A day after doing my best Bernd Schnieder impersonation in the SLS AMG at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, I left the Yay Area for Sin City and my annual pilgrimage to the SEMA Show.

Ahhhhh SEMA. Every year I ponder how a trade group with such a bland and apparently meaningless study (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) can place on such an outrageous automotive orgy. The products, people, and of course, the hundreds of customized cars, bring me back year after year (nine so far) despite the unavoidable side effects: sore feet, sore throat, and sore liver.

But perhaps this year would be different. The global economic implosion has hit the automotive industry hard and has absolutely crippled aftermarket companies big and small, as they depend so heavily on discretionary income. You don’t hear people saying, “Well, doesn’t matter if Bear Stearns or B of A goes under, people still need to buy 24-inch spinners.”

In the build up to last year’s show, many feared that SEMA 2008 would be a ghost town, but that turned out not to be the case. Apparently many companies had already budgeted or signed contracts for the show before the economic meltdown truly took hold. “If you want to see a ghost town,” an industry colleague ominously predicted, “wait until SEMA 2009.”

Upon landing yesterday afternoon, I sent my buddy Preston, a SEMA vet who was already roaming the floor, a quick text asking about the vibe of day one.

“Low energy, pretty dead,” he replied.

Perhaps things were going to be as bad as predicted. I had already heard about cutbacks on the parties and poofery. Honda, for instance, canceled its annual, legendary cocktail reception at the Las Vegas Hilton, opting instead for a more exclusive, lower key media dinner and a booth stocked with some serious IndyCar hardware.

The same cannot be said of a number of heavy hitters. On the auto manufacturing side, Nissan and Mazda, chose not to show at all. Tuner icons HKS and GReddy followed suit (HKS hasn’t been in a couple of years). Even Michelin, which used to display the finest collection of exotics supercars, decided that its money was better spent on something else.

So then it was dead? Low energy? No. I didn’t find that to be case on my first full day at the show. Oh sure, the show feels smaller this year, with downsized booths and lots of empty space – especially upstairs in the South Hall (where organizers wisely chose to block off sections with drapery) – but it still feels crowded with automotive enthusiasts of the highest order. In fact, I daresay that ones who are showing at SEMA this year must be considered the survivors, the hardest of the hardcore.  They have to be, the weak have already been culled. But hey, talking about who isn’t at the big show is morbid and counter productive – let’s focus on the action and the ones who brought it:

* Recognize this Challenger SRT8? It’s the very same one SpeedFactory sent us to compete in this month’s cover story – with one very important upgrade: under hood is the correct 440 CID/7.2 liter all aluminum Hemi. All the kinks have been sorted out, but the car is set to go under the knife yet again. That 700+ horsepower engine is coming out and going into a new ’10 SRT8 equipped with a six speed manual.  SpeedFactory’s Mark Brucks tells me they’re going to make a real track terror with the new one and they want Motor Trend to give it whirl when it’s done. What do you guys think?  Do these guys deserve a second chance?

* Speaking of muscle cars, you had to know this one was coming. Nitto Tires prefabricated room for Lingenfelter Performance Engineering’s Trans Am – a 2010 Camaro with a Pontiac nose job and one serious heart transplant. Under hood is an all aluminum Racing Head Service block bored out to 455 CID/7.5 liters and trimmed with CNC ported and polished LS7 heads.
The claim? 655 horsepower and 610 ft lbs of torque. Hmmm, perhaps we need to do a Fire Chicken vs Super Snake test?

* I knew dozens of monster muscle cars would be on display, but what I was not expecting was the ridiculous number of lifted and loaded Jeeps. From bead lock wheel manufacturers to shock absorber and off road tire suppliers, anybody who prefabricated anything to do with getting dirty used a Jeep to display their wares. Some, as you can see, to great effect.

One of my favorites, however, was done up by the masters at Mopar. You’ve seen it all over the web, but that bright red Lower Forty Wranger is a sight to see in person. Hey, Sergio – forget about porting over Trail Rated Fiat Pandas.  Build this bad boy instead.

* Never to primeval to hint about Christmas presents, right?  Well guys, here is what I want – a Blue Tiger racing simulator. Like most video game simulators it has the standard features like a racing bucket, force feedback wheel, and manual (or paddle shifter) transmission control and three realistic pedals.  But what separates Blue Tiger’s from static setups, is that the articulating base provides a full 40-degree range of motion. Slam on the gas and the setup tilts backwards – providing that realistic lift off feeling. Go hot into a tight corner, and the whole hot mess will give you’re inner fruit a whirl. If you’re prone to motion sickness, you might even throw up. Prices start at $7,495 if you add your own accessories.  With 22-inch triple monitors, all the racing controls and computer, the price jumps to $13,995. Check it out here.

* Also filed in my Ridiculously Badass folder is rally ace and DC Shoes co-founder Ken Block’s subtly traction enhanced TRAX STI. Built with the help of rally race car fabricators Vermont SportsCar, this 400 horsepower WRX STI is fitted with Mattracks 105M1-A1 rubber tracks instead of wheels. Perfect for puttering around the backcountry near MTN.LAB, DC Shoes private snowboard park/research and development artefact (aka Block’s house in Park City, Utah.) Say what you want, but the man knows how to spend his money.
 
More from the show tomorrow including all the nastiest Nissan GT-R modifications I can find.  And by nasty, I mean terrible.