2005 SEMA Auto Show Update

There’s always room for a little more of everything. That very well could be the theme of the 2005 SEMA Auto Show, as fabricators, customizers and auto manufacturers squeezed more of the good stuff into existing machines and rolled out their creations to the wonderment of an audience big enough to populate its very own island paradise. Which really is what SEMA has come to – an island unto itself in the middle of the desert, filled with automotive connoisseurs agape at the creations built to do everything better. Here at SEMA, few things are about less. There was little fuss about hybrids, fuel economy or engine efficiency, unless you count wringing out 550 or more horses from a 3.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine a study of efficiency. If so, you would love the, ahem, efficiency of Volkswagen’s succulent new R GT concepts – picture a VW Touareg, Passat, or Jetta, built around that engine, with Brembo brakes and a racing suspension – among other delights…you get the idea. All three feature subtle design cues, with the Jetta the most overt racer. The Passat, on the other hand, is a study in understated design and refined interior appointments. Simply put, to fellow red-light loiterers, the Jetta dares them to a race…where the Passat will very likely give them a bad case of the “a dad just blew me away” blues. For those who desire a more extreme example of aftermarket magnificence, there was a 400-horsepower Pontiac Solstice on display. If there is anything that defines auto enthusiasm better than a 6.0-liter V8 crate engine bolted into the lithe body of a Solstice, well, good luck finding it. Built by Mallett Cars Ltd., the custom Solstice also features modified shocks and a Corsa muffler – among other enhancements. There’s also the 550-horspower engine, but that’s, ahem, optional in the Mallet, which was just one of many Solstices parked on the show floor. Indeed, it’s fair to claim that the Solstice was this year’s SEMA darling, with a roadster dotting virtually every aisle of the mammoth trade show. Turn around, and you were confronted with a weekend racer in coupe form, courtesy of GM, another with two-tone paint, and yes, some with ridiculous powerplants. The Solstice custom work made it seem as though SEMA was almost a GM custom car show, even though General Motors – for the first time in at least two years – didn’t hold an actual press conference. One wonders what kept the brain trust in Detroit from putting together a Solstice Seminar, given the number of roadsters on the floor – or, better yet, news about a Solstice Performance Pack.

By Brian Chee

Hummer H3 Street Concept

Based on reader interest at Autobytel.com, the new, smaller Hummer H3 is reinvigorating the Hummer brand – even though it offers buyers the meager power of the five-cylinder engine found in the Chevy Colorado, which some would say is liken unworthy powertrain. Sometimes, however, it’s not about the go in the horse but the rhinestones on the rider, which makes the Hummer H3 Street Concept a perfect SEMA show car. The Street features chrome on the grille, hood handles, side vents, fuel door, tubular side steps, and tail lamp guards. Body-colored accents and 20-inch JAX alloy wheels round out the package.

By Brian Chee

Kia Concepts

Pay off the credit cards. Donate to a charity. Both are good places to put the money saved by buying a relatively inexpensive vehicle like the Kia Rio or Kia Sportage. But this is SEMA season, so Visa and the endangered insects in Ecuador will have to wait until that new supercharger is paid in full. Kia presented six custom cars at SEMA this year, four 2006 Kia Rios and two 2006 Kia Sportages. The small suvs, one named Purple Haze and the other Solid Gold, were extreme examples of what paint and wattage can do to a Kia. Purple Haze, which was built by Bassick Addictions, featured a Kicker audio system including 12 subwoofers good for a deafening 4,000 watts, a 32-inch widescreen TV, Eibach springs, leather seats, and Audiovox video components. The other Kia Sportage, Solid Gold, cranked out 2,000 watts, hydraulic suspension, and as is becoming customary in the custom car arena, a plethora of television monitors. Both Sportages used Magnuson superchargers to boost horsepower to 265. Not to be outdone, the tweaks to Kia’s latest redesigned models, the Rio and Rio5, were equally impressive. Orange Blur, built by Strauss Haus Enterprises, included a 3,000-watt Kenwood sound system featuring multiple amps and subs, Eibach springs, a cat-back exhaust system from Cone Engineering, and an intake system and turbocharger from GP Moto. All told, the 2006 Kia Rio5 known as Orange Blur puts out more than 200-horsepower. Compare that to a stock Rio’s 110 horsepower. Other examples of the Rio and Rio5 included:

