2009 SEMA Show Highlights Video

By Edmunds Video Productions | Published November 05, 2009

4:23 min

Big subwoofers. Bigger engines. The biggest wheels on Earth trimmed in chrome and neon paint. Welcome to 2009 SEMA, where the ridiculous and the what-if come together for one week in Las Vegas. Inside Line was there to tell you about some of the key highlights from the show.

Certainly the biggest story at SEMA 09 was the Camaro. You couldn't walk four feet without tripping over one. There were the subtle mods, the celebrity mods and then there were the mods like this.

The Camaro Dusk would be a subtle one with its custom ground-effects package, a lowered ride height and 21-inch wheels. The cockpit gets a Boston Acoustics sound system with WiFi and an iPhone cradle. No electric orange paint here, either.

The Camaro Synergy turns up the volume a bit by showcasing the new Synergy Green paint that'll be offered on a special edition Camaro next year. It also gets special 21-inch wheels, body mods, a lower coil-over suspension kit and performance air intake.

His show isn't going so hot, but Jay Leno's Camaro is at least pretty cool. A pair of turbos are attached to the Camaro V6 for 425 horsepower. A new radiator, custom exhaust, Centerforce clutch and a lower coil-over suspension kit are other meat and potato upgrades, while a variety of body mods add some garnish. Somehow we expected the chin spoiler to be bigger.

Ford also had a pretty significant presence at SEMA with modded versions of everything from the Mustang to the Transit Connect. Yet a pair of low-volume production models were the most important.

The Mustang Cobra Jet, aside from being the most macho name ever applied to a car, is Ford's new factory-built drag racer that you can actually buy. Only 50 will be built, but it comes with a 475-horsepower V8, fully adjustable shocks, full roll cage, rear Hoosier slicks and an exhaust note to make the NHRA proud.

The Ford Racing Raptor XT will be the most expensive Ford sold at almost 100 grand. Compared to the regular Raptor, the XT gets revised suspension, a roll cage, tubular bumpers and, oh yeah, a 6.2-liter V8 that makes about 500 horses.

Toyota might not produce the most exciting cars the planet, but SEMA shows that the company has got some show in it.

Fresh off the boat from the Tokyo auto show, the $375,000 Lexus LFA made its North American debut at SEMA. It'll also be on display at most of the country's major auto shows in the coming months.

The Brooks and Dunn Toyota Tundra won the show award for best vehicle named after a country music duo or group. Big screen TV, on-board barbecue, giant wheels, and check out that detailing on the door handles and center console. Yee ha.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Hot Rod Tundra takes a regular cab, regular bed Tundra with the 5.7 V8 to make it the lightest, fastest version around. Then they threw on red flames, an old school bench seat, a wood-lined bed and wheels that look like woks.

The Rhys Millen Hyundai Genesis Coupe made its official debut at SEMA. It has snazzy orange paint and carbon fiber interior pieces. Oh, it also has a 500-horsepower mid-engined V8 mounted where the back seat and trunk should be. We're just giddy waiting to try it out.

Elsewhere from Korea, Kia announced that it was entering racing in the 2010 Grand Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Series in the Street Tuner class. Kinetic Group of Atlanta built a pair of race-prepared Forte Koups and will run them in the 10-event series which features big-boy cars like the BMW 3 Series and Porsche Boxster.

As always there were countless other wild and wacky things inside and outside the Vegas Convention Center. Leather-wrapped vans, Scion pickups and of course, the biggest wheels on Earth. Check out more 2009 SEMA coverage on InsideLine.com.