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The SEMA Show once again took over Las Vegas this year and what a show it was with so many new and different things happening at this year's event. The Las Vegas Convention Center was once again transformed into the largest automotive trade show in the world or was it the biggest automotive circus in the world? We will get to more about that later.

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The automotive aftermarket is always improving, and you can see that with hundreds of new products being released every year. The aftermarket industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry that supports change and innovations across the industry. One example of this is the EV market which has grown significantly in recent years. Even some of the top builders in the country are testing the waters and building EV hot rods. SEMA education lends a lot of support to programs like the FutureTech Live studio which I attended and was intrigued with the programs and grants that are available to teach and train future generations on EV's. The New Products Showcase is a great place to see the latest products coming available for a multitude of applications and there are literally hundreds of products to discover at this part of the event.

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Troy Trepanier won the Battle of the Builders this year with his 1936 Ford Roadster appropriately named "Fenderless". This stunning completely custom Ford is powered by a '57 McCullough-supercharged 312 Ford Y-block engine and backed by a Bowler 4R70W transmission which is connect out back to a quick-change rear axle with torsion bar suspension. The interior and paint were also done in house at Rad Rides with the body being finished in a Porsche Aventurine Green Metallic.  

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Now to the circus part of the event. SEMA does many great things for the industry, and they have always made it clear that the SEMA Show is not a car show but an industry trade show/ So I'm a bit confused by the message they are sending when you have burnouts all over the place, Nitro Circus performing which has their own events, some random music festival now and every lifted truck in the country parked out front. All of the coverage for this was mostly about these things and not about what the show is really about. I think they have sold-out, it's more about money now and they are grabbing from any direction they can,  

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After talking with many colleges, who have been attending SEMA for twenty or more years now including myself we feel really disappointed in the direction and certainly don't feel it is worth the money to attend this event any longer. I guess we will see what the future holds.

​ Article & Photos by: Allen & Kristy Smith

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