In what must have been some sort of twisted marketing ploy, the great American automaker Ford had an Ultimate Green Ford Focus RS sitting at the beginning of their display at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Honestly, as you turned the corner expecting to see more Mustangs than you can shake a stick at, there it was, a 300 HP turbocharged lime green Focus wearing a set of wide arches, 19 inch multi spoke rally inspired RS wheels, vents in the fenders and hood as well as a wide mouth front bumper.
At first the neon paint acted like a magnet drawing in your eyes. As anyone who has ever been behind the wheel at speed can tell you, you end up going where your eyes are looking, and we weren’t alone. We literally had to shove through the crowds and hold back attendees just to get a clean shot of Ford of Europe’s greatest creation. Hopefully Ford’s marketing team were hiding behind the curtain somewhere like the wizard of Oz just so that they can understand just how much of a demand there is for this machine right here in the U.S. however we might just settle for an RS Fiesta.
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Another wonder from Germany that we aren’t privy to just yet is the next generation Volkswagen Golf GTI. While VW enthusiasts overseas have been driving around in the latest hot hatch with its pronounced headlights and curvaceous body. The new GTI should be in U.S. showrooms by next year and you can expect for them to be everywhere else shortly thereafter. It is only fitting that the German suspension manufacturer H&R decided to bring a sixth generation GTI to the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, after all, ever since a team of top secret VW engineers slapped a GTI badge on the original Rabbit the one thing that these cars have become known for is outstanding handling.
As opposed to some of the more over the top examples of aftermarket influence at this year’s show, H&R has tastefully modified the Golf VI GTI with a set of thin spoked O.Z. Racing rims measuring 20 inches in diameter with a nice little red accent on the lip. Being the suspension specialists they are, H&R virtually eliminated whatever unsightly wheel gap VW gave the car from the factory leaving the new GTI with the perfect stance, all before laying down a pair of German flag inspired side stripes unlike anything you have ever seen before.
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As part of an automotive manufacturer’s vast list of responsibilities they must pick and choose what cars they want to sell in what markets, unfortunately sometimes this means that certain regions are deprived of some outstanding automobiles. In this case we are talking about the Volkswagen Scirocco, the VW sports car hasn’t been sold in the U.S. since 1988 and is currently a dedicated Euro only model.
However like most things in car culture, leave it up to the aftermarket to make the impossible come true. Like when the Netherlands based high performance shock absorber manufacturer with subsidiaries around the world brought a modified VW Scirocco wearing a set of stylish 19 inch BBS rims stateside to the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Only after seeing the sports coupe in person can you fully appreciate the cars all new curves and haunch rear end, now we know why Volkswagen of America is a bit hesitant to bring the car to the U.S. because after seeing the new car in person, we would be hard pressed to pick the Golf as our Volkswagen of choice, especially after you have a gander at the even more powerful Scirocco R.
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The 2009 Los Angeles International Auto Show is just around the corner and in preparation for the last big auto show of the year every manufacturer is polishing up their masterpieces so that they will shine bright under the lights of the L.A. Convention Center. The Japanese automaker Honda has just released the information that their Personal-Neo Urban Transport, or P-NUT, design study will be sitting front and center in their booth. With the American market making a shift towards smaller and much more efficient vehicles, the concept is a look forward at what a futuristic ultra-compact coupe would look like complete with a few aggressive designed cues from Honda. It is only fitting that the P-NUT say hello to the world at the L.A. Auto Show, after all the concept was conceived right there in the heart of Los Angeles at Honda’s Advanced Design Studio where they conduct their research and development for the import automaker’s overseas market. Honda is keeping tight lipped about the new P-NUT, after all they don’t want to s----the beans before the big show.
Press release after the jump.
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Ford will unveil the 2011 Mustang at the Los Angeles Motor Show, but of course details on the car couldn’t be kept secret until then. So, thanks to some very vigilant eyes we can tell you the first details on the future muscle car. Orders will begin in January 18, 2010 and first deliveries will be made starting March 15, 2010.
For the 2011 model year Ford will bring back the 402A Package which is the California Special (GT/CS) model and a Shelby Convertible powered by a 5.4-liter Supercharged 4V V8 engine.
There will also be a SVT Performance Package that includes: 19-inch wheels, RR spoiler with GF (not sure what GF stands for), Over The Top (OTT) stripe delete and 3.73 limited slip.
Ford will also offer a Brembo Brake Package, 6-speed automatic transmission option and three different 19-inch wheels.
It seemed that everywhere you turned at the 2009 SEMA Show there were at least a few modified Hyundai Genesis Coupes in your field of vision. However there was one tuned two door that stood head and shoulders above the rest, taking a page out of last year’s playbook, the Korean car maker hired a team of expert Japanese tuners to make the most out of their newest sport compact, and if you thought that the HKS Genesis Coupe from the 2008 SEMA Show was jaw dropping, then Greddy’s take on the Genesis Coupe will leave you absolutely breathless with its aggressive body kit, very fashionable vinyl and the mystery of what’s inside.
The Greddy Genesis coupe was put together with the typical array of parts from the Trust catalog like an Airinx intake filter, type RZ blow off valve, a full auto turbo timer and the legendary Profec B electronic boost controller. However a few of the more impressive parts that Greddy came up with for the new world engine based turbocharged four cylinder engine; like a larger 18 G turbocharger being fed hot air from a four into one tubular exhaust manifold, a high capacity intake manifold, Greddy’s latest in ECU technology the e-Manage to finish off the bolt on upgrades housed inside the engine bay.
