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Trackside-Suzy
11-17-2015, 02:32 PM
SEMA REPORT: Some things I noticed

My plan was to wander all of SEMA and to take as many pictures and videos as I could to bring you an immersive experience in what SEMA is all about. Why would I do this? Well frankly, I was going to do it so that all of you who wish you could go, would feel like you’d already been, and stay home. Why didn't I do it? Because I found myself consumed with telling anyone who would listen about the car I was there to represent.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/20151105_164757_zpsj52hiain-1.jpg

Here’s the thing about SEMA: It’s a trade show.
This means that people who work in the industry are at the show to do business. SEMA is supposed to be where deals are done, relationships are formed and next year’s sales quotas can start to form. SEMA is the place where companies showcase their latest and greatest in hopes of pleasing current commercial customers and partners and forge relationships with new strategic alliances. SEMA is not a convention of enthusiasts but rather a high-priced global sales meeting. Unfortunately, this enormous show has become more of a convention and less of a trade show and this could be the show’s demise.

(I'm sorry for the lack of photos on this post, I lost my cell phone a the show and I'm left with only a few shots I took with my regular camera.)

I was at SEMA to show off a charity tribute build for a reasonably famous amateur race team. I didn’t need to sell anything although the car was showing off a one-of-a-kind part for a great vendor who was happy to try and sell more (so that it would no longer be one-of-a-kind) of these parts to the right audience.

What SEMA really is: A reunion of automotive professionals; a chance for enthusiasts who finagle a badge, to see the latest TV car celebrities (and maybe an old timer or two); a mob scene of epic proportion and bragging rights for the average Joe to tell his buddies he saw Richard Rawlings from Gas Monkey Garage.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/20151105_164745_zpsz9ftrnli-1.jpg

While I never got more than a couple of hours to check out the show (and usually at the crack of dawn) I was able to run through a couple of the halls, take some crappy videos and notice a few trends. (All the vids are on the Pro-Touring Facebook page.) I was also able to see a bunch of people who I don’t normally get to see since moving from the West Coast, so I suppose it was a reunion of sorts for me too.

TRENDS
Firstly, the pro-touring movement is not lost on aftermarket specialty motorsports equipment. When it comes to mechanical stuff, I saw lighter, faster and more effective. Each year I see more suspension, more power-adders, more bolt-on and more ‘ease of use’. This year was no exception. Notable from Chevy was the Camaro 6 which is starting to take on a lot of the Corvette looks in my opinion and Ford with a 300+ horsepower Focus. (Autocross killer?)

While I’m sure trucks are always a trend, it seemed like the entire show had trucks in it. Every major manufacturer and section of the show had a truck --or ten. Additionally, the aftermarket for trucks went for miles. Work trucks, emergency response trucks, off-road burly trucks, off-road luxury trucks. Urban and military assault vehicles with any number of lights, bells and whistles – and by whistles I mean horns suitable for a train that were randomly honked to the displeasure of anyone within a mile.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/20151106_093700_zpsakv0yttr-1.jpg

Paint and body was consumed with wraps – wrap it on the go, wrap it metallic, wrap it flat, wrap it in an hour. There were durability and speed contests all week showcasing all manner of applications. I cannot help but think that with this many vendors in the market, wraps should start to come down in price eventually. While I’m sure advances are being made in the finishing market, I wasn’t able to see it with all of the crowds looking at colored saran wrap and rubber paint. This must be why Glasurit had Jay Leno in their booth to get attention.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/20151105_164050_zpsmiz5zxz3-1.jpg

Another trend that continues to expand was the colored anodized aluminum wheels. Every wheel manufacturer that I saw had colored wheels. Some were subdued and tasteful and some could be seen from space. The prevailing color of copper was most notable – shiny, bright or darker, copper seemed to be everywhere. When I say that the market has expanded, I had not previously noticed the colored (beyond painted/powder coated) wheels on trucks. There is nothing quite like seeing a pickup truck lifted to the moon with off road suspension capable of taming a tank and a six-inch snorkeled exhaust… sporting lime green or brand-new-penny-copper 40 inch wheels. I’ll just say this: it’s not for everyone, but it does make a statement.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/wheels_zpsbqmuqwgl-1.jpg

One thing that still blows me away (and I’m not saying it would be anyone here because most of you know better) but I’m surprised that the TV show guys continue to get so much attention. By TV show, I mean the “reality” TV builders who hodge-podge stuff together and generally hack up cars and do work that cannot be acceptable in the real world. TV shows that are focused on the lack of common sense and actual car knowledge (or illegal racing) vs. the artists and real-world builders. These current celebrities get mobbed for autographs and attention and I think it diminishes the great work that some of the smaller builders are doing.

