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2005 SEMA
By: Drew Phillips
Drew Phillips
December 22, 2005

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Welcome to the giant that is SEMA. Every year the SEMA Show in Las Vegas just gets bigger and bigger. Thousands upon thousands of people from all aspects of the automotive industry gather for one huge aftermarket automotive-fest. It's hard to get noticed in Las Vegas, but somehow SEMA does it, turning Sin City into Motor City for a few days in early November. This year over 2,000 companies exhibited their new products, over 500 of which attended the show for the very first time. The growth of the show is just an example of how the $31 billion aftermarket industry is making its impact.

While you can find everything from mild to wild at the show (Million dollar rims??? Seriously...), here's some highlights from the major manufacturers:

Honda

Honda was selected as the official manufacturer of the 2005 SEMA Show and rightfully so. The new Honda Civic SI is sure to be one of the most popular tuner cars in the upcoming year. "We're thrilled at the opportunity to play a larger part in the 2005 SEMA Show as Vehicle Manufacturer of the Show with the 2006 Civic as Vehicle of the Show," said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The performance aftermarket has played a big part in the image of Honda with young buyers and performance enthusiasts." Honda displayed nineteen different tuner versions of the SI including variants from Comptech, AEM/DC Sports, Mackin, GReddy, Tein, and Hasport. Honda also showcased suspension and body kits available for the SI directly from Honda Factory Performance. Joining the Civics in the Honda display were the Street Sport Concept Ridgeline truck and A-Spec versions of the Acura lineup.

GM

GM's display included a variety of cars from its brands. Showing the track potential of the Pontiac Solstice, GM Performance Division created the Solstice Weekend Club Racer with an aggressive racing package that would allow racers to compete amateur track events with little upgrades. The car features the Solstice's turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that has been given a boost to 325 bhp. A T-52 suspension package and larger brakes were first to be added. External upgrades include a removable hardtop and a large rear wing. Front and rear fascias as well as new rocker panels and 18-inch alloy wheels finish off the aggressive yet functional look. Finally, the show car was finished off in a custom bronze paint job.

Another show-stopper from GM was a custom HHR created by So-Cal Speedshop. The famed hotrod builder extensively changed the stock HHR, extending the body to fit a state-of-the-art Pro-Mod drag race-style double-rail chrome moly tube chassis. The turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec motor was pushed to over 800 bhp. The car was built to race at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the G/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe class where it will attempt to break the record of over 226 mph.

Volkswagen

German manufacturers have mostly ignored SEMA in past years. In fact, Volkswagen's appearance at this year's show was the first for any German car company. VW's first step will hopefully lead to other Bavarian manufacturers coming to the show. Working in conjunction with well-known tuner HPA, VW's display included three of the most radical vehicles brought by any of the car companies. Using VW's 3.2-liter V6 engine as a base, HPA fitted twin-turbos to create the 500+ horsepower "R" lineup. A Passat, Jetta, and Touareg all received the engine treatment, as well as being fitted with special AWD systems to help handle the power. Each vehicle was also given a special appearance package that helped the vehicles distinguish themselves if the radical engines were covered by the hood.

Mitsubishi

In our road test of the new Mitsubishi Eclipse, it was mentioned that it would be nice to see Mitsubishi create a high-performance, AWD, lightweight Eclipse reminiscent of the GS-X in the late 1990's. Mitsubishi did just that with the Ralliart Concept. Powering the Ralliart Eclipse is a modified version of the EVO's turbocharged inline-4 making 400 bhp. High-performance? Check. The EVO's awd system is also brought along. AWD? Check. Carbon fiber is used throughout the car, including the roof, hood, fascias, and front fenders. Lightweight? Check. Now all Mitsubishi needs to do is produce it.

Ford

Perhaps the highlight of the show was the GTX1 Roadster in the Ford display. The initial idea for the car's creation came from Ford's SVT department, although the actual car was built by renowned coachbuilder Genaddi Design. Genaddi used its experience in building custom Rolls Royces to chop the top on Ford's modern day performance icon. The GTX1 also differs from its coupe counterpart with custom forged wheels and Sparco Carbon Sport seats. The removable hardtop can be stowed behind the seats. The best part? A limited production run is planned by Genaddi.