Back To OpenRoad

Cars from SEMA part three

Benjamin Yong on November 13, 2014

SEMA Show 2016 Global MX-5 Cup car
The car to be used in the Mazda 2016 Global MX-5 Cup racing series, above, was revealed at the Las Vegas SEMA Show. Photos by Zak Tang.

To kick off the Las Vegas SEMA Show earlier this month, an automotive trade show that brings together aftermarket parts industry representatives from all over the world, an awards ceremony was held to crown the industry’s hottest vehicles.

Accepting the title of Hottest Sport Compact was the new Honda Fit, the small four-door hatchback recently entering its third generation. The company brought out nine personalized versions of the subcompact — six were built by tuners for the 2015 Fit Performance Project and documented on the social networking website Tumblr.

Sema Show Spoon Sports USA 2015 Honda Fit

Honda performance specialist Spoon Sports USA created the Super Taikyu (Endurance) Fit, unmistakable due to the heavily featured signature blue and yellow paint scheme. Not surprisingly, most of the new parts “fitted” on the car are made by Spoon, including a titanium exhaust, brake rotors, calipers, pads and lines, suspension, aero mirrors and sunroof delete. The body aero, though, is made by Honda, and the wheels are 15×7 CE28 Club Racers by Volk Racing.

SEMA Show Bisimoto 2015 Hyundai Sonata

Hyundai collaborated with Bisimoto Engineering for the third consecutive time to build something that not only looks good, but more importantly, goes fast to show at SEMA. This year, it’s a 700-plus horsepower sedan. Using the 2015 Sonata as a canvas, the original 2.4-litre engine has been massaged with forged pistons, a high-revving valve train, high-boost turbocharger and more. The exterior features a custom laminated body wrap, body kit, 18-inch wheels and a Burns stainless steel exhaust system.

SEMA Show Bisimoto 2015 Hyundai Sonata engine

Roadster enthusiasts the world over held their collective breath when the redesigned 2016 Mazda MX-5 was revealed in September. After having the question ‘What will it look like?” answered, the next most popular query was “Where will it race?” At a global announcement during SEMA, Mazda responded with the announcement of a new 2016 Global MX-5 Cup racing series to take place in North America, Europe and Asia.

SEMA Show Mazda 2016 Global MX-5 Cup

Although Mazda provided no information on specs or equipment other than confirming a 2.0 L SKYACTIV-G four-cylinder engine will be used, they did have a cup car on display. Enjoy the pictures.

SEMA Show Mazda 2016 Global MX-5 Cup

SEMA Show Mazda 2016 Global MX-5 Cup

SEMA Show Mazda 2016 Global MX-5 Cup

Cars from SEMA Show part one

Benjamin Yong on November 8, 2014

SEMA 2015 Lexus NX200t
A 2015 Lexus NX 200t customized by 360 Elite Motorworks on display at the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Photos by Zak Tang.

Every year in November, Las Vegas hosts the Speciality Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show, an industry-only event that draws over 130,000 individuals largely made up of automotive parts manufacturers, retail store buyers and media from 130 countries.

Automakers also come out in full force displaying unique, souped-up creations that are the result of unique collaborations with aftermarket performance companies and celebrities. Some brands, like Toyota and BMW, use the opportunity to show off factory-tuned vehicles. OpenRoad was at SEMA 2014 and below we bring you part one of some of the best-of-show examples.

Lexus

A lot of people are talking about one of the newest entries into the luxury compact crossover market: the 2015 Lexus NX. Offered as both a 200t with a Lexus-first 2.0-litre turbo motor and new six-speed automatic, as well as a 300h with Lexus Hybrid Drive featuring a 2.5-litre Atkinson gasoline engine mated to a new CVT transmission, all models are all-wheel drive.

SEMA Artisan Lexus NX200t

As if the 200t isn’t enough of a looker already, Los Angeles tuners 360 Elite Motorworks got their hands on one and had it painted in a bespoke and retina-tingling “Molten Pearl” bright orange colour. This custom NX is outfitted with a full Artisan Spirits body kit, RS-R Sports coilover suspension, and gigantic gloss black HRE P104 wheels that are a full three inches bigger than the standard 17-inch alloys, wrapped in grippy Toyo Proxes T1R sport tires. Performance modifications are kept modest with a custom intake and exhaust. 

Toyota

The Camry recently received a complete redesign for 2015. The face of the car now looks much more aggressive, keeping inline with the exterior changes found on the Corolla and Yaris. Like the NX, the Camry is available with a conventional gasoline engine (four cylinder/V6) or a four-cylinder hybrid.

SEMA Toyota Camry dragster

Making a little more than the 268 horsepower from the stock V6, Toyota lifted the covers off a Camry that was quickly revealed to be an 850-horsepower tube-frame dragster sitting underneath a deceptively normal shell. The powerplant was borrowed from a Tundra full-size pickup truck: a 5.7-litre V8 with a TRD supercharger and a wet nitrous system added for good measure. Equipped with beefy 335/30/18 drag racing tires, the Camry-from-Hell is expected to do the quarter mile in 9.8 seconds.

SEMA Toyota Camry dragster engine

Scion

Because of its affordable price point, balanced front engine, rear-wheel drive configuration and handsome looks, the Scion FR-S has proved very popular with the young tuner set since its release two years ago.

SEMA Cartel Customs Scion FR-S targa

Scion put a call out to car customizers to put their own spin on the coupe, and Jeremy Lookofsky of Cali’s Cartel Customs responded with his targa top version. Sprayed in a proprietary “Azzuro California Blue” colour, this FRS has a two-tone scheme with a removable black targa roof sitting overtop of a widened all-metal body. Other enhancements include 19-inch wheels, centre-exit exhaust system, GReddy turbo kit, Wilwood brakes and KW coilovers.

In part two of SEMA 2014, we’ll be checking out some showstoppers from the Euro camp.