While we’re talking about builders, the competition for builder’s awards was FIERCE. I cannot imagine the judges having to decide which cars to award. Artistry and innovation continue to boggle your mind when you see what is coming out of back-alley shops across the country – many are one-man operations with no intentions of becoming famous or getting a TV show. These are the guys (and gals) that should be mobbed, in my mind; but what do I know?
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/11/20151106_154340_zpsgbabceph-1.jpg
Pro driver Shawn Umphries with Hillbank/Superformance honchos Ashton and Mikey.

Lastly, the outdoor arenas were probably the most fun for me (probably because I got to go outside while there was daylight) – Ford out front had a mix of Cobras, trucks and exotics squealing tires and showing off the latest and greatest from builders like Hillbank, who were generous enough to let me ride along. I didn’t hit the Chevy “proving grounds” because the line was too long and I figured I can squeal tires in a Chevy any time.

Next year, I have big plans to get you better videos and more coverage… if I don’t’ have to ‘man’ the booth.

Martin71RS
11-17-2015, 03:50 PM
Well, nothing to add to your story Suzy...except for a link to the pics I made there....
Normal compact camera so the quality is good enough to get an idea on what was out there.

over 1200 pics...enjoy

http://s810.photobucket.com/user/Martin71RS/library/2015_SEMA_Vegas_OUSCI?sort=2&page=1


Martin

Rod
11-18-2015, 07:33 AM
great write so far!

Trackside-Suzy
11-18-2015, 10:41 AM
Thank you Martin for capturing so much!

Trackside-Suzy
11-24-2015, 09:56 AM
After writing up my general SEMA observations, it got me thinking about all that I didn’t say. I didn’t get to see even half of the show so I wasn’t able to adequately form opinions that were any more than generalizations. I did want to take a moment to call out some specifics from what I did see though. I tried to capture some of my enthusiasm about cars that I saw but maybe a little bit of the back story would make it more real for anyone who cares.

Several of you saw my video (before the show opened, I tried to be the first) of Greg Thurmond’s car “Scar”; a beautiful orange Corvette in the K&N/Spectre booth. I think I adequately described the car in my video but I didn’t tell you much about it (and I was called on the carpet by a Facebook troll who thought someone with more knowledge of cars should be let into SEMA. But that’s another story.) What I didn’t tell you is that Greg Thurmond, is one of those One-man shops. In a shotgun building in Simi Valley, California, Greg plugs along at building some of the most beautiful Corvettes for some very discerning customers. Primarily, Greg is a paint and body guy, smoothing out fiberglass like a sculptor to marble but he dabbles in engine and suspension work with the help of Lingenfelter and a long-time Pro-Touring member Newman Car Creations. (I’ll get to that in a minute.) Up to this point, Greg’s claim to fame was the beautiful red early-model (I don’t know years, sorry) Corvette named Scarlett – primarily driven by his wife Jane (another claim to fame that Greg has is his charismatic wife) and seen on the autocross scene up and down the West Coast.

http://vid385.photobucket.com/albums/oo294/protouringdotcom/SEMA/20151106_090107_zpsbes1kva8.mp4

What I didn’t tell you about Greg is that when I finally got to see him at the booth he was so tired and delirious that I am not sure that it had even set in that his car was one of the most popular at the show. I would venture to say it was the most sought after Corvette, for sure.

SEMA builders KILL THEMSELVES for the opportunity to show off their craft to a global audience.

Greg was visibly exhausted (no offense Greg, you’re handsome as heck), had easily lost 15-20 pounds and was literally smiling while staring off into space or shaking hands with congratulatory strangers. Will Greg get hundreds of thousands of dollars in new customers from this? Doubtful. Will Greg be known for years to come as the builder that killed it at SEMA in 2015? Doubtful. But will paint and Corvette enthusiasts know him and his company? I hope so, I really, really hope so. I want to add that Greg not only got the car to SEMA but it was fully-functioning and drivable – so much so, he got the Optima golden ticket and raced the car immediately following the show (and another three or four times that week!).

