SEMA 22! The Performance Industry Shines in Las Vegas
1 year ago Events Gallery
The Specialty Equipment Market Association annual Las Vegas show each year is pure automotive aftermarket heaven for all who attend, and for 2022, the scene was without question alive and well! Dodge and their Direct Connection performance division added a huge exhibit area on the floor of the Central Hall and it was a fantastic gathering place for show visitors.
In this Part 1 of SEMA 2022 coverage, everywhere you looked there were cars, trucks, SUVs, 4x4s, competition vehicles, prototypes and “in build” examples! Next installment, an even deeper look at the Mopar® highlights of the show.
And while 2022 SEMA is over, there’s even bigger news all about 2023! The announcement came on the last day (Friday) that SEMA is changing – next year, it’s going to be called “SEMA Week”, which will evolve into an all-city experience, with portions fully open to the public. It’s all part of a new five-year vision, the event is still “trade only” for Tuesday through Friday, except now it will extend through Saturday night with an all-new “SEMAFEST” that takes place at a new portion of the LVCC called “Las Vegas Festival Grounds.” Open to all, top cars, high-octane fun with music, food, automotive celebrities, it will be a real game-changer and further put the automotive aftermarket excitement on the world-wide stage!
Additional info will be released in the upcoming months: www.sema.org
Our coverage of SEMA extended into the wee hours of the nights to best provide clear, unobstructed images of the show vehicles … the photo gallery generated after show hours could be translated to “SEMA AFTER DARK!”
The Matt Hagan display car was part of the activities at the SEMA Show, giving NHRA race enthusiasts a chance to sit inside and get the feel of a nitromethane Funny Car! He and Power Brokers teammate Leah Pruett made an appearance during the show.
The 2023 Dodge “Last Call” marketing campaign was well communicated on the SEMA Show floor, numerous HEMI® engine-powered production cars were displayed with factory representatives on hand with technical and performance data … 2023 is the last model year!
Now a 2023 option for the Dodge Charger, the “King Daytona” created as a tribute to “Big Willy” Robinson! Willie was a Los Angeles-based street racer who campaigned a Keith Black-powered 1969 HEMI Dodge Daytona, plus he did great work with the City of L.A. in getting racing off the streets with the creation of the Terminal Island drag strip located in Long Beach.
With a throwback that pays homage to the late 1960s and early ’70s line of Dodge Darts, for 2023, there’s a “Swinger” model of the Challenger available. What’s old is new and what’s new has a tie-in to the past. The special Scat Pack appearance package definitely emphasizes green, shown here specifically Sublime Green! These modern-day models bring the fun times back, Shaker hood and all!
The magic of a HEMI engine is the combustion chamber design, proven performance enhancer! Pictured: Part number 77072534AB Redeye Cylinder Heads Kit, with 2.14″ hollow stainless steel intake valves, 1.65″ sodium-filled exhaust valves.
In its first West Coast appearance, the Paul Rossi Direct Connection Dodge Challenger, a star of the SEMA Show was this “old school” NHRA Super Stocker … complete with the retro aggressive stance and colorful graphics. Dig those chromed side-exit “torque tube” headers! Brought back to life by Mandella Race Cars in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
“Body in White” is industry lingo for a basic bare body shell without sound deadeners, and for anyone that wants a blank canvas to create a build from scratch. It’s the affordable foundation to build a current-generation Dodge Challenger before it goes out of production, all from Direct Connection. Primered version part number P5160605AA, $7,995.00 1-800-998-1110
In creating a wild Mopar muscle machine, inside the Dodge Direct Connection exhibit area is this Finale Speed Carbon Fiber 1970 Dodge Charger that is fitted with Salvaggio Designs chassis, 6.2L SRT® Hellcat HEMI engine, Tremec T56 transmission and McLeod twin disc clutch. It’s still under construction and guaranteed to be a show-stopper when completed!
Hellcrate 6.2L Supercharged Crate HEMI Engine, part number 68303089AB – 376 cubic inches of GEN III HEMI using 9.5:1 compression and developing 717 horsepower, 656 lb.-ft. of torque (using engine controller kit part number 77072452AE). Everything is part of this package: Water pump, flywheel, clutch, front sump oil pan, intake manifold with throttle body, fuel injectors and coil packs. And, with a parts warranty of 24 months, unlimited miles!
Dodge had a major presence at SEMA 2022 and the star of their Dodge Direct Connection exhibit was the “Charger Daytona SRT Banshee Concept” that is categorized as an “eMuscle Car.” Why? The factory information provided assures it will be faster than the SRT Hellcat! And it will be in the new upcoming Fast-X, a Fast & Furious franchise movie!