The Genesis Coupes stance was adjusted to perfection thanks to a set of Greddy Type-S coilovers and had 20 pistons worth of brake calipers housed inside of a set of gunmetal grey Volk Racing TE-37 wheels. As impressive as those last few items might have sounded, none did as much for both performance and style of the modified Genesis Coupe as the Greddy Spectrum Elite exhaust peaking out underneath the new rear diffuser with its quad tip configuration and anodized blue finish. Once again Greddy has created an automotive masterpiece using their catalog of proven go fast parts without the need for unnecessary bling and Hyundai laid the foundation for them to do it.
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There is no greater sight than a group of modified Nissan GT-R super cars lined up and shined to perfection, and of course while walking along the crowded halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center for the 2009 SEMA Show that is exactly what we came across. The old Skyline GT-R has already built itself a strong relationship with the aftermarket, and the new GT-R super car has quickly become famous for being able to embarrass Porsche owners for a fraction of the price by granting owners with ungodly amounts of power and handling that defies physics, all straight from the factory. Given the car’s tuning credibility and outstanding performance potential, the GT-R has become the perfect platform for enthusiasts to transform into the purpose built vehicle of their choice.
At the head of the pack sat Brian Lock’s GOTO:Racing R35, now any race spec GT-R is a visual treat, but when you consider that this is the first ever race ready Nissan GT-R to compete in any form of sanctioned motorsport in the U.S. you know that this is truly something special with its multitude of aerodynamic aids, gutted interior and ultra wide semi slicks. While Mr. Lock’s GT-R was modified in search of an all around ability to go, turn and stop in order to achieve the quickest lap time possible, the next Nissan in line focuses on doing one of those tasks extremely well with the same goal in mind of course. That is because the next example of Godzilla lined up in Las Vegas was a gleaming white GT-R that boasted as being the world’s fastest. With straight line acceleration being priority one, this super car owner has managed to run his GT-R down the quarter mile in an elapsed time of just 10.4 seconds with a trap speed of over 130 MPH, very fast.
There were so many modified GT-Rs in the lineup that it would be difficult to go over the nuts and bolts of each one, but if you are a true GT-R fan, and spent hours endlessly staring at that old B.F. Goodrich poster, then you should recognize this last GT-R distinct shade of Bayside Blue. Even though that particular paint code went away with the R34, this Godzilla enthusiast did a great job of bringing back the image of the four round red taillights floating in a sea of that memorable metallic blue paint.
Video of Brian Lock’s GT-R after the jump. > More
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The Japanese luxury automaker Lexus recently debuted their LF-A super car to the world at the Tokyo Motor Show so by the time the new 552 HP V10 powered sports car arrived at SEMA it would seem that the Lexus LF-A was old news, but don’t say that to the hoards of tuning enthusiasts who crowded around this limited edition high performance machine snapping photos and admiring everything from the flat black super car’s bodylines to the carbon fiber accented interior.
Although we weren’t so sure about the guy in the black Toyota shirt that was telling us about how the Porsche GT2 style vent in between the hood and front bumper provides additional cooling to the intercooler, we would have bought that the high revving 4.8 Liter V10 was just so hot that it needed the extra airflow to keep the temperature needles out of the red, especially because we missed the memo on the LF-A being a turbo model. Either way the new super car is a beauty up close, or those who will be fortunate enough to see one of the 500 examples up close will definitely not be disappointed.
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Nissan is the last automaker set to enter this year’s LA Design Challenge, but they are certainly not the least. In a look forward at what we will be driving in the year 2030 suggests that every car on the road could be zero emission electric vehicles, that is if Greenpeace gets their way, that will travel on an ultra efficient high speed network called the GRID. Nissan’s entry is appropriately named V2G, or Vehicle to Grid, and will be an affordable entry level automobile that offers the same build quality and fun to drive nature of the automakers current lineup.
However while the other forward thinking design teams are focusing mainly on vehicle to vehicle communications and keeping up with Facebook, Nissan has highlighted on a more traditional approach to car customizing. The coolest feature about Nissan’s V2G is that they recognize that their futuristic electric vehicle will eventually be taken Off Grid. Just like the Silvias and Skylines that made the Japanese automaker such a desirable sports car maker in the last decade, the Japanese automaker is anticipating the hot rodding hopes of future consumers and has readied their 2030 electric car to allow for modifications in much of the same way. Although we would hate to see the internal combustion engine go the way of the dinosaurs, but if future electric vehicles can be as fun as the V2G, we say bring on the electrons.
Official details after the jump.
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The Japanese automaker Toyota has also entered the 2009 L.A. Design Challenge with the LINK, playing up on the increasing college enrollment rate, Toyota has positioned their car of the future an affordable customizable, mass transit vehicle for students with high social networking demands and a continuously evolving list of likes and dislikes. Even if you have never gone to college you might be familiar with scraping by with little to no disposable income snacking on ramen noodles. The goal of the LINK is to allow these students to once again enjoy the freedom of an automobile and the ability to go where they want when they want, something that is becoming more and more difficult in the current environment where personal transportation has become more costly and a bit more taboo.
Perhaps the cleverest part of the Toyota from the year 2030 is its name. That is because once the operator climbs inside, the vehicle will seamlessly link up to a transportation based social network, allowing connections with other drivers to share the commute, trade music, or compare class schedules.
More information after the jump.
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