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SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals are anything but stock
Filed under: SEMA Show, Etc.
Lisa Angeline, aka Catwoman - Click above for high-res image gallery
This year's SEMA show in Las Vegas didn't have quite the gravitas of years past, as the state of the economy and the automotive industry in particular seemed to be a wet blanket over the whole proceedings. Thank goodness there were plenty of friendly faces throughout the halls to keep our spirits up.
One smiling face especially caught our eye, although we weren't sure why. The eyes and smile were familiar but we couldn't quite put our finger on where we had seen them before. And then it hit us, it was our beloved Catwoman (a.k.a. Lisa Angeline) from last year's BatSmart gallery! We hardly recognized her stripped of her catsuit. We saw her in the Vertical Doors booth. We know this with great certainty because the name of the company was written in very strategic locations - like on the banner above her head and (*ahem*) elsewhere. Smart folks behind that BatSmart. But to be honest, we weren't really paying too much attention to the cars there, so perhaps this strategy is flawed.
This happened quite a bit during the week. We'd go down to shoot a certain car, and an hour later, we'd be scratching our heads wondering what we had come down for in the first place. Take a look at the gallery and you'll probably agree - down year or no, the distractions were quite spectacular.
Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals are anything but stock originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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SEMA 2009: What we didn't get to cover
Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, SEMA Show, Classics, Performance, Etc., Motorcycle, Humor, Specialty, Design/Style, Off-Road
2009 SEMA Show Las Vegas - Click above for high-res image gallery
Every year at SEMA, we fill the week with posts featuring special vehicles and products that we felt were important enough to share. Generally, they are the most newsworthy projects and new model introductions, but sometimes they are just things that caught our eye. When all is said and done, we think we've given all of you a good taste of what's on offer here in the desert.
Of course, there are always things we see and shoot that don't make it into the regular posts from the days we are here. We end up with a few hundred photos of random weirdness and cool stuff that just didn't make it into a dedicated post. That's what this post is for. It's basically a chance to dump some of that random wackiness and wonder that is SEMA into one big bowl and invite you all to take a sip. Click on the gallery below and you'll see race cars, hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles, wheels and more. None are labeled, but all should provide a unique look at what we saw at SEMA 2009.
Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.SEMA 2009: What we didn't get to cover originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 11.06.09
2011 Kia Sorento - Click above for high-res image gallery Sometimes it's hard to remember what you did just yesterday, but think back to 2003 when Kia first introduced the Sorento mid-size...
We've made it to the last day of our SEMA Sweeps! We've given away four limited-edition PSP/Gran Turismo bundles, but we've got one left. Yesterday's winner has been randomly selected and...
Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 11.06.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Filed under: Truck, Work, Chrysler, Autoline on Autoblog CHRYSLER CONSIDERS GETTING BACK INTO BIG RIGS
 One of the more intriguing tidbits that dribbled out of Chrysler's grueling 8-hour press conference on Wednesday is that the company is considering getting back into the heavy truck business. They're not talking about heavy duty pick-ups, they're talking about 18-wheelers.
Up until the early 1970's Dodge sold heavy trucks, including semi-tractors. In fact, Dodge trucks were famous the world over. But like GM and Ford, the Chrysler Corporation decided to get out of that business at a time when the commercial truck sector was under pressure.
When times are good heavy trucks generate a significant amount of profits. Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Renault, Toyota (Hino), Nissan and Mitsubishi (Fuso) are still in the business. But it takes a lot of capital investment to get into and stay in the highly cyclical heavy truck segment, which is why the American car companies abandoned that market years ago.
In this case, the idea to get Chrysler back into the heavy truck market is Fiat's, not Chrysler's. And that is precisely why this could actually happen.
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John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.
____________________________________________________________________________________Continue reading Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Quieter Spirit: Rolls reportedly planning hybrid Ghost for 15% better economy
Filed under: Hybrid, Technology, Rolls-Royce  Rolls-Royce Ghost - Click above for high-res image gallery
If you've been pondering getting on the list for a Rolls-Royce Ghost but you're hesitant because of the negative environmental impact (and social standing) of the big, beautiful boat's V12 engine, we've got good news for you. British site Autocar is reporting that a hybrid version of the Ghost is in the works. It's rumored to be based off the mild hybrid system of the BMW ActiveHybrid 7, which makes sense considering that the two luxury sleds utilize the same platform. The nearly 18-foot long Ghost will likely still sport a 6.2-liter V12, but the brutish powerplant will be aided and abetted by a 20kW electric motor capable of an extra 15 hp and 155 lb-ft fitted into the baby Rolls' eight speed ZF auto transmission.
