A First Timer’s Visit to SEMA
A First TImer's Guide to SEMA

A First Timer's Visit to SEMA

By Colin Holte

Like many auto enthusiasts it had been one of my long held dreams to attend that glorious feast of automotive aftermarket goodness known as the Specialty Equipment Marketers Association or SEMA.  Also like many auto enthusiasts I didn't really have a job in the automotive industry that would work to gain me entry to the show.  How I fixed that is an interesting story.

More or less a year ago when MotoIQ first went live I joined the site. I had been pointing my browser there every month or so prior to that for the past six months in anticipation of the time when the site would go live. I knew about the site way back then thanks to a post that Mike had made on the twinturbo.net forums showing the build progress of a couple of projects and a pitch something to the effect of if you liked Sport Compact Car you'll love MotoIQ.

MotoIQ.com T-shirt and SEMA badge
2 of my most prized possessions from the show, a MotoIQ.com T-shirt and my SEMA press badge.

Well Mike was right, I LOVED it, (still do today in fact, even more so).  What I didn't love were the typos, there were minor spelling and grammar issues that were sneaking through to the articles and occasionally the odd Internet Tough Guy would pop up complaining about these things.  Mike asked people to keep it constructive and to send him any feedback via private message.  I went to town with that and began sending Mike and Jeff heaps of feedback, enough so that I'm pretty sure I became annoying.

View from the SEMA show floor
The view from the SEMA show floor.

According to Jeff it got to the point where I could make Mike curse. It was around that time when they offered me the opportunity to become copy editor. Fast forward several months and I've flown down from Canada to meet the MotoIQ guys for the first time in person as a member of the team attending SEMA.

STD suspension NSX
Underneath all this is an Acura NSX.  The rear end of the car sort of emulates a Ferrari.  Also, it's been lowered on STD suspension - they should probably get a doctor to check that out.

 

Twin turbo tube frame S10 in the ESAB welding booth.
Twin turbo tube frame S10 in the ESAB welding booth.

 

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