SEMA crowds may not compete with the Consumer Electronics Show but navigating crowded halls around cars versus some little Apple product turns SEMA into a way too crowded go-cart track.SEMA 2015: Wrapup
SEMA is an absolutely insane whirlwind of auto nocturnal emission that leaves most enthusiasts gobsmacked and sleep deprived. But if they build it…
And boy do they build it! Stock, custom, or aftermarket, it's there for our pleasure. SEMA to a car enthusiast is like rolling around naked on a bed of money to a banker – total immersion. And for one of our fellow enthusiasts, this passion a few months ago almost meant his last ride. Some of you have followed the story about Garrett employee Yukio Taira who had a stroke on his way to Road Atlanta back in May. He's got a long recovery ahead but for his dedication, he was awarded the SEMA YEN (Young Executives Network) Chairman Award. SEMA is about more than just the cars; networking with friends makes this show even more awesome so I'd like to dedicate this article to Yukio.
Other Awards announced at SEMA Hottest include the Ford Focus for Hottest Sport Compact, Ford Mustang for Hottest Car, Ford F-150 for Hottest Truck, and Jeep Wrangler for Hottest SUV. What the F? Ford Edge must not have had the Edge to round out an F'ing sweep.
Sexy diffuser porn in the 2016 Ford GT race car! The updated 3.5-liter GT race engine developed by RoushYates has a new block, cylinder head, intake system, and bigger twin turbos and should put out more than 600hp. It will utilize a dual port/direct fuel injection system to provide more finite resolution and improved engine response and will be mated to a seven speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Aero has been improved to offer higher downforce with less drag (the money shot above) and carbon fiber composites are in place to lower the weight while increasing the chassis rigidity. The Ford GT racecar will compete in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona the end of January before heading to Silverstone in April for the first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship before racing the LeMans GTE Pro Class 50 years after their 1966 win with the GT40.
Not just another Mustang at the Pony show. The Shelby GT350R Mustang production has been limited to just 37 cars. Featuring a 5.2L Ti-VCT V8 flat plane crank engine and TREMEC 6 speed manual transmission, it is the most powerful N/A production Ford engine ever built making more than 500hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. Braking power is provided by 6 piston front and 4 piston rear Brembo calipers clamping down on two piece cross drilled rotors with aluminum hats. It features standard lightweight 19″ carbon fiber wheels.
The Ford Edge Tjin Edition uses an Air Lift air suspension to tuck a set of 22 inch ADV.1 wheels wrapped in Falken ZIEX rubber. Other mods include the Unique Fabrication FMIC, Motiv downpipe and Magnaflow exhaust.
This Edge features a number of new prototype products by Vaccar including rear air suspension conversion kit, rear strut bar, intake kit, and dual exhaust. The sign displayed at SEMA seems a little lost in translation: “The twin-turbo'd power plant has also been supplemented with balanced upgrades to amplify inhaling and exhaling harmonies.”
