SEMA, but we did just that—with your help. So here are the cars that came out on top this year. Thanks to everyone who voted!
Muscle Cars: Dale Jr. Edition Chevy Camaro
Racing and Motorsports: Viscardi Boyz Pro Mod Mustang
Exotics: Lamborghini Reventon
Off-Road: Skyjacker F-150 but still close…
Trucks: Baldwin Motorsports F-150
Luxury: ASI’s Bentley Continental GT Speed
Restoration: Old School Skyline
Sport Compact: Vivid Racing EVO X
Hot Rods: ‘31 Studebaker
Green: X Prize Fox Body Mustang
See pics of all the cars after the jump!
November 21, 2008
Best of SEMA: Green
SEMA took a small step forward in the green category this year. Some of the top "green" vehicles were the Hi-Pa Drive F-150 (via Truck Trend), the E-85 X Prize Fox Body Mustang, the John Deere Smart, the Electric Blazer and of course the Vertical Doors Prius. Which is your favorite?
Vegas By Day
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
We didn’t really get out much during the day while we were at SEMA. We were mostly inside wandering the halls of the convention center, or holed up in the media room hammering away on our laptops. But Andy Thomason, who posts over at VWVortex, got out and about during the day while he was at SEMA, and he took some great shots around the city. Be sure to check out all the pics at VWVortex. This set is mostly buildings and exotic cars, but the Charger shot below cracked me up. Oh, and dialup beware!
Best of SEMA: Hot Rods
Hot rods just keep getting bigger at SEMA every year, especially with the whole traditional scene gaining traction. And the best thing about rods is that they’re infinitely customizable–on these cars, most stuff is purpose-built, and no two are alike, or even similar. For our Best of SEMA voting in this category, we’ve got a whole pileup of wild hot rods–and I have to warn you, Fords are overrepresented, just as they are in the hot rod scene as a whole. At this point it’s a toss-up between the Popeye Model A roadster, the ‘31 Studebaker from the Toyo booth, the Nissan-powered Ford Z-Rod, this crazy Peterbilt rat rod, and the Viper V10-powered ‘32 Ford. What’s your favorite?
November 20, 2008
Best of SEMA: Sport Compact
By John Coyle
Editor
Part of the fun of going to SEMA is not knowing exactly what you’re going to see. And since we’ve been hearing rumors about the sport compact scene being "dead," nobody on the CarDomain editorial team was sure what kinds of rides we’d find to flesh out this category. But fortunately, the rumors of death were greatly exaggerated, and there were plenty of awesome sport compacts to choose from. So which do you think was the hottest one at the show? The Vivid Racing EVO X, Rhys Millen’s tuned Genesis Coupe, the widebody Yaris 5-door liftback, the Cartel Customs Scion xD or the BatSmart? Cast your vote now!
Best of SEMA: Restorations
SEMA is all about over-the-top customizing, which is part of the reason why showroom-perfect stock restorations provide such a nice contrast at the show. Don’t be fooled, though—these blast-from-the-past beauties are rarely 100% factory, and it’s always interesting to see what the builder was able to tweak while retaining the original looks. For our Best Of SEMA voting in the Restorations category, we’ve nominated the ‘61 Ford Starliner, this old-school JDM Skyline, this immaculate 1968 GTO, the 1980 Corvette Turbo concept, and this daily-driver Camaro RS. Which of these restos was your favorite?
November 19, 2008
Best of SEMA: Luxury
By John Coyle
Editor
There are always plenty of sweet luxury rides at SEMA, and this year was no exception. I’d never seen the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe before, and while it’s huge—damn, is that puppy gigantic!—I thought it was sexy as hell. I also liked ASI’s Bentley Continental GT Speed, the Carlsson Tuned CK50RS, the Silver Shadow with a Hemi swap, and the stretched 300C in the Mopar booth. Which one is your favorite?