I don’t know if this is widely known but most cars at SEMA are barely running (if they are running at all). The crunch to get the cars done in time usually means that mechanicals aren’t fully functioning in lieu of making the car pretty enough to be in a booth. I was representing a 2015 Camaro that was not capable of getting above a couple hundred RPMs, to give you an idea of what it’s like. Builders who bring the whole package to the show, have gone above and beyond to get their fifteen minutes of well-deserved fame.

Another car… truck actually, that I took video of was the ice blue truck from Strange Motion (Tim Strange). While most of this crowd will know Tim from his days on a TV show or even more recently as the Master of Ceremonies for the Goodguys autocross – is a builder. Not just any builder, but a Hot Rod Hall of Fame builder. Yeah, you heard that right. At 30-something years old, this guy has been recognized by the industry elite with the highest honor. Again, Tim runs a one-man shop in an old corner car dealership building in a small town in Southern Tennessee. There are no fancy signs (he likes it that way) and there are no TV crews. Just Tim working away on a few projects at a time moving from engine building to suspension to paint and body like a team of ten. Tim too was bleary-eyed and going through the motions when I finally caught up with him. I think the first words out of his mouth were: “I cannot do this again.”

http://image.hotrod.com/f/158558168+w660+h495+cr1/01-strange-reveal-chevy-c10-sema-2015.jpg
Courtesy of HotRod.com

I have the great fortune to know both Tim and Greg personally and I know them to be perfectionists who cannot delegate and only want to build the very best for this discerning audience. These guys are the craftsmen who are too good for TV, who give back 100% and kill themselves for five barely-coherent days in Vegas. Remember this when you critique what they do and be cognizant of all that they do for the industry.

http://image.hotrod.com/f/158558165+w660+h495+cr1/02-strange-reveal-chevy-c10-sema-2015.jpg
Courtesy of HotRod.com

Back to the various companies that get involved in these builds including long-time pro-touring member Kyle Newman of Newman Car Creations, who provided the chassis and custom suspension for Greg’s car ‘Scar’.

http://www.newmancarcreations.com/driving-fun/auto-cross.php

The Newmans were not at SEMA this year. I didn’t ask, but I can assume that it is because they needed to be back at the shop earning money building chassis. So many craftsmen cannot afford to even attend SEMA because they are small shops doing amazing quality work and providing the underpinnings and components that make these beautiful SEMA builds possible. Let’s face it, I’m pretty sure that Tim Strange would not be announcing at Goodguys (during SEMA build season) if he was sitting back on a fat stack of cash building cars at his leisure.

This is yet another representation of how much influence the ‘little guys’ have on our industry that should not be ignored or overlooked in lieu of the big-money flashy vendors assaulting our senses at the Las Vegas Convention Center every November. If you are building a car, think about the smaller shops who will build to your specs for what (in most cases) isn’t more than what you’ll pay a big name vendor. Think about supporting Made in America and the family-owned shops that strive to bring the best quality and workmanship. Consider supporting the guy who gives away more information and knowledge here on the forum for the oft chance of getting some of your business. Some amazing things are happening across this great country of ours and if we don’t support it with our minds and dollars, much of it won’t live beyond this generation. Let’s face it; the news of George Barris’ passing during this year’s show was a reminder that creativity and innovation in car building could be a thing of the past if we don’t show our support for today’s amazing builders. At the very least, find the builders of the cars you like and shake their hand or send them an email to tell them that you appreciate what they do and how much they put on the line for our enjoyment.

Trackside-Suzy
11-24-2015, 09:57 AM
I'm sorry, for some reason the pictures are not posting and I'm frustrated so the links are going to have to stay.

vintageracer
11-24-2015, 01:50 PM
SEMA 2015 was by far the best SEMA I have ever attended. Larger than any SEMA before. Started going in the mid-90's/

If you like Jacked up trucks and Jeeps you were in HEAVEN at SEMA 2015!!!

SEMA Ignited was a once again a nice event for Friday night. A little nipply temperature wise however still a nice evening event.