SEMA Show 2013 - Justin's Picks
There are always so many vehicles to see and people to meet at SEMA show and this year was no different, if anything it seemed much more jam packed than past years I've attended. The foot traffic was clearly higher and the show even expanded to include an additional lot with more feature cars.However, while roaming the halls, there were two rides that really caught my eye. Both have two distinct styles of builds; one appealing to styles I've been accustomed to in my recent years in the car scene and the other taking me back to my childhood about what drew me into cars in the first place.***First is the Bulletproof Automotive Concept One Scion FR-S, which I first got to see during Scion's SEMA media preview.
Being a Scion owner myself, I've really taken notice to the ability of fellow builders to customize Scions in a way that dares to push the envelope. And turning a little sports compact car into a supercar is exactly what Bulletproof Automotive sought out to do.
Carbon fiber is one of the hot trends going on right now; originally being used as a performance upgrade do to its light weight, high tensile strength, and high temperature tolerance, but recently it has been used aesthetically as well. Its always a bonus on my book if it is executed perfectly on both aspects.
Along with the carbon fiber modifications, the Concept One is sitting on my favorite wheel brands, RAYS Volk Racing. These G25's all play together to help keep the weight down on this beast.
Why is that important you may ask? Because it's being powered with all Powerhouse Amuse engine upgrades.
This turbocharged engine can push up to 500HP, making the power-to-weight ratio of the Concept One significantly higher than a stock Lexus LFA!
CUSCO suspension, carbon fiber interior trimming, Recaro seats!? This car just keeps taking all of my favorite brands and throwing them into this build. There's nothing not to like about it.
Every aspect of this build goes above and beyond what someone would expect from an import car, let alone any car. I was even fortunate enough to bump into the builder, Ben Schaffer. He was actually the one who spotted me and talked about how he loved the night shots we got of the car. Well the pleasure was all mine, taking pictures of such a well build car.***Now let's move into a whole other direction. My other top pick at this year's SEMA show is a Porsche 964 looking minty fresh at the H&R booth. This special little euro is owned by none other than Brian Henderson, better known as the founder of Rotiform wheels.
The elegant styling that all Porsches have is timeless and is what started my obsession with cars back when I was still practicing my multiplications. I remember going to book fairs in elementary school and skipping the books just to go straight to the posters for sale. For 50 cents, I bought my first Porsche 911 Carrera poster. I think I still have it here in my rooms somewhere!
In contrast to the Concept One FR-S, this 964 kept the simple, yet iconic Porsche styling and just added his little touches here and there. Unfortunately, one of the problems with owning (let alone building) a euro car here in the states is that there are not enough mechanics experienced with working on them. It was only right to ship this build off to his friends in London to get worked on.
Milestone71 were major players helping Brian achieve the dream he had for his 964.
Without tampering the body lines, there are still some minor modifications that make this Porsche stand apart from any other. Of course the mint green paint job is dead give away, but upon further inspection, a single AP Car Design mirror is molded onto the driver side while the passenger side had its mirror completely deleted.
There really isn't too much to say about this Porsche because of how simple it just sits. It has original Porsche styling with Brian's originality blended within it.
Of course this build could not be complete without some perfectly fitting Rotiform wheels. Along with a perfect drop on H&R suspension, these new Rotiform FUC tie in seamlessly with the rest of the build. It brings a modern twist back the classic styling of the Fuchs Wheels most Porsche's had back in the day.
But overall, what's cool about this ride isn't just what has been done to it, but it's what Brian does with it. While most builds become trailer queens, Brian let's this beast roam, including thousands of miles driving around Europe after the 964 was finally set out of the shop. Being able to own a Porsche is a little dream of mine, having one this nice would be epic. While I would be worried about any potential damages it might sustain on the roads, I would have a bigger urge of wanting to be able to drive it every chance I got.***SEMA show this year has to be one of my most memorable thus far. It was the first year I was able to have an extended stay in Las Vegas to explore the show freely throughout the week. I was able to shake a lot of hands and focus on specific booths, people, and cars rather than rush through to try and cover everything. It was a great week and I just wanted to thank everyone there to make it what it was!-Justin (@justdayuum)
