For automotive industry equipment manufacturers, the SEMA show in Las Vegas has established itself over the years as an essential event for exhibiting their know-how. Held since 1963 without access to the public, it is also the scene of the most unabashed extravagances. If the last edition left room for electrification, that of 2023 brings forward mechanical combustion engines. Here are some curiosities.
A Nissan Z for less hospitable roads
Nissan indulged in some nostalgia this year at the SEMA show by displaying a Nissan Z that pays homage to a Dastun 240Z that won the 1971 Safari Rally, a grueling event of more than 6,000 km held in Kenya. For the occasion, this Z has seen its suspension elements completely revised and is raised by 5 cm. The chassis receives skid plates and the 17-inch rims wear Yokohama GEOLANDAR M/T off-road tires. Its 3.0L twin-turbo V6 is also slightly reworked.
A Tacoma that revives sports pickup trucks
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TOYOTA
The Toyota Tacoma X-Runner Concept
Toyota, for its part, presented a deeply modified Tacoma at SEMA which nods to the era of sporty pickup trucks from the 1990s and 2000s. Featuring the mechanics of a Tundra, a reworked 3.4L twin-turbo V6 to produce 421 hp, this Tacoma X-Runner has widened tracks and a stiffened platform to support its rather… extravagant design. The suspensions have been redesigned by adding the Tundra’s air system to correct the level when the truck is towing a trailer.
A Hyundai Kona like no other
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HYUNDAI
The Hyundai Kona Jayde Concept
The Korean manufacturer Hyundai, for its part, unveiled a stylistic exercise at SEMA 2023 with a Kona Jayde Concept equipped for “urban adventures”. Some of its body parts have been retouched and embellished with a fairly eye-catching turquoise. Eibach springs lower the ground clearance and Recaro seats are fixed in the cabin for a sportier presentation. A matching electric bike completes the whole thing with a Thule box on the roof.
A Rolls-Royce with an American heart
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RINGBROTHERS
This 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II was named Paramount.
Very well known in the world of “resto-mod”, this subcategory of tuning which mixes restoration and aesthetic and mechanical modifications, the Ringbrothers exhibited a Rolls-Royce pumped up on steroids. Under its aristocratic bodywork, this 1961 Silver Cloud II hides an extraordinary strike force: a 6.2 L LT4 V8 of General Motors origin supercharged by compressor of 640 hp, more than two and a half times the power of the time . Unsurprisingly, the chassis is entirely new to negotiate with this extra power.