With the SEMA show being so diverse, it can be hard to spot real trends among the vehicles on the show floor. This year though, we seemed to notice a lot of modified European cars.
Whether this was just a coincidence or a sign of a new direction in the US aftermarket, we’re not sure. Whatever the case, here are some of the tuned Euro machines we spotted this year.
The Rays booth is always a good place to see some high quality machinery. This year the centerpiece was this Vorsteiner-equipped E92 M3.
Here’s another view of the RWB Hoonigan Porsche in the Mobil 1 booth.
I overheard a lot of people who were unfamiliar with RWB talking about how cool both this car and the Fatlace car were. Such is the power of Nakai-san’s work.
Here’s a detail of the rear fender.
Chelsea DeNofa drove his competition-spec E36 drift car from Florida all the way to Las Vegas for the show. That’s dedication.
This slammed and stickered Audi was part of the extremely diverse line of cars outside the convention center.
We also noted the increased presence of Rotiform at SEMA in 2011. They are surely the “it” wheel company of the year!
Here’s a detail on the Audi’s sticker bombed window.
As you can likely tell from the coverage, the popularity of matte finishes is higher than ever.
While a matte wrap might not be the most original thing these days…
…you can’t deny how good it looks on certain cars. Case in point, this SL65 AMG.
Bisimoto Engineering does more than just Hondas. What a beauty.
Love this 5-series. Simple and clean.
One thing that’s strange about SEMA is the lack of modified Volkswagens. It’s strange, considering how popular VW tuning is around the world. This Passat in the H&R booth was one of the few that popped up.
On the subject of VWs, we already showed you this Mk1, complete with UK license plates.
What you haven’t seen is the TDI engine conversion under the hood/bonnet. I’m sure some of you will find this a challenging notion, but diesel powered cars are on the uptake in the Euro scene.
Our inner child was well pleased to check out the hand drawn artwork on this Star Wars themed VW Passat.
Not many Minis were to be found at SEMA.
We did find this lightly modified Countryman in the H&R booth.
One more shot of the 1M on Super RSs. Lovely.
We are still waiting for the Fiat 500 Abarth to go on sale in the US.
Until then, we’ll make do with modified versions of the standard car.
How about some Japanese-tuned Euro flavor with the ARQRAY 120i demo car?
Still wearing Yokohama plates!
We also had our eye on this clean E46 four door. That dark grey colour looks amazing against the dark bronze wheels.
A detail shot on its tow hook.
Underground Racing’s ridiculous Gallardo in the Nitto booth.
There was a constant crowd around the engine bay.
Customperformance Engineering debuted their BMW 1M project, known as the “Black Knight”. Sinister.
Some of you were annoyed we missed putting this stanced Mercedes into our VIP and Luxury post.
It’s a tasteful machine though and definitely deserves a look. We especially like the finish on those BBS rims. It’s a nice change from the typical chrome finish you see on many “low and slow” styled machines.
We are getting close to the end of our SEMA event coverage now, but there are still tons of Car Spotlights to come so keep an eye out for those.