SEMA 2014: Part One

Words by Tim Wong

As is with every year, the pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the annual SEMA Show is must go for all things automotive. The massive show that takes over the Las Vegas Convention Center features the latest and greatest automotive trends and technologies all in one place. This year was a bit different for me since I was rolling out solo to the event for the last couples days of the event. Surprisingly, I managed to get through the entire show in a single day and just relax on Friday. This year’s coverage is what I managed to capture through a single day’s walk-through.

I left San Diego around 2:30AM on about 3-4 hours of sleep in an attempt to hit SEMA by 7AM. From past experience, the Gold Lot is the parking lot closest to the show and the most reasonably priced, but also the most difficult to secure a spot in. The drive went pretty smoothly and I arrive just around 7. The media center where press picks up their badges opened later on the last two days so I had to wait around until they opened. Even with press early access I had a good amount of left over time so I started out with the outside exhibits.

Classic 60s TV’s Batman Batmobile sitting the lobby

2014 BMW 328IX sport wagon on Accuair and 20″ HRE 502 Vintage series towing a 1973 BMW R75/5 on a 2014 Laodies Kustomz trailer

Rocket Bunny Nissan Silvia S15 started out blank white earlier in the week and the livery was added during the show.

It was amazing to see the number of cars from Southern California at SEMA this year. There are always a number of Southern California cars at SEMA from various shops, but it was incredibly evident this year to the point I was avoiding taking pictures of them all since I’ve seen them plenty at events in California. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does show how much influence the Southern California car culture has on the automotive industry as a whole.