SEMA and the mind blowing power of the automotive aftermarket

There are two kinds of magazines that usually end up on the kitchen table at our house – car mags and Hollywood gossip mags such as People or Us.

You can guess which ones I read.

But after spending a week at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer’s Association Show in Las Vegas in early November, I have to confess I’ve fallen prey to a bit of star worship. It was cool seeing Vic Edelbrock Jr., Barry Meguire, Chip Foose, Boyd Coddington, the gang from Overhaulin’ Dennis Gage and even Hulk Hogan. Most of these guys remain accessible and are just good car guys.

But the show’s the thing, right?

Being a gearhead scribe sometimes allows access to places or events not every car lover has access to.

Over the years, I’ve read about SEMA and when television shows such as Overhaulin’ and Rides started streaming into my gearhead home, the mystique and allure of SEMA reached into my grey matter and took root.

This year I decided it was time to make a trip south and take in the 38th Annual SEMA Show. Conveniently, my wife Patty decided a trip to Las Vegas would make a great honeymoon/business trip so she was, as usual, my co-pilot. (I know, how’d I wrangle that deal?)

So, we arrived in Vegas late Halloween night and after a walk up and down the strip, turned in to rest up for the first day of SEMA, Nov. 1

First impression as I entered the Las Vegas Convention Centre?

Mind blowing. SEMA is automotive Bacchanalia. Your eyeballs are popping out every few booths (and not just because of the many luscious spokes-models in attendance. See page 22 of this issue).

At the Primedia Publications booth you could see the original Hot Rod Test Car 1967 Camaro, sponsored by Edelbrock Performance.

At the Hot Wheels booth a wicked full-size, customized 1957 Chevy Nomad sported a blown engine- in the rear passenger compartment with headers exiting through the tailgate hatch. One day, Hulk Hogan is hanging out, the next day Boyd Coddington is mingling with the little people and gabbing cars outside the main convention centre. The star power at SEMA is both an indication of how big this hobby is and how big SEMA is. Simply, it’s a can’t miss event. SEMA is big, really big. How big is it?

Well – there was a SEMA show record of more than one million square feet of display space and more than 100,000 people attend during the four-days of this year’s show. More than 2,000 vehicles are on display and 14 vehicle manufacturers are in attendance. There was more than 10,000 booths and 1,900 exhibitors to visit and that means a whole lot of decals and promotional material to drag around – believe me, if you ever go, bring an empty suitcase with you. We were warned about how much walking we’d have to do, but we weren’t prepared.

After the first day and only about four hours of walking, I felt I had only scratched the surface. Day 2 – a solo effort since Patty pleaded “no mas” and spent the day shopping on the strip – proved me right and because this trip was also our honeymoon on Day 3 I took a SEMA break and played tourist. On Friday, Nov. 4 I checked out the Overhaulin’ television show � one of the few cool hot rod shows on TV and got a chance to see the project car before people in TV land did. Check out the sneak preview at right.

In the end, there were buildings I hadn’t stepped foot in – the tools and machinery building, for one – but my three days at SEMA had many highlights, including the time former co-host of Overhaulin’ the beautiful Courtney Hansen, stopped to ask me for directions outside the media centre. (Her father is famous SCCA racer Jerry Hansen – winner of 27 SCCA runoff championships. I didn’t know that.).

Sorry, I’ve got stars in my eyes again. ’Course, very nice cars and automotive star sightings are part of SEMA’s mystique.