Best of SEMA, Part I: The OEMs Bring It [2012 SEMA Show]

It's that time of year again, that time when all of the ghouls come out to play, and skimpy costumes abound, and friendly folks hand out free stuff—we're talking, of course, about the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas. (You didn't think we were talking about Halloween, did you?) This automotive dress-up fantasyland is all about aftermarket companies and the wares they peddle, and what better way to show off your stuff than to slap it—or your name—onto some wild, outrageous, and downright awesome custom machinery. We're working the three-day show, and bringing you the best of the craziest stuff we can find. Here's what we came across after hitting the major manufacturers' booths. Fiat 500 Abarth Café Racer This little number shown above didn't look like much at first, and we aren't referring to its size. But once we got up close and noticed the Fiat's exquisite, café motorcycle-racer–themed detailing—and its natty trailer carrying a café-style bike—we had to find out more. Drummed up by Chrysler's in-house tuning and show-car division, Mopar Underground, the Abarth features a three-inch roof chop, custom steel smoothie rims and side-exit exhaust setup, shaved door handles and mirrors, and neat X inserts in place of the running lights. Those neat inserts mimic the taped-headlight look favored on vintage race cars and motorcycles. The interior is stripped bare save for the dash and two old-school bucket seats, and of course, there's a tiny trailer hitch on the back for the trailer. Hyundai Elantra Coupe Zombie Survival Machine The undead apocalypse–ready Hyundai Elantra Zombie Survival Machine (beefed-up Elantra coupe, to you laypeople) already made its, ahem, in-the-flesh debut at this year's Comic-Con show, but it showed up here at SEMA, too. So why highlight the car a second time? First, because it is awesome. And second, because Halloween still is being celebrated in Vegas and Hyundai displayed the armored Elantra in an area festooned with (fake) severed limbs, dead zombified bodies, shotgun shells and bullet casings, and, uh, hay bales. On second thought, forget the hay bales, and instead focus on just how ahead of the curve Hyundai is on the ever-potent threat of a zombie uprising. Scion FR-S GT by Daniel Song No, this Scion FR-S's body isn't rendered in carbon fiber. No, we don't know how much horsepower it makes. And no, it doesn't look remotely practical for street use. But do we care? Not one bit. That's because the FR-S GT's carbon-fiber–look car wrap is executed with wonderful precision—the "weave" matches up body panel-to-body panel—and those SSR three-piece wheels are to die for. The canards on the front fascia and the rear diffuser are so incredibly ridiculous that they're, well, incredible, and we even dig the huge rear wing. Even though we don't know for sure how much power the FR-S's Vortech-supercharged flat-four is making, we're pretty sure the number is higher than the stock motor's 200-hp figure. A lot higher. Chevrolet Camaro Performance V-6 Concept If you've been eying a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 or even the slightly less bonkers—but still very quick—Camaro 1LE, but couldn't swing either the price tag or handle the brutish power, Chevy might just have a solution for you. This six-cylinder Camaro Performance V-6 concept won't be put into production, but everything it's made of is available individually through the Chevrolet Performance parts catalog. Thus, Chevy is offering up this concept as a sort of blueprint for what owners can do to bring their V-6 Camaros up to a combination of 1LE and ZL1 spec, minus those beasts' powertrains. The sixer, then, gets a 1LE suspension kit, ZL1 brake-conversion kit, a strut-tower brace, and 1LE 3.91:1 axle ratio. Outside, the hopped-up Camaro gets the ZL1 and 1LE's 20-inch wheel and tire package, plus lots of blacked-out trim. Mazda MX-5 Super25 Concept One-off Mazda MX-5 Miatas are almost always cool, and this Super25 concept is no exception. The name builds off of that of the Super20 concept Mazda brought to SEMA two years ago, but while that car was a celebration of the Miata's 20th anniversary, this new one commemorates the brand's first win at Le Mans in 1991. The car's number 55 echoes the winning Mazda's racing number, and the four-lamp light pod affixed to the Super25's front end is meant to give off an endurance-racing vibe. Interestingly, there are no major performance modifications to speak of, only a set of 17-inch Volk racing wheels wrapped in sticky BF Goodrich DOT-legal racing slicks and a Sparco racing seat. The interior is completely stripped, and a harness bar was installed. European Car Magazine Beach Battle Cruiser Volkswagen Beetle We've got a soft spot for nicely customized Volkswagen Beetles, but especially those that aim to capture that intangible cool factor afforded by a mid-'60s So-Cal–themed Bug. We get all chill and mellow just thinking about it. So European Car magazine's Beach Battle Cruiser 2012 Beetle Turbo really set our joints—er, hair, ablaze. A two-tone pale green and white paint job sets up the surfer-friendly vibe, which is completed by an old-school roof basket rack and a handsome set of 19-inch Fuchs wheels. Underneath the Bug's laid-back exterior, however, lies some serious performance hardware—which perhaps is the best part. Full-blown sleeper status is attained courtesy of a larger turbo, an ECU reflash, and intake and exhaust mods, which doubles the Beetle Turbo's stock output of 200 hp. A beefed-up suspension and brakes help handle those 400 raging ponies. Ford Mustang Build Powered by Women High Gear Earlier this year, Ford held a contest among several all-women design teams to design a unique Mustang—the winning team would get to build the car, bring it to SEMA, and auction it on eBay to support a scholarship fund. This brown High Gear Mustang was the winner, and it's a stunner. The car's stance is nearly perfect, and it's aided in no small part by a set of rose-gold–finished Forgeline wheels and H&R lowering springs. Inside, the seats received a quilted-leather overhaul, and gives the Stang a Bentley-like vibe. There's an Edelbrock E-Force supercharger under the hood, and the Mustang breathes through a Magnaflow exhaust. Wilwood brakes at all four corners help slow things down, but possibly not as well as this Mustang stopped nearly all nearby foot traffic on the show floor. Bisimoto 2013 Honda Accord Coupe Grand Touring The new 2013 Honda Accord sedan and coupe drive great and look better than the cars they replace, but there's always room for improvement—especially in the typically ho-hum mid-size segment. Enter Bisimoto Engineering's Accord Coupe Grand Touring, a sporty little number based on the two-door V-6 Accord. The exterior gets a mean-looking flat-gray wrap, blacked-out badging, a Honda Factory Performance (HFP) body kit, and a Carbon Creations rear wing. Performance is enhanced by Nitrous Express nitrous-injection; a Bisimoto cat-back exhaust system; Buddy Club 19-inch wheels, brake rotors, and monobloc front calipers; and a Progress coil-over suspension kit. Inside, there are Bisimotowerks racing seats and a leather wrap for the full roll cage. Bisimoto's only foul-up with this Accord, however, is the six-speed automatic transmission—guys, a six-speed manual is available! Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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