SEMA 2008: WTFinal Day Hits and Misses

SEMA 2008 is over. You know this because dogs are barking all over the world.;

So far, we’ve highlighted many of the fantastic vehicular creations live from the SEMA floor. Most of these have been cars and trucks.; Here are a few more that caught my eye, from the incredible to the incredibly bad. 85 Porsche 911 Carrera Tribute
First, the latter. Say what you will about the styling of this “show car” (looks like a mid ’90s kit car to me), but the overall concept and execution reeked of too much time spent indoors laying up fiberglass.; From the display board, the builders of this rolling chassis proudly describe it as a “tribute to the 1985 Carrera” and add that it is “due to be finished 2010.” Even more confusing is that this chassis was made in and apparently shipped all the way from New Zealand. What?; Exactly.

2009 SEMA: A Few of My Favorite Things

The stands were a bit smaller, and there were fewer cars, but SEMA 2009 was a better show than anyone thought it might be twelve months ago. Back then the economy was in free-fall, and no-one knew where it would land. This year, the mood among most exhibitors is a mixture of relief and quiet optimism: We’ve survived the worst, and things are slowly getting better.

 By now you’ve probably seen all the star cars, courtesy of our extensive 2009 SEMA Show coverage. But here are a couple of things that caught my eye as I dashed through the halls between sessions with the MT video crew doing live interviews and pre-recorded stories for motortrend.com and our You Tube channel.

Why Fiat Might be the Best Thing to Have Ever Happened to Chrysler

I’ve lost count of the number of auto show press conferences I’ve attended over the years. Most follow a fairly predictable formula: At some point a guy in a suit will stand up and read a speech, while the assembled journos take notes and look for holes in the talking points. There’s usually a little showbiz — some loud music and flashing lights, occasionally a dancing girl or two — but it’s generally all pretty perfunctory.  Few are memorable.
I’ve never forgotten former GM honcho Ron Zarella’s “fireside chat” at the 2001 Detroit Show, though, mainly because it was so toe-curlingly gruesome. I still cannot imagine there actually was a meeting at GM where someone said: “Here’s an idea. Why don’t we put Ron on stage in a smoking jacket, sitting in a leather armchair next to a fireplace, and have him read from a book of Nostrodamus’ predictions that show what a great future we have?” And that everyone in the room high-fived it.
I’m not likely to forget Dodge boss Ralph Gilles’ presentation at SEMA in a hurry, either, though for very different reasons.
Ralph (pictured) came on stage in jeans and a black T-shirt, and for once it didn’t look like a car company exec desperately trying to look hip and cool. It was just Ralph being, well, Ralph. “This is what I wear to work,” he says with a shrug. In addition to running Dodge, Gilles still has overall responsibility for Chrysler design. He probably doesn’t have time for a suit…