By Thom Blackett

Leno ’32 Bowtie Deuce

Because Jay Leno and cars go together like David Letterman and Top Ten lists, it’s just not SEMA in Las Vegas without Leno at SEMA, and this year the roving car guy comedian introduced the Jay Leno '32 Bowtie Deuce Roadster, which combines several American automotive legends into a single ride that looks nothing like Frankenstein: The '34 Chevy, the '32 Ford Deuce roadster, a GM small-block V8, and the Corvette Z06. General Motors Performance Division engineers used the GM small block to pump the roadster full with an amazing 580-horsepower. It’s the same engine used in the 2006 Corvette Z06 and is available to enthusiasts only through GM Performance Parts.

By Brian Chee

Mitsubishi Eclipse Ralliart

You know that Ralliart is coming to the US on the powerful shoulders of the Evolution, no less, followed by a Galant Ralliart. But to underscore Mitsubishi's commitment to this performance niche in America, Mitsubishi announced at the 2005 SEMA Show that they would also build an Eclipse Ralliart, and hinted at the future potential for a Raider Ralliart. Something like that may actually induce weak bladders among the truck competition. As for the Eclipse – a car made to be tweaked into a performance machine – the concept has an estimated 400 horsepower from a turbocharged engine borrowed from the Lancer Evolution and supplemented with a custom air intake. The concept Eclipse also has the all-wheel - drive system currently available on the Endeavor and Lancer Evolution as well as a six-speed manual transmission delivering power to lightweight 20-inch carbon fiber wheels with AVS Sport Yokohama tires. Lightweight carbon fiber was used in the roof, hood, fascias and front fenders, and the exterior is painted in Hot Red Mica paint . Interior upgrades include Recaro performance seats trimmed with leather and Alcanterra suede, four-point restraints, racing gauges and a Rockford Fosgate premium sound system.

Pontiac Solstice Weekend Racer

It's a beautiful weekend morning, the perfect day to take your two-seater out for a spirited race at your local track.

Too bad for you if you own a Solstice. Most circuits don't cotton to the idea of racing roadsters, which spells trouble if you want to take that pretty little thing out for some competition without going through the hassle of installing a roll cage. That's due to change soon, if the 2005 SEMA Auto Show is an indication of things to come, as the General Motors Performance Division debuted a special Pontiac Solstice Weekend Racer concept. The concept shows aftermarket companies just how to turn the hot open-air car into a club racer, with a minimum of upgrades. Most obvious changes include a removable hard top and a larger rear wing, though front and rear fascias were also modified. Added to the mix is an air extraction hood and a bronze paint job. Interior changes include ebony suede throughout, a carbon fiber trim bezel that surrounds the gauges and wraps around the center console, and Sparco racing seats. Performance upgrades include a cat-back performance exhaust system, a race suspension package, and larger diameter disc brakes.

Volkswagen R GT Concepts

It’s hard to believe that the maker of the Rabbit GTI, Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, and emotive New Beetle has never held a stage at the SEMA show. Well, not officially anyway. Volkswagen has been represented over the years via countless tuner and concept cars from various aftermarket companies. But this year VW reserved some floor space of its own and marked its entrance with the authoritative bark of a twin-turbo V6. Three concept vehicles were poised under the “Drivers Wanted” banner – a Passat R GT, a Jetta R GT, and a Touareg R GT. Lest folks think Volkswagen takes this tuning thing lightly, these R GT concept cars come with some smoking specs. Each is powered by a 3.2-liter V6 with twin Garrett turbochargers and beefy Brembo brakes. For the Touareg that means 500 horsepower, the Jetta 550 horsepower, and the Passat an unbelievable 575 horsepower. Also featured on the Passat R GT is a candy white paint job with matching interior accents, 19-inch Avus wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport2 245/30 tires, a rear spoiler, and revised front and rear fascias. The Touareg R GT rolls on 22s with Michelin Diamaris 295/30 tires and features a lower body kit. Impressive? Yes. But it’s the Jetta R GT that steals the show. Besides those 550 horses, the Jetta features a full roll cage, a race suspension, air jacks, 19-inch Avus wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport2 265/30 tires, revised fascias, and R32 Recaro seats for four passengers. Being fashionably late has never looked so good.

By Thom Blackett

Photos by Ron Perry, and courtesy of the auto manufacturers