Event Coverage | SEMA 2011 (Pt. IV)

November 7, 2011

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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It's been 3 days since I came back from Vegas, but the excitement and fun I had during this past week is still running inside me as if the event was still going on. I'm not trying to over-exaggerate myself because those who did go and had a good time know what I'm talking about. Of course the parties I attended at night were amazing, but SEMA itself was really worth my time and I have to say, the best Vegas trip I've ever been to! Random people I met, cars I've never seen before, and talk about the FOOD! I learned my lesson last year not to go to cheap buffets because not will you only taste the nastiest food ever with horrible choices, but it will haunt you for a year. Even though its a week staying at Vegas where food prices are ridiculously high, you have to go to the right ones and probably go once or twice during SEMA week. Well...if you're rich and have enough money to spend, then this shouldn't be a problem (^_^). Anyways, getting back to the subject, this coverage will be my last (ㅜㅜ) and will cover North Hall and some sections I missed at South and Central Hall. There are a few more random things I want to share at the end, so you'll see them too as you read along. I was debating which photo to use for cover, and realizing how I carelessly decided to ignore models and shoot cars, I posted a photo of Hankook model Kim Ha Eun from Korea I shared with you guys in my Part 3 coverage.

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Here's a shot I took through the window when drifting was in session. I think Vaughn Gitten Jr. and other professional drifters were participating. Looking at this photo, I can't believe I missed the section way at the back where you see GAS. ARGH!

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The Convention Center was packed since opening till end. From what I've heard, there was a crowd of around 250,000!!

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I took this shot when the winner of Scion Tuner Challenge was being announced. I'll get back to it later on.

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Central Hall was all about Car Products, so seeing modified cars was far less compared to the other halls. Here's Charles's widebody S2000 I featured few months ago when it was White. He was showing with a new company called 310 Tuner. Check them out.

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There's Charles talking with a staff from TracWrap.

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MazdaSpeed had a few cars on display, such as this 1967 Cosmo Sport.

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Not your ordinary Mx-5. This is a re-designed model called Mx-5 Super20, which was created to celebrate Mazda's 20th anniversary. It's a bit edgier and more powerful.

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Mx-5 Spyder~ I love this color!

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Mazda Dyson ALMS #16 that participated in various events such as the American Le Mans Series.

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1991 Mazda Rx-7 GTO.

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Right across Mazda's booth was this slammed Domestic. It looked pretty good!

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Walking around the aisles, I saw this convenient lift machine. Perfect for slammed cars.

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The bald guy at the right was such a good talker, I wanted to buy his product.

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While this guy looked pretty pissed during demonstration.

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After a quick tour in North Hall, I walked back outside and saw the engine bay of the Yellow De Tomaso. Blinging!

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Look at this! A Veilside Rx-7 FD!.

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You saw this STi in my Part 1 coverage and know how much I loved this car. It looks like a full Do-Luck widebody kit, but I might be wrong.

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There's an outdoor section between each hall and I think I missed a few (-_-;) but here's Lexus booth and their cars on display.

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One car I missed in Central Hall was DSPORT's S15.

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On Tuesday, Hyundai booth had all their cars covered so I didn't have a chance to take any photos. Glad I remembered to come back and look around at this booth on Wednesday. This is a Hyundai Genesis Coupe built by RMR (Rhys Millen Racing).

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Rhys Millen's Hyndai Veloster.

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Ouu~ ARK Performance did a great job on their Genesis Coupe last year and the amazing job continued on with a Veloster this year at SEMA.

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There's Import Fashion sitting at the left taking a break.

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Another section I missed on Tuesday was Ford's booth because it was so dam crowded! There was a competition going on with Ford Fiestas and Ford Mustangs.

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M2-Motoring's Fiesta on Rotiforms.

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Wicked!

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I have no idea on who won, but congratz to the winners!

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Time to check out the iQs from Scion Tuner Challenge. This one was designed and built by Jon Sibal. I'm a huge fan of his work and blog and without any doubt, I knew his build was going to surprise the world. Matter of fact, he took 1st place!

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Evasive Motorsports iQ had that Racing theme to it with a full roll cage, splitter, and much more.

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This iQ by Tatsunori Tsuchida was amazing! Why? Because it was stripped out and the engine was relocated to the middle.

FYI, the next model for Scion Tuner Challenge will be the FR-S! (FT-86 Scion Version). WOOT! (Thx to JDMEgo for the info!)

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Exedy Clutch had this AMS Alpha 12 R35 on display. This is the world's first 8 second 1/4 mile R35 and most powerful as well. According to its spec sheet, it pulls 1100HP with 93 Octane and 1500HP with Race Fuel. Pretty darn amazing!

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Here's another amazing machine from Exedy's booth. An AMS SR750 Porsche 997, pulling 750HP.

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Jotech tuned widebody R35. What do you guys think? I liked it when it was Black.

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Did you guys know Volk TE37SLs are now available in different colors? I didn't.

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Look who I bumped into? The boss BIG ABE!

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I was like...wtf????

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Two is better than one.

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Celebrities I spotted at South Hall. Last photo is professional drifter Odi Bakchis.

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Talking about celebrities, remember the last photo I posted in Part 3? Well the girl at the left was this girl. Her name is Leng Yein, famous in Malaysia as a Model/TV star. She came down to the US to expand her career as a model, so keep your eye on her.

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Like these guys...

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Imagine driving this shopping cart to an actual supermarket to pick up groceries...
Yes, it's driveable.

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After a longggg day at SEMA, 3T Motorsports took a few groups out for dinner at a restaurant called Osaka.

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Last shot I took before ending the day. This photo explains how I feel about the automotive scene today. When it comes to car shows, everyone becomes competitive. It's nothing about greed or fame, but going to a car show is having that small hope of winning something. I'm not even a competitive person, but I do show my car for a reason. But other than car shows and competition, it's all about gathering together as a family and enjoying the moment with those who have the same passion. Through cars, I made a lot of friends, not just those who you talk to for one day and forget their existence. Enjoy other parts of this scene rather than focusing only on cars. What might seem small can be the biggest part of your life (^-^)v.

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