The Mopar display at the 2009 SEMA Show was huge, however the one car that stuck out like a sore thumb was Chrysler’s 1/4 mile conquering Dodge Challenger 1320. The drag racing Challenger is essentially a street legal version of the special order lightweight Drag Pak Challenger that has already been stripped of over 1,000 pounds and is sold specifically to very serious drag racers. Powering the 1320 is a 426 cubic inch all aluminum Hemi V8 crate motor that starts off making a total of 556 HP and 540 lb-ft of torque and gets its own unique exhaust note thanks to a set of Mopar long tube headers and free flowing pipes.
On the inside, everything in front of your eyes will be familiar for Challenger fans, however a few of the other interior pieces, like the bucket seats and shifter, have been sourced from the much more exotic Dodge Viper. On the outside, Mopar keeps the Challenger 1320 simple with a basic yellow paint scheme complete with blacked out hood, tail section, a set of steelies from their police car program and only a few basic decals. However we have to say that the christmas tree incorporated into the "1" is pretty sweet.
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When revealing the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor R, Ford announced that for the 2011 model year the company will offer the FR Raptor XT. But until then Ford presented a concept version of the car at SEMA Show.
The production version will be powered by a 500-hp (est.) 6.2-liter naturally aspirated engine mated to a Six-speed automatic transmission. There will only be 50 units built, ad each will be priced at $99,950.
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While General Motors has not decided yet the official launch date of the Camaro Convertible, there are lots of tuners out there who are already offering a convertible version for the American muscle car.
And Newport Convertible Engineering is one of the tuners. The car has been on display at SEMA Show for those who wanted to see it, and for those who want to ride it the car is already available for ordering.
Except for the roof the car is pretty much a standard Camaro SS. It is also with about 100 lbs heavier, and can be offered with Forgiato cast-aluminum wheels — 22" in front and 24" in the rear.
After more than 3 years of speculation, the English coach builder Aston Martin has finally unveiled the Rapide - their first four door sedan in the super car maker’s lineup. Watch out Porsche Panamera owners, because deliveries of the all new super sedan from Gaydon will begin in early 2010.
The Rapide’s engine is the venerable 6.0 Liter V12 lifted directly from the Aston Martin DB9, and will make the exact same 470 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque as the coupe. The fat four door will be able to go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5.1 seconds and reach a top speed to be estimated at 188 MPH.
The Rapide’s power plant is mated to a six speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission, which offers the ease of a traditional automatic via the push buttons mounted on the dash or a much sportier manual transmission mode with the wheel mounted paddle shifters.
According to the automaker: "There is a real sense of proportion with this car, akin to a tailored suit; the new double grill gives more presence on the road while the iconic signature side strake has been lengthened through to the rear doors to enhance its lateral proportions in a subtle, yet elegant way. The car’s purity makes it look right from every angle."
Press release after the jump.
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The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 Formula One car wears a set of very special wheels from the Japanese rim manufacturer Enkei. By the very nature of the sport, components must be extremely lightweight and resilient in order to give the teams every competitive edge possible while standing up to spinning at 200 MPH and hitting FIA curbs at triple digit speeds. The wonderful thing about the SEMA show in Las Vegas is that you have a chance to get up close and personal with these types of items, as well as the wide assortment of their everyday offerings. As the Enkei representatives turned their backs, we took the opportunity to lift the wheel from its stand, and because of its size and shape considered playing a game of football with it. The wheel was so surprisingly light, and being significantly wider than it is tall makes for a rare sight to see. To get this kind of contact with a piece of a Formula One race car you would have to risk being shot in the paddock by a mechanic, however in SEMA up close and friendly atmosphere, anything goes.