Dodge provided this display of retro Hi-Impact colors that adds visual excitement – including Plum Crazy, Sublime, Go Mango, Top Banana and Petty Blue … all from the glory days of Mopar muscle and they still look fabulous today.
The Drag Pak Durango is the insane Tom Bailey creation, a four-seater built in-house at Sick Speed Company. At SEMA, there was a 16-plug Gen II screw-blower HEMI engine between the frame rails, complete with Alan Johnson Racing Engines aluminum heads.
SEMA is well known through the years to provide friendly “booth representatives” in the female form and the 2022 event was no exception. It’s a tradition. After all, it’s Las Vegas!
A restored and authentic 1972 Dodge Demon Super Stocker, powered by small block Mopar equipped with Hamburger Supercharger, with an overall weight of 3,240 pounds, it ran 8.506 seconds at 155.19 mph in the quarter-mile! And it all happens on a simple pair of Direct Connection S/S leaf springs and an adjustable pinion snubber. Retro rocks!
“The King” himself, Richard Petty, kept the fans happy at SEMA 2022!
SEMA had a fantastic Richard Petty tribute car on display. 1970 was a magical year for Mopar lovers, as the factory had lured Richard Petty back to Plymouth with a new version of the Road Runner, the Superbird! Not the same as the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, very similar however. In order to make it all work, 1970 Dodge Coronet front fenders and hood were used in the transformation. One thing that was learned between the time the Daytona was released for competition use and during early development of the Plymouth version was that the rear wing also helped on the corners, so the Superbird wing has a wider base on the two uprights, giving 40 percent more mass area. In addition, a steeper vertical angle was used as compared to the Dodge wing car.
A unique design detail of the Plymouth wing car was the character line on the hood (as used on the ’70 Coronet) and that Plymouth styling department saw to it that the same character line was extended onto the nose cone. The styling people also insisted the air intake opening be located on the lower side of the snout, another change as compared to the Dodge Daytona. An interesting Superbird trivia fact is that the parking lights were actually parts borrowed from Fury (1970) models!
Perkins Motors (Colorado Springs, CO), one of the Power Brokers Dodge Dealers, brought along their Bilstein-backed Charger competition car to join in the SEMA Show experience. www.perkinsmotors.com
What made the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona model unique? Well, the obvious things are the 18 inches of add-on nose up front, flush rear back light and a 23.5-inch-tall rear stabilizer wing, 58 inches wide. The vertical struts were 15 inches wide at their base. Why was the wing positioned that exact height? While Dodge boss Bob McCurry approved the car for production, when he first saw the prototype being built, the wing was just 16 inches off the deck … and he informed the aero designers that in order to sell a car, the deck lid has to be able to be fully opened, and it needed to be raised the 7.5 inches to do so.
Retro thumb roller and traditional radios from Retro Manufacturing, shown here for the Dodge Charger and Plymouth Duster, pushbutton “Redondo RS” units for restorers. www.retromanufacturing.com
The annual “Art Walk” at SEMA highlights some of the world’s best automotive artists, all part of the visuals at the show, and a place to buy original one-of-a-kind paintings direct from the creators. Here’s the Greer-Black-Prudhomme dragster and Dick Landy ’71 Pro Stock Challenger (by Tom Fritz), the ’68 Dodge Charger, early/late Challenger (by Tillrock) and the fun, crazy world of Ed Roth! Breathtaking!
Electric! Yes, a 1972 Plymouth Satellite built with all-electric power, incorporating a 45/55 front/rear balance and overall curb weight of 4,358 pounds. With an estimated 636 horsepower and 325-mile claimed range, it’s a vintage Mopar that for certain caught a lot by surprise when they viewed the engine compartment.
One of the most famous aftermarket wheels ever to exist is the Cragar S/S and they’re still being made today. If it’s for a muscle car era application, there’s also reproduced Polyglas GT Goodyear tires being made! Authentic all the way.
Tommy Pikes Customs built this 1937 Dodge pickup, and it’s equipped with the 345 Crate HEMI Engine Kit. With custom chassis and tubbed fenders for clearance for custom wheels, the 383-hp vintage truck was created to help celebrate the 85th anniversary of Mopar Parts Division.
The massive Las Vegas Convention Center is a world-class facility with 4.6 million square feet of space, with SEMA dominating the entire footprint.
Outside the Convention Center, there were show vehicles staged throughout the front parking lot, as well as on all corners of the massive facility. Included in the variety was this old-school Power Ram 350 with factory-fitted Cummins Turbo Diesel … and with extensive attention given to the suspension and undercarriage!
Author: James Maxwell
