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If you think that paddle shifters are a recent innovation, you might want to reconsider: the first-ever application was on the Bollée Type F Torpédo a century ago in 191, and that car is on display at the Le Mans circuit museum. In the following years many manufacturers, such as Chrysler, Citroen, NSU and Mercedes-Benz, to name but a few, tried to do away with the clutch, torque converter and/or gear level but electronics were still a long way from reaching maturity and the companies didn't persist with the concept. Read more »
At “traditional” auto shows, car manufacturers take center stage to display their regular line-up and a concept or two with tuning and equipment companies more often than not, playing second fiddle. Geneva, Tokyo, Detroit and Frankfurt are all nice and dandy for unveiling the latest production-intent models and outlandish concepts, but Las Vegas and its Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show is a different “beast” altogether. At SEMA, there is something for everyone; from subcompacts, pickup trucks and pony cars to lavishly made hot-rods, the latest bunch of supercars and anything and everything in between. 
The 2012 show was a real bonanza of thousands of modified vehicles and tuning products for anything you could possibly think of – and then some more. Since the event is not open to the public (the reason being, presumably, that it would have to last a couple of months or so…), images will have to suffice. Read more »
Static presentations aside, visitors at this year's SEMA aftermarket show also enjoyed, how should we say, a few extracurricular special events, which took place just across the street of the Las Vegas Convention Center. One of those events was the Global Rally Cross held at a makeshift racetrack that you can watch in the second video after the break, but that's not the real reason why we're telling you this. Read more »
Sure Apple's new iPad Mini might have some shortcomings including its smaller, 7.9-inch non-Retina Display and a steep price tag, but in regards to its footprint, it looks like it could be the perfect fit for automotive applications. No sooner than it landed on the market, an audio system specialist from Florida named "Soundwaves of Tampa" went ahead to become the first company in the field to install the tablet in a car and specifically, on a 2012 Toyota Corolla sedan. Read more »
On the eve of the 2012 SEMA Show, Volkswagen presented its range of customized cars that include six Beetles and one Golf Mk6 tune. The lineup kicks off with the "Ultimate Super Beetle" show car built in collaboration with performance specialist APR and the VWvortex team. The concept is based on the 2013 Beetle Turbo with the 2.0-liter TFSI, which in factory trim, produces 200-horses. Read more »
There's a very good reason why the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas is considered the biggest trade event of its kind, not only in North America, but in the world. Every year at the end of October, thousands of companies from automakers to tuners and parts providers make their way to the Las Vegas Convention Center to exhibit their production and conceptual goods, be that complete cars or aftermarket accessories and components of all sorts. Read more »
It's a wrap for the 2012 edition of the SEMA Show that came to an end on Friday evening after a four day run at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Naturally, no automotive show coverage can be complete without the mandatory display of the fine women employed by carmakers and the auto industry in general to draw the crowds' attention to their products. Read more »
One model that is more than adequately represented at the 2012 edition of the SEMA show is the new Scion FR-S, which to be frank, was something we anticipated since the Japanese carmaker's sports coupe did not make in time to participate in last year's event in Las Vegas. Simply put, describe the type of tuning program you are looking for the FR-S, and SEMA has it, from subtle to extreme and everything in between, be that for its looks or mechanical upgrades. Read more »
The original BMW 1 M Coupe sporting a 335hp (340PS) 3.0-liter turbocharged six is the fastest regular production 1-Series model money can get, but if you are willing to spend a small fortune, you can turn it into something much faster and far, far more brutal in every way. Read more »
Mercedes-Benz's longtime tuning partner Brabus has come out with fresh details and visuals on the styling and performance accessories it has been working on for the new A-Class that is just being released in Europe, ahead of the program's world premiere at the 2012 Essen Motor Show in Germany this December. Previously, Brabus had showed us an A-Class rolling on 19-inch wheels and a sports suspension kit, but the tuner's program is far more elaborate. Read more »
We are accustomed to A. Kahn Design (formerly known as Project Kahn, for those of you wondering) working its styling touch on various Land Rover SUVs, but BMW tunes are far more rare for the British company. Scheduled for a release in the forthcoming weeks, is Kahn's elaborate styling package for the BMW X6 that brings many changes to both the exterior and the interior of the Bavarian brand's sports crossover. Read more »
This is one Chevrolet Matiz you surely won't be making any fun of; and how could you after you learn that engineers somehow squeezed a massive Corvette Z06-sourced 7.0-liter V8 that develops anywhere from 505 to 550-horses (depending on who you ask) into its miniscule body. We remember showing you a V8-powered Matiz racecar concept back in early 2009 (see the videos after the break) , and unless someone else had the same crazy idea, we believe that this car found for sale on eBay Germany by CarScoop reader "CobraV8" is the same one with the addition of a racing livery. Read more »
With all the chaos caused by Sandy, you would be forgiven to forget that it's Halloween today, a fest that under regular circumstances, is one of the most popular holidays in North America as well as other regions in the western world. What Halloween means for most people, regardless of age and gender, is getting creative and having some fun by dressing up to either scare people or make them laugh their heads off. In some ways, the same can be said for certain automobiles and the way that their respective owners have altered their appearance. Read more »
Massachusetts-based kit car company Smyth Performance is pondering a new project for a pickup truck conversion of the fourth generation Volkswagen Jetta sedan. The company's founder, Mark Smith, who also happens to be the co-founder of Factory Five Racing, said in a posting earlier this week that he is accepting "orders" from interested clients without a deposit, for one of the 50 kits he plans to manufacture for the Jetta pickup truck. Read more »
Every time the Volkswagen and Audi brands come out with a new model or even a limited edition, ABT Sportsline is sure to follow up with its own tuning take. The facelifted Audi Q5 is no exception with the German tuning firm releasing a package for the compact crossover that increases output and gives its exterior a different look. Read more »
With the new generation of the Viper, now marketed under the SRT brand, being just weeks if not days, away from launch, the Chrysler Group announced that it's Mopar division has already prepared a variety of upgrade parts for the two-seater sports car that will be available for order soon. Read more »
You can never have too much of a good thing, so while Mazda never proceeded with last year's supercharged MX-5 Super20, the concept lives on in a slightly different form as the MX-5 Super25 that made its debut at the 2012 SEMA Show this week. The Japanese carmaker tells us that the new study was "crafted with endurance racing in mind". Read more »
From day one, we all knew what was missing from the Honda CR-Z – feel free to say it out loud with us: Power, Power and Power. With the exception of some limited-run production models prepared by Honda's in-house tuner Mugen for Japan and Britain, the automaker has not addressed this problem. At the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Honda is displaying yet another concept model for a faster and more focused version of the CR-Z, which it describes as, "a further exploration of the performance potential of the CR-Z Sport Hybrid", but does not say if it has any plans for production. Read more »
Famed stand-up comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham was summoned by the Chrysler Group to show his love about cars with a modern-day hot rod, dubbed Project UltraViolet, which was unveiled at this week's 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Mopar and SRT collaborated with Dunham and his crew from Palmer’s Customs of Camarillo, California, to customize a 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8. Read more »
With the 2012 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in full swing, Mazda lifted the wraps off three new concept versions of its CX-5 compact crossover to demonstrate the personalization choices owners have, and in one case, to highlight the diesel option that may soon be available in North America. We will start with the latter that is named after actor and Mazda racecar driver Patrick Dempsey and which uses the Japanese brand's European-specification SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter clean diesel engine to power the all-wheel-drive system through a six-speed manual gearbox. Read more »
