As writers, we're treated to an interesting view of the auto show circuit. We kick in the doors, cram in as many press conferences and interviews as possible, then bolt from the scene as fast as we can. In doing so, we often take for granted the incredible amount of work manufacturers put into their displays. Set up and tear down often takes days, with hundreds of hours of planning and design work leading up to both processes. Ford has released a time-lapse video from this year's SEMA show depicting the long build-up and tear-down slog.
Using a smattering of RePlay XD1080 cameras strewn all around the booth site, it's possible to get a look at the forklifts, lighting, carpeting and cars as they trickle in to create a seamless booth packed with drool-worthy customs. Hit the jump to check out the clip for yourself.
Continue reading The life and death of Ford's SEMA show booth
Now that the dust has begun to settle after the SEMA explosion, we're discovering a handful of awesome videos that shed a little more light on some of our favorite cars from the show. That includes the ID Agency Ford Focus worked up with professional fixed-gear bike rider Michael Chacon. The hatch wears some seriously sexy BASF paint, and with a body kit drawn up by design guru Jon Sibal and a Wraptivo carbon fiber roof, the Focus has some serious attitude. An AEM cold-air intake and a Magnaflow exhaust help bump up the power, while a Brembo big brake kit is responsible for bringing the machine down from speed.
Inside sits a set of some of the most beautiful seats we've ever laid eyes on. The Sportster thrones were worked up by Recaro and feature two-tone leather and plenty of custom stitching. Do want.
The video after the jump spends plenty of time speaking with Chacon about his inspirations and what it's like to see SEMA from the outside. The clip is set to some pretty snappy tunes, including M83's "Midnight City." Hit the jump to check it out for yourself.
Continue reading ID Agency and Michael Chacon show off Ford Focus build
Episode #255 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, with Chris, Dan and Zach this week. Topics include a wrap-up of what we saw at SEMA, changes to MyFord Touch, the role of natural disasters in slow sales of the 2012 Honda Civic, the Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept, and the Evo Magazine Car of the Year. Your questions and comments power the end of the 'cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We've embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #255:
SEMA wrap-up
Subaru Advanced Tourer
MyFord Touch overhaul
Slow Honda Civic sales due to weather?
Evo magazine car of the year
In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T
2012 Chevrolet Volt
2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI
Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman
Runtime: 01:10:47
Get the podcast
[UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10PM Eastern at UStream
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
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We record Episode #255 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and you can drop us your questions via our Q&A module below. Check out our discussion topics or chime in to help determine what else the crew chats about this evening. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #255
SEMA wrap-up
Subaru Advanced Tourer
MyFord Touch overhaul
Slow Honda Civic sales due to weather?
Evo magazine car of the year
[UStream] Interact LIVE at UStream - 10PM Eastern on Monday, November 7, 2011
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
Every year at SEMA we enjoy seeing the latest creations from the talented Ring Brothers. Last year they debuted an incredible 1970 Mustang, and their latest project is this 1970 Camaro nicknamed "Diversion."
Ring Brothers specializes in producing unique cars, and "Diversion" is no exception. The Camaro sits on a custom-built chassis with a specially fabricated body featuring extended rockers painted with BASF Mineral Gray paint. We're always impressed with the unique billet details of their cars, and this Camaro has them in spades - hood hinges, door handles, taillight bezels and more. The car also features custom Forgeline three-piece wheels, Baer brakes and Flowmaster 44 Series mufflers. Under he hood is a GM LS7 massaged to over 650 horsepower running through a Tremec TKO-600 five-speed transmission.
You can see the Ring Brothers 1970 Camaro "Diversion" in detail in the high-res gallery above.
We have little interest in running into burning buildings, but we can imagine being a firefighter has its perks. For starters, those guys and girls get the chance to pilot some seriously incredible machinery. Superlift, Matchbox and Ford got together to create what could very possibly be the world's most bad-ass brush truck using a 2011 F-350 Super Duty as the base chassis. The truck wears an astonishing 10-inch lift and 41-inch Interko IROK tires. A full tube exo-cage helps protect the PPG "Oh So Orange" paint, and a smattering of lights and sirens ensure that everyone will see this emergency vehicle coming.
