Chevrolet CamaroBlack Concept

If the stock Chevy Camaro is an all-American brawler in jeans and those fingerless-hobo gloves, the Chevy Camaro Black Concept is a stealth-suit wearing ninja. With a matte-black-finish hood, taillamps with dark-tinted lenses, and 21-inch wheels with a dark finish, this Chevy Camaro is so blacked-out, its own shadow has trouble following it.

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Dodge Challenger SRT10 Concept

You knew Phish was going to get back together, you knew Rocky V was going to be terrible, and you knew sooner or later someone would drop a Dodge Viper V-10 engine in a Dodge Challenger body. And where better to show such a creation off than at the 2008 SEMA Show?

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Best Green Car: PML Ford F-150 Hi-Pa

Electric cars are wimpy, right? They're slow, usually ugly, not very powerful...glorified golf carts, really. If that's your electric vehicle stereotype, you're in for a shock: The PML Ford F-150 Hi-Pa. This all-electric version of Ford's bestselling pickup dumps the V-8 engine and the rest of the drivetrain is gone, replacing it with electric motors at each wheel that make 150 hp and 500 lb.-ft. of torque...each. A 600 hp, 2,000 lb.-ft. electric truck? Who says electric vehicles are wimpy?

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Best Wheels: Midas Rims, by Lexani

Let's do some math. Gold closed today at about $740 an ounce. There are roughly 35 ounces in a kilo. There are 5 kilos on this rim. There are 4 rims on a car. That means a set of these Asanti rims we spotted at the Lexani booth will run you back roughly $518,000...for the gold bar insets. That doesn't include labor, gold-plating of the rest of the wheel components, tires, or the cost of replacing your car when you get carjacked -- and you will get carjacked. Add it all up and you have some expensive rims. Oh, that is cubic-zirconium on the center cap. Why not diamonds you ask? Too gaudy!

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Best SUV, Truck, or Crossover: RENNTech Pikes Peak Mercedes-Benz GLK Hybrid

What's pink, goes really fast and looks like it was made from Legos? The RENNTech Pikes Peak GLK Hybrid, of course. RENNTech is widely known for the insane things it does to perfectly acceptable Mercedes vehicles, and it introduced several at the 2008 SEMA show. The Pikes Peak GLK is our favorite, because it is fully functional, looks like it's ready to tackle the hillclimb, and uses a very cool turbocharged/hybrid V-6 engine that puts out 375 hp and 320 lb.-ft. of torque to all four wheels. Hey, so what if it's eye-searing pink? It won't sit still long enough for anyone to notice.

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Most Stunning Show Car: Lamborghini LP560-4 by Giovanna Wheels

Roger Federer walks into the Lamborghini dealership and throws an optic-yellow tennis ball to a salesman. He says, "Build me one in this color." Or so that's how we'd like to think this Lamborghini ended up coated in this stunning color. Giovanna matched the color of these 20-inch GFG wheels with input directly from the Lamborghini factory in Bolognese, Italy, and we're pretty sure you could drop jaws outside a Braille readers' convention with this car. It should be noted that this is the only LP560-4 we saw at SEMA. Score one for Giovanna on the find.

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Most Ludicrously Expensive Show Car: Scythe by Galpin Auto Sports

What can you do in 11 months with an unlimited supply of money, some of the world's most talented fabricators, designers and automotive engineers, and one 2008 Ford Mustang? Apparently this. Everything on the vehicle is voice-activated, from the doors to the steering wheels. That's right -- there are two steering wheels, depending on which side of the vehicle you feel like sitting on. One retracts, the other extends. Why you need that, I have no idea, but if you drop $1,000,000 into a Ford Mustang, those types of questions quickly become irrelevant.

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Best Electronic Device: Passport 9500ix

Chronic speeders usually realize that there's a benefit to having a radar detector. Yet with so much of traffic enforcement automated these days thanks to speed cameras and the like, having a detector that knows where those nano-nuisances are located is a breakthrough. That's what Escort has introduced with its Passport 9500ix. The 9500ix packs a GPS receiver and detailed description of every speed camera, speed trap and red light camera out there.

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Worst Show Car: Toyota "Zimbra" Prius Hybrid

When you put these doors on anything else, they are called Lambo-doors. When you put them on the Prius, I'm pretty sure they become fairy wings. And speaking of which: Unless they let the vehicle soar through the air, this vehicle doesn't fly with us. In other words, that ain't right.

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Best Aftermarket Accessory: The TaleGator

The TaleGator is what we call a "Why didn't I think of that" automotive accessory, and amazingly, TaleGator claims it is the only product of its kind on the market. With two air-cushion seats and two cupholders molded into a design that fits perfectly on any tailgate, the TaleGator is perfect for football parking-lot barbeques, fishing off the side of bridges, and pulling the kids in inner-tubes behind the Silverado when it snows.

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Best Holiday Gift: Hitch Critters

This is either the most awesome or most stupid invention ever. Yet even those who fall into the latter category have to admit that the redneck-cool associated with a flopping bass or growling pit bull thrashing on your trailer hitch is irresistible. 

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Best Import Car: Aston Martin DBS by HRE Wheels

There was no lack of Range Rovers at the 2008 SEMA show, and we were really disappointed that no one customized a Jaguar XF, so when we saw this rare Aston Martin DBS, we thought it should carry the Union Jack (and technically Range Rover and Jaguar sport the National Flag of India these days anyway). For a vehicle at SEMA, the DBS here is relatively untouched aside from HRE wheels, but when you look that good naturally, why bother with makeup? 

Best Celebrity: [Skinny] Elvis Presley

Who you hire as a celebrity spokesman can say a lot about your product. It's a good thing this performance parts company went for skinny Elvis and not lethargic, five-meals-a-day Elvis. And while Zoom Performance Products didn't publicize it, this particular Elvis is an ordained minister, meaning Zoom could have held a wedding at their booth. Who wouldn't want to get married at the largest automotive show on earth? Oh that's right, us.

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Want more SEMA coverage?

Check out the best accessories, wheels, audio systems, custom cars and even green technology at the 2008 SEMA show!

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