RideLust

…the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford F-Series and Jeep Wrangler! Apparently these choices are all based on how well these vehicles can be accessorized as compared to others in their respective markets. I mean SEMA does stand for Specialty Equipment Market Association, so it seems only proper that the easiest vehicles to modify would win. According to Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO, “A booth space is a ballot, and the models these exhibitors have selected represent their vote,”.
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Honda's HPD street car. Photo: Honda America Motors

Honda Performance Development has been busy addressing the lack of a CR-Z Si in Honda’s product mix, and if their press release is accurate, the HPD CR-Z may be just the ticket. Though not available for sale just yet, the HPD tuned sport hybrid now sports a turbo and enhancements to the IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system. The upgrades are said to result in a combined output of 200 horsepower and 175 ft lb of torque at the crank. As you’d expect, the clutch has been upgraded and the differential has been swapped for a limited slip version. HPD’s dropped the ride height, added bigger brakes and stiffened the suspension up for track duty. They’ve also added a body kit and bolted on a huge rear wning, which I’m sure can be removed easily enough.

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The Swagger Wagon Supreme. Photo: Toyota

As a sports car guy and a motorcycle guy, I don’t have much use for minivans. They’re slow (over-boosted Chrysler turbo minivans excepted), they’re ill-handling and they eat a little bit of your soul every time you climb behind the wheel. Sure, they’re good at moving people and their trappings from one place to another, but they don’t go off-road, you can’t haul a bike in one and they don’t give you much towing capacity. The automotive equivalent of purgatory, minivans exist between the heaven of sports cars and the hell of boring sedans. The sole positive comment I can make about them is that they’re usually comfortable.

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The last time I ventured out to SEMA was in 2008. I spent five days in Las Vegas and by the end of the trip I was ready to blown my brains out. The Las Vegas Convention Center is MASSIVE, and even with attending the show for 5-days straight I still was not able to take it all in. This year the guys from Cardomain/Autoholics are out in SEMA in full force and are bringing out some major coverage for everyone to see. However there was one post in particular that caught my eye, so I wanted to post it up. Rob Enaudi, Editor-in-Chief of Cardomain was apparently walking through the Giovanna wheel booth and snapped off about 15 pics of high-end cars clad with terribly gaudy wheels. To me these wheels not only ruin the overall look and feel of most of these rides, but they can also seriously detract from their performance. Listen, I’m all for aftermarket wheels, I just prefer ones that actually look good.

Check out the rest of pics at Autoholics.com.

Somehow, I never thought I’d use the terms “Prius” and “Performance Package” in the same sentence, and after reading Carscoop’s description of the TRD developed kit, I’m still not sure they belong together. As shown at this year’s SEMA show, the Prius PLUS features a body kit and suspension mods, but no changes to the hybrid’s powertrain. The mods won’t yield much in terms of performance or handing, so you’d better be in love with revised looks of the Prius PLUS before you agree to pony up the cash for the kit. So what, exactly, do you get for your money?

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If you’re into drag racing, then you’re no doubt familiar with with the car in the above video. What is today one of the most recognizable drag cars in existence, the HEMI Under Glass was created solely by accident back in 1965. By placing a blown HEMI engine in the back of a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda it was thought traction would be increased and drag times would drop. Traction was indeed improved, so much so in fact that the car couldn’t keep the front wheels on the ground. Back then fans and racers would gather at the drag strip to not only watch the races, but the “exhibition” cars as well. These cars were machines that were built not as head to head racers, but as show pieces to thrill and excite audiences between competition runs. Bob Riddle was the driver of the HEMI Under Glass for 39 years and talks about what it was like to drive one of the baddest, most ridiculous and most popular drag cars ever created.

As most of you know SEMA 2010 is going on this week at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and with that comes the release of concept cars from around the country. Chevrolet is coming out of their corner swinging by releasing two new Corvette concepts that are sure to make Vette’ fans the world over stop and take notice. First is the 2011 Corvette Z06X track car, a car that should have been released years ago. Go to any track day around the country and I can almost guarantee that you’ll see more Corvette’s there than any other car. It seems that Chevrolet has finally realized this because the Z06X has its sights dead set on those enthusiasts.
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Corvette buyers ordering a Z06 or ZR-1 Corvette can pay $5,800 for the privilege of flying to Michigan and building the motor with their own two hands. Critics have panned this: Viknesh Vijayenthiran at Motor Authority, for example, is perplexed why anyone would pay for a motor twice. I, on the other hand, completely understand it, and if I were in a financial position to buy a new Z06 or ZR-1, I’d check the option box to put the motor together myself. There’s just something significant about being their for the birth of your car’s motor: if I have to explain it, you’re not going to understand.

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Mark Allen, a designer for Jeep, takes us through the mix of trucks the company will have on display at their SEMA booth in this strangely low-res video. I know you don’t want to steal the thunder from your SEMA exhibit, but is a video we can watch without our eyes bleeding too much to ask?

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Next week the Las Vegas Convention Center is going to be overwhelmed with cars and trucks from the automotive aftermarket. You see it’s SEMA time once again and companies are getting ready to bring out their creations for the world to see. One such company is HPP (Heide Performance Products), a company that you may remember brought us their interpretations of the classic Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Daytona. Well this year HPP is back at SEMA, but this time they’ve jumped on the GM bandwagon with their new renditions of a classic Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and Chevrolet Camaro.
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