A full fire-fighting utility bed, complete with water tanks, pumps and hoses, sits ready to take on brush fires and the like, and a front-mounted water canon means that the Matchbox brush truck can tackle flames going and coming. We dig it.
The suspensions are lowered, the dubs are mounted and the votes are tabulated: with the SEMA show in full swing, organizers have announced their top pics for the show.
Rather than name the top tuned cars, the SEMA Awards name the best cars for tuning, in several categories. And so, the winners of the second annual SEMA Awards are...
The hottest car overall is awarded to the Chevrolet Camaro (like the Hot Wheels concept pictured above), the hottest sport-compact is the Fiat 500, the hottest SUV goes to the Jeep Wrangler, and the hottest truck has been named as the Ford F-Series.
All the award recipients are domestics, save for the Fiat 500, and even that is effectively a Chrysler product made in Mexico. So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Now crack open your aftermarket parts catalogs and have at 'em.
Honda showed off a gaggle of wild concepts for SEMA 2011, but the most interesting of the bunch may very well be a demure 2011 Accord Coupe V6. The two-door has been worked over by the go-fast fiends at Honda Factory Performance and boasts a range of bolt-on goodies that include a HFP suspension and body kit. More importantly, the Accord Coupe V6 Concept is laden with a smattering of prototype engine components. Engineers crafted a prototype supercharger, intake and exhaust systems just for the vehicle, and the end result is a very respectable 335 horsepower 285 pound-feet of torque.
Those figures mark an increase of 64 ponies and 34 lb-ft of twist over the stock 3.5-liter V6, which should do plenty to make the Accord a more interesting piece of metal. Right now, Honda says that the concept was built purely to gauge public interest and determine whether or not Accord Coupe buyers would actually be interested in a hotter version of the vehicle. We say extra horsepower is always a good thing, especially when it comes with a factory warranty.
Rendering wizard and friend of Autoblog Jon Sibal (above left) managed to beat out a race-prepped iQ and a mid-engine version of the ultra-compact to take the win at this year's Scion Tuner Challenge at SEMA.
Sibal, who's brought a range of vehicles to Vegas in the past, partnered up with Veilside and Mike Vu (above right) to create one particularly insane creation fitted with a $7,000 prototype Veilside body kit, a special brew of matte bronze 3M paint and a 32-inch flatscreen fitted to a motorized mount that allows it to fit flush in the trunk. And there's apparently still room for groceries.
Sibal and Vu had been pushing for a partnership for some time and this iQ is the fruit of two months' worth of labor. Sibal and his team snagged a piston trophy for their efforts and a check for $10,000, which should help pay off the build. Or at least part of it...
The standard Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Special Edition is an impressive piece of machinery by any standard, but if you're looking for something with a little more bite, Xtreme Outfitters may have what you're looking for. The company has created a custom Wrangler just for the Army Rangers. The stock drivetrain was pulled in favor of a Burnsville 5.7-liter Hemi V8 conversion paired to a five-speed automatic transmission while the standard axles were scrapped for a Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear from Dynatrac. A TeraFlex four-inch long arm kit with provides a little extra lift, while Fox 2.0 performance shocks ensure that this Wrangler can soak up whatever terrain you decided to conquer.
Smittybilt provided a set of XRC armor fenders, an SRC stinger bumper and a rear XRC bumper with an adjustable tire mount, some of which have been decorated with shots from a 9mm pistol. Xtreme Outfitters also worked with BMF for a set of pre-production Novakane 17x9-inch wheels.
Inside, the Wrangler uses custom lighting from Rigid Lighting and Katzkin custom two-tone leather seats embroidered with the Ranger logo. Xtreme Outfitters has donated the Wrangler to the Army Rangers to be auctioned off to benefit veteran Rangers. Raffle tickets are $25 a piece, and you can enter as many times as you like. Xtreme Outfitters says that the total build tallies up to around $150,000, though all of the decommissioned firearms spread around the cabin aren't part of the deal. Head over to the Rangers site for more information.
