daygoVR6
11-21-2005, 09:16 AM
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/528790.jpg
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
*click on images to view larger
Words: Brad Harvey – daygoVR6, socaleuro.com
Photos: Lon Mok – bugzy, socaleuro.com
As the end of 2005 comes to the automotive industry there is one final event that goes down in the middle of the desert every year that is the envy of just about any automotive enthusiast. The SEMA show held each year at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, has only the top cars from the entire automotive industry in attendance. Various vendor booths display the new products for the next year that the general public doesn’t get to see yet. I was lucky enough to be able to attend this year’s show and find out whats coming next year. The size of this show is absolutely amazing; it seems to grow bigger each year as the performance automotive world becomes more diverse. It definitely takes a few days to see everything at the show, as it is I would be here writing for the next month trying to describe every little thing that was on hand.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521291.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=493&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521293.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=418&c=10)
Surprisingly enough, even though Honda was the main vehicle manufacture sponsor for the show, you couldn’t tell by the number of companies that had European cars on display in their booth. The European aftermarket industry as a whole is definitely growing, to include the high-end spectrum, as the number of Ferraris and Porsches in attendance outnumbered the number of Volkswagens and Audis. Many of the vendors in attendance are making a strong transition from limiting themselves to just the Japanese performance world. One of the most notable was well-known Japanese suspension manufacturer JIC. Their coilover suspension packages are widely used in the drifting scene, but the main part of their booth presented a BMW 3 series and a Porsche 996 displaying the new-for-2006 coilover package that is really going to make leaps and bounds for those enthusiasts that enjoy track days and DE’s. Suspension tuner Praxis were also on hand, displaying an MK IV Golf in their booth, which utilizes an air ride suspension system to bring the car down to the ground when needed. More importantly the system is very functional as the Praxis reps told me the car has been heavily tested at Willow Springs and Buttonwillow Raceway. “The lower the car gets the higher the spring rate becomes on the system, which in turn gives the car a stiffer ride but creates a car that can handle very well under race conditions,†I am told.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521294.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=381&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521282.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=459&c=10)
Tire supplier Michelin possessed nothing but European cars in their display booth, including a Benneton F1 race car that caused a constant flow from spectators wanting to get a closer look. Neuspeed was on hand showing their new Audi A3 project car sporting a new suspension package, newly designed rims by Neuspeed, and ECU software that successfully pulls 50 more wheel horsepower from the engine. Body kit designer Eurogear had a nice display of new carbon fiber body kits that will be available by the time you read this for the new ’05 Jetta, Passat and ’05 Audi A4. California-based tuners Eurobahn Performance was on hand with a heavily modded E36 M3 chassis showing off their new supercharger and various suspension components, giving BMW owners more to look forward to for next year. Fireball Tim Racing had their Mini Cooper drag car on display in the Kumho tires booth, the team is still working on making shakedown passes and getting the car to where they want it for next season but will surely be a strong contender for European fans in the drag racing community.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521289.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=249&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525731.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=420&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525733.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=442&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/528812.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=510&c=10)
The strongest aftermarket product displays came from the wheel and tire room. The entire room had just about every wheel and tire manufacturer you could name in the industry. Every one of them had some kind of a European car in their booth on display or some kind of reference to the European aftermarket. Well known among exotic European car fanatics, Claus Ettinberg Corporation had one of the largest booths at the show, displaying one of the only Ferrari 430 GT’s with a complete body kit, and I was told that a supercharger is in the works for this car and should be ready for ’06 before the end of the year. Look for a future write up on CEC and its facility in the coming months here on SoCalEuro.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521290.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=456&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521287.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=170&c=10)
One of the more notable moments in SEMA history is when Volkswagen of North America revealed their Jetta and Passat Concept R GT’s and special edition Touareg . All three vehicles were put together with the help of well-known VW tuner HPA and suspension guru’s KW. Hopefully from the response of the crowd VW will decide to start producing these. I’m not going to reveal much on them here as SoCalEuro will have a feature on these as well in the very near future once they get back from the German Auto Show.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521286.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=338&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521292.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=328&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525739.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=455&c=10)
It seems the more I attend this show the more it outdoes itself every year. I’m already looking forward to next November and to see what the European world will have to offer for those of us that enjoy this realm of automotive enjoyment. You can be sure SoCalEuro will be there as well.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525734.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=530&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521284.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=188&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525732.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=363&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521283.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=475&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525737.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=264&c=10)
SEE EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM SOCALEURO DONE BY LON HERE (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=10&userid=)
SEE MORE OF THE "EURO" PHOTOS BY BRAD HERE (http://www.snapandshare.com/photo_album.asp?uid=11046&fid=33715)