November 18, 2008
Best of SEMA: Trucks
Trucks are HUGE at SEMA. The Baldwin Motorsports F-150 looked tough in photos and even tougher in person. I loved the paint on the Matrix System Silverado. Planet Color had the coolest SSR At SEMA. Orange Crush was my favorite diesel-powered ride at the show. And Mr. Angry loved the Matte Black Tundra in the Toyota booth. Vote for your favorite!
Best of SEMA: Off-Road
There are always a ton of cool off-road vehicles at SEMA, and this year was no exception. We followed the ICON builds closely leading up to SEMA, and I got a chance to talk to Jonathan Ward about his awesome ICON FJ43 at the show. The Subaru Mountain Rescue vehicle pretty much dominated the Subaru booth. Mr. Angry really loved the Bushwacker Jeep with the paintball guns. Skyjacker always has cool rides in their booth, and their pre-production 2009 F-150 did not disappoint. And Jen went nuts for the retro style Tacoma in the Toyota booth. So what’s your favorite?
November 15, 2008
Best of SEMA: Exotics
By John Coyle
Editor
The SEMA show really isn’t about exotics. Most of the supercars on display are pretty much stock, so your favorite is probably going to be decided either by paint scheme, whether you like the wheels, or brand preference. At least that’s how I made my decision. Anyway, here are the choices: a Lamborghini Reventon, the Bulletproof Automotive GTR, a Spyker C8 Laviolette, the electric Green Gallardo from the Giovanna Wheels Booth, and a battleship gray Ferrari 430 Scuderia. So have at it! Which is your favorite?
November 14, 2008
What Was The Prettiest Engine At SEMA?
There were a lot of beautiful engine-bay treatments at the show this year, and I don’t know why, but this all-aluminum 572 cu. in. V8 by World Products just jumped out and bit me. Maybe it was the velocity stacks, the carbon-fiber valve covers with the photographic flames (neither of which are things I’m generally a fan of), or the contrast-color plug wires (I’ve got a similar setup on my Escort). The overall effect is a little gaudy, but somehow it just did it for me. It’s got a Hilborn Injection system by Mr. Norm as well as Flowmaster exhaust components. And wait’ll you see the ‘71 ‘Cuda convertible it was sitting inside of. One thing that’s likely to make the purists mad: the 572 is a Chevy big-block, and the crate-motor equivalent is listed on the World Products site as such. Still, there is a 572 Hemi crate motor in existence. So does this Mopar-powered-by-Chevy constitute cleverly-disguised sacrilege?
Best of SEMA: Racing and Motorsports
Amidst all the bling and glitter, one thing that can get overlooked at SEMA is the motorsports element. But a huge part of SEMA is everything that’s shiny and new in the world of professional motorsports, since so much of the aftermarket is first developed in racing—and now, drifting. And wow, were there ever some insane and over-the-top race cars at this year’s show! For your consideration in the Motorsports category of our Best of SEMA voting, we’ve got the General Tire Baja race truck, the twin-turbo Pro Mod Mustang, the Samuel Hubinette drift Challenger, Brent Leivestad’s Pro FWD Civic (more pics here), and the Corsa Motorsports Hybrid Le Mans Prototype car. All of these rides are current motorsports participants, and all are more powerful and precision-built than anything that most of us will drive in our lifetimes. Which is your favorite?
November 13, 2008
Sleeper Starliner at SEMA
I love stock-looking restos that are hiding some serious performance, like this ‘61 Ford Starliner, packing a 427 SOHC "Cammer" engine that’ll make 622 hp and 533 lb ft of torque. Such a refined-looking ride: I loved the open hardtop body style, the huge expanse of rear glass, and the fully-intact factory chrome trim. But the stock body conceals a fully fabbed Art Morrison chassis with adjustable coil-overs front and rear. The interior, including the thin-shell bucket seats, is out of a ‘64 Galaxie—and the dash, with its amazing red-face gauges, is from a ‘63 Mercury Monterey. With mods borrowed from cars that are close in both age and family tree, and a V8 available over the counter from Ford in the 60’s (after being developed for its racing program), the "Camliner" seems deceptively well-behaved. You’d be surprised to find out it’s not just your grandpa’s sunny-day cruiser. More pics after the jump.
