SEMA Show 2004. For those who have never gone, it’s an experience beyond anything you can imagine. Up until now, I had attended other conventions, including SEMA IAS East in Atlantic City and your typical Hot Import Nights. Everyone told me to expect a huge show with plenty of walking, but it’s hard to gauge what that really means until you’ve experienced it yourself. Let me tell you — this show is massive. I can’t even put it into words. We’re talking millions of square feet, and it just seems like it’ll never end. Add in the industry parties and the (cough cough) extracurricular activities, and you’re in for one hell of a week.
Starting off on Tuesday, I walked around just to breathe in the entire show and scout out which halls to shoot. I ended up running into a lot of people, and that took up most of my time, including meetings. Once I got the ball rolling and started shooting, I kept circling the same areas, getting lost within the same hall. It was just crazy how big it was. Mackin made a huge impression with their new line of Volk wheels, including the GT-V displayed on their 350Z. Speaking of 350Zs, they were definitely one of the more popular vehicles present. The G35s made their stance, as did the Evolution 8s and Subaru WRXs. Long gone is the once-dominant scene of Hondas. AWD and RWD now take up the floor. The Scion tC was a huge hit, as were the xBs. The tuner hall was packed with new toys and builds.
GReddy made waves with their new turbocharged tC, which looks really promising. Tanabe and APEXi brought out strong builds, and TEIN showed off their widebody xB sitting on Racing Hart CRs. AEM came through with their newly acquired DC Sports line, unveiling a bunch of new parts. By the end of Tuesday, I was exhausted — and the night’s parties were just getting started.
Wednesday came around, and I shot like mad. I went through the wheel and tire hall, which was so full of bling it was almost overwhelming. There was even a 32-inch wire wheel on display. Alongside all the quarter-million-dollar cars, my eyes were in awe. Falken had an impressive setup, as did BFGoodrich. All the major tire manufacturers showed up strong, and many are now embracing the drifting scene. Speaking of drifting, D1 held an exhibition with eight insane cars doing even crazier things. It was definitely a sight — S13s, S14s, S15s, Soarers, and four-door Skylines all sideways. You just can’t beat that. The only downside? Shooting in the cold, dark evening — definitely an experience.
Thursday was a recovery day. I took a few hours to meet with people and begin promoting tunerZine.com, which already had coverage up with nearly 700 shots. When Friday rolled around, I hit the final hall to grab some last-minute snaps and checked out the newest products on display. I could’ve gotten even better coverage that day, but I was called out to shoot a car at the Speedway. Still, we came away with close to (if not more than) 1,000 photos to mark our first major event feature.
Hopefully you all enjoy it, and if you’ve never been to SEMA — schedule a week off in November. It’s more than worth it.
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