It has dawned on me that ‘The European mind’ can’t quite grasp the dimensions of the SEMA Show.
4.6 million square feet (truthfully, who even measures in kilometres?) of cars, vendors, and sheer automotive freedom – it’s outrageous, especially for an industry that continues to be a really area of interest market in a world sense. Yet someway, this sprawling chaos results in a unprecedented diversity and quality of vehicles on display. Generally speaking, in fact – but we’ll come back to that.
For those latest to the automotive sphere, the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show is crucial event on the aftermarket automotive calendar.
First held in Los Angeles in 1967, the SEMA Show has grown from humble beginnings with fewer than 100 exhibitors to over 2,400 this 12 months, attracting 160,000+ industry professionals and media. While that last number might sound small given the Las Vegas Convention Center’s colossal size, SEMA is a trade-only event – for essentially the most part, there isn’t a public access. So, all attendees are industry insiders. That’s insane.
The event has turn out to be massive, with ‘SEMA builds’ being a few of the 12 months’s most hotly-anticipated modified and custom cars worldwide.
And I actually mean worldwide. Cars and types travel from all corners of the globe to make their mark in Las Vegas. Take Jean Pierre Kraemer’s mind-blowing VW Golf Mk2, a render-turned-reality we first saw in 2021.
Then there’s Evolve Automotive. In case you’re acquainted with Speedhunters – or are, like me, a diehard BMW fan – you’ve likely heard of them. Based in Luton, England, Evolve is one among the UK’s top BMW tuners, with over a decade of experience. All it takes is a fast take a look at their collection of cars to see that they’re true enthusiasts through and thru.
Though they’re only an hour’s drive from my home, Evolve’s journey to Las Vegas was a 39-hour road trip, plus a week-long ferry ride to Recent York for good measure. Yet, the SEMA Show was where they selected to unveil their latest – and maybe most ambitious – construct. What began as a humble BMW 120d is now V8-powered and appears like a 1M. Once they acquired the Java Green coupé, it had already been upgraded with an S65 engine from an E92 M3. But Imran and the Evolve team weren’t content to stop there and got down to create a real BMW enthusiast’s dream machine.
Today, the coupé is powered by a race-winning P65 V8 from Studio AG’s own BMW Z3 GT3 race automobile. From there, the BMW was shipped to FCP Euro in Connecticut and IND Distribution in Chicago, where it received parts from CSF Race, Bilstein, Akrapovič, Eventuri, and Alpha N. The completion got here with a set of Evolve’s own wheels.
The automobile was displayed at CSF Cooling’s booth alongside Rywire’s all-electric, all-wheel-drive EK Civic construct, which you’ll examine here.
A race engine-swapped BMW parked next to an EV-converted Honda is only one small example of the range of the SEMA Show.
As noted in our SEMA 2024 preview post, overlanding has turn out to be a significant trend. But there’s at all times someone willing to push the boundaries to the intense – like Morgan Clarke, whose Range Rover Velar incorporates a rear-mounted Lamborghini engine swap and mind-numbing amounts of custom fabrication. It might not be ready yet, but you possibly can bet I’ll have it in front of my lens in the future.
From diversity and engine swaps to completely wild builds – SEMA has all of it. Take, for instance, Mad Mike Whiddett’s ‘MADMAC’ McLaren P1 drift automobile, with a 1,000hp three-rotor turbo Mazda rotary engine behind the cabin…
…or Reyn Speed Shop’s 5.8L V10 E31 BMW 8 Series.
It’s mind-blowing what a few of the cars at SEMA have under the hood, especially compared to our European counterpart, the Essen Motor Show. I’ll be there in just a few weeks, but with European laws so strict as of late, I don’t expect to see quite as many road-legal lunatics on display.
In fact, as with all event of this magnitude, there’s a flip side. And yes, I’m talking in regards to the drama – specifically that Miata… and others. I won’t go too deep into it – you will discover all of the chatter, images and video on TikTok or Instagram – but principally, what was billed as a twin-turbo Lamborghini V10 swap was nothing greater than a small-block Chevy with half the parts missing and brand-less turbochargers slapped on. The engine actually didn’t run. In front of an audience of experts and industry professionals, it was only a matter of time before the little Mazda was exposed for what it was. This points to a bigger issue within the automobile scene: the obsession with validation to be the loudest, biggest, and most outlandish. It’s not the primary time something like this has happened at SEMA (who remembers the Bluetooth driveshaft era?), and it actually won’t be the last. The pressure to finish a ‘SEMA construct’ can lead some to chop corners in crazy ways.
But let’s not dwell on the negative. Let’s return to the great things and my favourite a part of the 2024 SEMA Show – what the auto manufacturers bring. They know the group is here for modified cars, in order that they often get wild with their builds.
Lately, Toyota has been on a roll, leaning into its motorsport and performance heritage. From the unique GT86 to the reintroduction of the A90 Supra to the rise of Gazoo Racing (GR) as a performance arm, it’s been hit after hit for the Japanese giant. At SEMA 2024, Toyota’s GR Corolla drivetrain-swapped GR86 was one among the good cars on display. Featuring the GR Corolla’s AWD system and 300hp 1.6L three-cylinder turbo engine, this mighty coupé pays homage to one among my all-time favourite rally cars, the Group A ST205 Celica GT-4.
I can’t recover from the Castrol-inspired livery or the GT-4-style rear wing on the back, let alone the Speedline wheels.
After which there’s the Bee*R D1GP R34 Skyline. To see this iconic Nissan on display at SEMA – worts and all – was an actual treat.
In 1,000 words, I’ve practically travelled the world. But that’s the SEMA Show for you – it’s global and continually pushing the bounds. I even have lots more to point out you from our time in Las Vegas, including a more in-depth take a look at the Toyo Tires Treadpass, and highlight features on a few standout cars, including that 2Fast2Furious-inspired R34 Skyline from the team at Throtl.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
mariochristou.world
Photography by Darrien Craven
Instagram: _crvn_
This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
