WITH the global aftermarket automotive parts sector speculated at nearly $A500 billion this year, it’s no surprise that a show dedicated to this industry within an industry attracts a huge audience.
The annual, three-day SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show held in Las Vegas each November has grown to massive proportions, attracting more than 70,000 buyers from around the world along with, this year, 2400 exhibitors and a total of 161,000 attendees.
Many thousands of new products ranging from mechanical performance components through paints, lubricants, consumables and tyres to new technology were on display, and for sale, as the exhibition itself morphed into something of a show-and-tell with manufacturers, customisers and performance modification companies vying for attention with crowd-pulling vehicles.
This year, organisers made additional space available for burgeoning electrification technology that now offers, on a broad scale, EV conversions of classic cars.
Some of the highlights:
Creating plenty of attention was a radically styed BMW M4 converted into a ute. It’s a long stretch to outlay $160,000 for an M4 and then slice the roof off at the rear, in the process removing everything apart from the floor.
The BMW ute is finished with Stek Automotive USA’s carbon film highlights while the mechanicals remain the same as a stock M4, built around a twin turbo petrol straight six.
Moving to Japanese iron and the Toyo…