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The world’s greatest aftermarket car show would not be complete without a wide variety of scantily clad women walking around the exhibition halls posing for photos and promoting their patron’s product. These car show girls fill in the voids between the automotive works of art, keeping attendees eyes moving from one item to the next and act like magnets attracting hoards of slack jawed males to their respective booths, like sirens marooning ships full of men. People then wait in endless lines for a little more than a wink and an oversized poster complete with the signature of a women they have most likely never heard of, but it is well worth it because she is so hot. So in addition to featuring everything from high end American hot rods to some of the nicest import tuner cars in the world, the 2009 SEMA show is also chock full of females.
Mazda came at SEMA Show with two customized models: a Mazda3 and a MazdaSpeed3. Both models are painted in a Crystal White Pearl base coat with soft gray tone graphics to mimic the new MAZDA3 World Challenge race car.
The pearl white is combined to a black paint on the grille inserts, side mirrors, fog lamp bezels, the roof panel, and the formerly chrome interior of the front lamps. Besides that the cars get tinted windows, dark red taillight lenses and 19x8-inch wheels.
The Mazda3 uses a 2.5-liter MZR engine with a Tri-Point turbo kit and a rugged cast iron turbo manifold. This way the output was raised to 250 hp. On the other hand, the Mazdaspeed3 is already using a AEM cold-air intake that is increasing the output with 20 hp.
Press release after the jump.
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The Subaru WRX STI by SPT is a demonstration of what a WRX STI owner can build at home using just the SPT catalog as a source for bolt-on parts. The WRX STI by SPT offers more power along with even sharper handling response, making it the ideal machine for high style street performance or track driving.
It is powered by a 2.5 liter DOHC, 16 valve, turbocharged and intercooled 4-cylinder Subaru Boxer engine with Dual Active Valve Control System. The engine delivers a total of 315 hp @ 6,000 RPM (up from the stock 305) and a peak torque of 290 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 RPM.
The concept also features 19 x 8.5-in. Prodrive GT2 wheels finished in Glitter Gold, STI performance springs, an SPT strut tower brace and an SPT lower chassis brace. On the interior there is an SPT boost gauge, a media hub digital music integration system and an auto-dimming mirror.
Press release after the jump.
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One of the highlights of the LA Auto Show is the annual design challenge that goes along as part of the whole event, and this year figures to be no different. The theme for this year’s event will be called “Youthmobile 2030” – a nod towards what vehicles would look like in 2030 for young minds born this year.
Among the manufacturers that are scheduled to participate this year includes Volkswagen/Audi, Nissan, GM, Mazda, Toyota, and Honda. Most of the participants already have their entries close to completion and from what we’ve heard a number of them have already mentioned what they’re going to bring to LA. VW/Audi is set to bring an AI-enhanced car that can interpret driver movements, Nissan has an ‘eco-neutral’ vehicle ready to roll to LA, GM is bringing a ‘gamer-friendly’ car, Mazda is going for a more business-minded approach with their entry, targeting the entrepreneurs of 2030, and Honda is bringing something that “incorporates human DNA.”
Safe to say, the participants for this year’s design challenge are all bringing the heavy artillery.
The pool of judges – there will be four of them - that will be tasked to evaluate and grade all the entries include Tom Matano, Durector of Industrial Design at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, Jason Hill, the brains behind the Aptera 2 Seres hybrid and electric cars, Imre Molner, Dean of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies; Stewart Reed, Chair, Transportation Design, Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design.
Press Release after the jump.<
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Subaru unveiled at SEMA Show the Legacy 2.5GT VIP ("bippu") Concept. Based on a 2010 2010 Legacy 2.5GT, the concept features a 265-hp turbocharged/intercooled engine teamed exclusively to a new 6-speed manual transmission and the Continuous Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system.
The turbo Boxer engine is equipped with custom full engine bay cover, SPT billet oil cap v2.0 and SPT billet battery hold-down v2.0. The concept also gets an air suspension system from Universal Air, 20" MC3 Enterprises Trinidad wheels, hood, bumper faces, sport grille, front and rear under spoilers, HID headlights and fog lights.
The concept’s exterior is painted in Shinjuku Black Plum and adds a chrome trunk garnish and door handles, along with puddle lights.
Press release after the jump.
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