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
*click on images to view larger
Words: Brad Harvey – daygoVR6, socaleuro.com
Photos: Lon Mok – bugzy, socaleuro.com
As the end of 2005 comes to the automotive industry there is one final event that goes down in the middle of the desert every year that is the envy of just about any automotive enthusiast. The SEMA show held each year at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, has only the top cars from the entire automotive industry in attendance. Various vendor booths display the new products for the next year that the general public doesn’t get to see yet. I was lucky enough to be able to attend this year’s show and find out whats coming next year. The size of this show is absolutely amazing; it seems to grow bigger each year as the performance automotive world becomes more diverse. It definitely takes a few days to see everything at the show, as it is I would be here writing for the next month trying to describe every little thing that was on hand.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521291.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=493&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521293.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=418&c=10)
Surprisingly enough, even though Honda was the main vehicle manufacture sponsor for the show, you couldn’t tell by the number of companies that had European cars on display in their booth. The European aftermarket industry as a whole is definitely growing, to include the high-end spectrum, as the number of Ferraris and Porsches in attendance outnumbered the number of Volkswagens and Audis. Many of the vendors in attendance are making a strong transition from limiting themselves to just the Japanese performance world. One of the most notable was well-known Japanese suspension manufacturer JIC. Their coilover suspension packages are widely used in the drifting scene, but the main part of their booth presented a BMW 3 series and a Porsche 996 displaying the new-for-2006 coilover package that is really going to make leaps and bounds for those enthusiasts that enjoy track days and DE’s. Suspension tuner Praxis were also on hand, displaying an MK IV Golf in their booth, which utilizes an air ride suspension system to bring the car down to the ground when needed. More importantly the system is very functional as the Praxis reps told me the car has been heavily tested at Willow Springs and Buttonwillow Raceway. “The lower the car gets the higher the spring rate becomes on the system, which in turn gives the car a stiffer ride but creates a car that can handle very well under race conditions,†I am told.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521294.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=381&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521282.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=459&c=10)
Tire supplier Michelin possessed nothing but European cars in their display booth, including a Benneton F1 race car that caused a constant flow from spectators wanting to get a closer look. Neuspeed was on hand showing their new Audi A3 project car sporting a new suspension package, newly designed rims by Neuspeed, and ECU software that successfully pulls 50 more wheel horsepower from the engine. Body kit designer Eurogear had a nice display of new carbon fiber body kits that will be available by the time you read this for the new ’05 Jetta, Passat and ’05 Audi A4. California-based tuners Eurobahn Performance was on hand with a heavily modded E36 M3 chassis showing off their new supercharger and various suspension components, giving BMW owners more to look forward to for next year. Fireball Tim Racing had their Mini Cooper drag car on display in the Kumho tires booth, the team is still working on making shakedown passes and getting the car to where they want it for next season but will surely be a strong contender for European fans in the drag racing community.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521289.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=249&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525731.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=420&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525733.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=442&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/528812.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=510&c=10)
The strongest aftermarket product displays came from the wheel and tire room. The entire room had just about every wheel and tire manufacturer you could name in the industry. Every one of them had some kind of a European car in their booth on display or some kind of reference to the European aftermarket. Well known among exotic European car fanatics, Claus Ettinberg Corporation had one of the largest booths at the show, displaying one of the only Ferrari 430 GT’s with a complete body kit, and I was told that a supercharger is in the works for this car and should be ready for ’06 before the end of the year. Look for a future write up on CEC and its facility in the coming months here on SoCalEuro.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521290.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=456&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521287.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=170&c=10)
One of the more notable moments in SEMA history is when Volkswagen of North America revealed their Jetta and Passat Concept R GT’s and special edition Touareg . All three vehicles were put together with the help of well-known VW tuner HPA and suspension guru’s KW. Hopefully from the response of the crowd VW will decide to start producing these. I’m not going to reveal much on them here as SoCalEuro will have a feature on these as well in the very near future once they get back from the German Auto Show.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521286.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=338&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521292.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=328&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525739.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=455&c=10)
It seems the more I attend this show the more it outdoes itself every year. I’m already looking forward to next November and to see what the European world will have to offer for those of us that enjoy this realm of automotive enjoyment. You can be sure SoCalEuro will be there as well.
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525734.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=530&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521284.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=188&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525732.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=363&c=10)
http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/521283.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=475&c=10)http://album6.snapandshare.com/11046/34044/525737.jpg (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=264&c=10)
SEE EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM SOCALEURO DONE BY LON HERE (http://www.socaleuro.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=10&userid=)
SEE MORE OF THE "EURO" PHOTOS BY BRAD HERE (http://www.snapandshare.com/photo_album.asp?uid=11046&fid=33715)