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Barnstormin’: My Favorite Cars And Trucks From SEMA 2014


Barnstormin’: My Favorite Cars And Trucks From SEMA 2014

(Our 2015 SEMA Show coverage will begin today and in honor of that, I wanted to look back at my favorite stuff from the 2014 SEMA show just to remind myself “what was hot” last year. You’ll see the 2015 version of this story coming at the end of the week .What struck my fancy last year? Check it out – )

 

Well I am finally back home after what I would call a “triple header” week. I showed up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday to work on the NHRA Pro Mod television show that I have been doing stuff for. On Sunday, I played host to the NHRA Pro Mod series awards banquet and year end gathering. Monday I snuck into the convention center with Chad and commenced our SEMA coverage and then Tuesday through Friday I was at SEMA working the show floor hard. Friday night I flew to California to announce the Goodguys Autocross on Saturday and Sunday and then I got home on Monday. That’s about as packed a seven days of car stuff as I am ever going to have and the sick thing is I would take off and do it all over again tomorrow if given the opportunity.

I have finally had time to go back and look over my stuff from SEMA and sort through the photos to find the cars and trucks that really spun my crank. Some of this stuff makes lots of sense and others of it may shock you a little but I have always maintained that I have a strong case of automotive schizophrenia anyway so don’t blame me! Rather than blather on up here I will stick captions on the photos so tell you why I liked what I liked. In truth this collection could have gone on for hundreds of photos because there was so much incredible stuff. One car you will not see that should be here is the Steve Strope/Pure Vision Fairlane. It was so swamped with people at all times I could not get a clear photo. It was one of the most buzz worthy cars of the show.

ENOUGH YAPPING….ONTO THE PHOTOS!

badman

Yes, this car was also on my list of favorites last year but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t include it this year, too. 392 Hemi, red tinted glass, straight axle, and all the good stuff. Bonus was seeing it drive down the road after the show. It sounds hairy!

chevy

Single cab, short bed trucks are awesome and normally they are laying on the ground. Really liked this truck with no big fiberglass fender flares or weirdness. Just a cool off-roader with winch, lights, and attitude a plenty.

chevyc10

I am a sucker for trucks that sport factory paint and non-factory everything else. This thing was so clean I couldn’t stop looking at it.

coupe

Headed for sale at Barrett-Jackson shortly this roadster with its injected Ardun headed engine and miles deep paint is about as close to personal perfection as you can get. The front mounted tank, slicks chrome roll bar, a favorite 1960s style hot rod for sure.

daystar-forward-control-006

This Jeep Forward Control truck on tracks was the talk of the town at SEMA. The late model hemi, awesome paint, big axles, tracks, and all of the other touches made this thing a real favorite. The truck was built by the employees of Daystar Products. Awesome.

dieselwillys

This awesomely worked up Duramax powered Willys really spun my crank. The huge intake manifold and all the turbo plumbing is exceptional. Sponsored by MBRP, it competes in the Pro Stock class at diesel drag racing events. I believe it has been into the 8s.

dodge

This big Dodge that was built for the Petersen’s 4-Wheel and Off-Road Ultimate Adventure is super tough and pretty awesome. I loved the tough steel bed, opened up fenders, and beadlock wheels. Tough stuff for sure!

dodge1

Another laid out truck? Don’t you judge me! This one struck me as awesome because the bed was shortened from both ends so all that was left was the big bulbous dually fenders back there, nothing else. The proportions of this were neat and the look was unique.

doubledown

I get giddy every time I see this car. It is honestly one of my favorite cars of all time not just the show.

dually

Boy, people have been taking some shots at this guy and everyone is entitled to their opinion but I would roll down the road in this sucker all day long and twice on Sunday. The wheel/tire combo fills up the wheelwells and the chrome style wrap looks neat down the sides of the huge truck. Your opinion may vary.

expedition

Tell me it wouldn’t be cool to hustle the kids to the football field in this baby. The flared fenders, copper colored wheels, and milky blue paint is sweet. Again, the haters will probably smack me around for this but I love it.

ford

I liked this one not so much for the stance but for the clean execution and the fact that it is powered by a late model 5.0L Boss Coyote engine.

forddually

I LIKE SLAMMED DUALLIES AND I CANNOT LIE.

lsxwillys

If you cannot find the awesome in the infamous LSX Willys please leave and never come back. This thing has gotten so popular he has gotten paid to appear at small backwater drag strips where tech inspection includes fogging a mirror. Brutally fast and pretty scary, this thing rules.

mallet

Chuck Mallet’s take on a retro Silverado was so spot on it had GM designers actually trying to petition the home office to reconsider the classic split paint scheme. We’re not kidding about that, we actually had that conversation with one. This thing was done perfectly and it makes like 800hp with a whipple blown engine. Winning.

northamercianeagle

What’s 56-feet long, has 40,000hp, is manned by a crew of engineers and braniacs, and has the coolest off loading system we have ever seen in a trailer? The North American Eagle, that’s what. Watching this thing get unloaded on Monday night is a SEMA memory I will carry for the rest of my life.

porsche

Widebody kit, huge wheels, racing rubber, ant-hill crushing stance. Sign me up for two of these.

powerwagon1

Classic Power Wagon looks on top of a beefy chassis with Cummins power, a winch, and capability that the old ones simply did not have along with a touch of luxury. I am literally in love.

ram

I am not even going to explain this. I cried at the sheer beauty of the whole setup.

rampage2

Lots of people hated it but I think it is one Mad Max looking Camaro. I cannot wait to see it get worked out on a race track because if it performs like it looks, people should be pretty knocked out. Younger people loved this thing and older people nearly puked when they saw it. I didn’t have any signs of an upset stomach. I want to drive it.

raptor

People were saying that this Raptor was “ruined”. Those people are really dumb or they are sophisticated and understand that the truck may be less capable now than it was when new. I don’t care. It is massive and awesome and I want it.

roughford

This truck was literally just looking to punch some of the pretty boy rigs right in the face. So pissed and so awesome.

toyota

The flip top Camry funny car will stand as SEMA legend for a long time. Executed perfectly, this could be raced tomorrow if the company wanted. We hope it does hit a track at some point just to get some numbers. Freaky as hell!

tractor

If I failed to include the lone pulling tractor at SEMA you would clearly think less of me and I would think less of myself.

violent

The sweet, sweet, Violent Valiant. We followed this car from the day it was sandblasted to the SEMA show floor. Web have lots more to write about on this one so stay tuned. See the fog lights? That’s 1969 Camaro stuff!

willysjeep

Crisp, clean, and tight this Willys Jeep was the definition of classy out in front of the convention center. The supercharged 4.3L V6 is spectacular and we bet this little rig is plenty capable.

workram

Bad ass off roader combined with hard working truck = match made in Lohnes heaven. The stance, the snorkel, the paint, and the utility dump bed are all beyond good. This one made the cut by a mile.

 


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