Battery power will reportedly come courtesy of a .6 W/h lithium-ion battery pack fitted to the Ghost's substantial trunk. The reported hybrid Ghost won't have the ability to run on battery power alone, but the luxury barge will employ start/stop tech and due to the battery's presence it won't need an alternator, either. The net result of the of the (relative) greenification of the Ghost will reportedly be a 15% bump in fuel economy.
A 15% efficiency bump probably won't do much to improve the Ghost's likely miserable fuel economy figures, but the added twist from the Ghost's electric motor may help it hit 60 mph more quickly than the gasoline-only 4.8 seconds (U.S. spec).
Sure, if this hybrid Rolls ever sees the light of day it'd make the already massive Ghost even heavier and more costly, but the negatives pale in comparison to the gratification of telling other rich people that your chauffeur drives a hybrid.
[Source: Autocar]Quieter Spirit: Rolls reportedly planning hybrid Ghost for 15% better economy originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Ready for winter?
Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Humor 
As someone who happened to have grown up in snowy climes of the Great Lakes States for the first 25 years of life, this author knows exactly how nasty it can be in the morning to walk out of your nice, toasty house on a cold and blustery winter day. It's even worse when you need to drive somewhere and your car is covered in a hard-as-rock coating of ice and snow.
Having since moved to the sunny state of Arizona, however, dealing with the scenario particular situation isn't on this blogger's agenda any time soon.
That said, it is in the forecast for many Autoblog readers, and so we've decided to dig up this oldie-but-a-goody Statoil commercial to get you in the mood. Click past the break to watch the video and check out veryfunnyads.com for more gut-busting ads from around the world.
[Source: veryfunnyads.com]Continue reading Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Ready for winter? Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Ready for winter? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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SEMA 2009: Chevy Graphics Camaro not bashful about changing in public
Filed under: SEMA Show, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Chevrolet 
2010 Chevrolet Camaro graphics options - Click above for high-res image gallery
Chevrolet decided that it might be fun to have a contest to pick out a new decal pack for its hot new Camaro. They posted six different possible decal sets on Facebook a while back and after letting their online friends vote, the automaker chose four finalists.
Those four looks were applied to a silver Camaro over the course of the four-day SEMA show in Vegas. We stopped by the booth every day except Friday and took some pics to show you how the stickers looked in person. We've assembled a gallery so you can peruse each and then head over to the Camaro's Facebook page to cast your vote for the winner.
Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.SEMA 2009: Chevy Graphics Camaro not bashful about changing in public originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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SEMA 2009: Galpin builds custom '69 Mustang right on the show floor
Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Classics, Performance, Ford  Galpin Auto Sports '69 Mustang build - Click above for high-res image gallery
While those of us in the media walked around the show floor at SEMA looking for the cool, the crazy, and the just plain awesome, there were people doing actual work. Real work. No, we're not talking about the security people that wouldn't let us in the show before 9:00am no matter how we tried to convince them, nor the food vendors charging $40 for a lousy pizza. We're talking about the guys at Galpin Auto Sports who spent each day of the show building a custom 1969 Ford Mustang from scratch.
The Mustang started off at the start of the show in literally thousands of pieces, and every time we walked by, we could see that the car was just a little bit closer to completion. The 427ci V8 was already in the Mustang the last time we saw it, and while we left before we could see the car completed, everyone at GAS seemed pretty confident that it would be finished by the time the show ended this afternoon. From the looks of all of the individual pieces, the end product should be pretty cool looking. Check out our high-res gallery below to see just how many parts it takes to build a '69 Mustang.
Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.SEMA 2009: Galpin builds custom '69 Mustang right on the show floor originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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SEMA 2009: Knee-high tri-axle pickup by Air-Zenith is down and (not so) dirty
Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Convertible, Truck, Specialty 
Air-Zenith custom pickup - Click above for high-res image gallery
We're not exactly sure what this used to be in its former life, but it all kinds of cool in its current iteration. Just knee-high to a Hobbit, this six-wheel convertible was parked in the shadow of Bigfoot and we almost tripped over it.
We were able to locate an Air-Zenith banner on the windshield, however, we couldn't find any other info. But really, what else do you need to know? Air-Zenith is the same group that dropped the drag pickup we saw at SEMA 2008. That one might have been quicker, but this one has a cool bike in the bed!
Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.SEMA 2009: Knee-high tri-axle pickup by Air-Zenith is down and (not so) dirty originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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SEMA 2009: 1951 Henry J gasser is a 7-second blast from the past
Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, SEMA Show, Coupe, Performance 
1951 Kaiser Henry J - Click above for high-res image gallery
Here's another black beauty that caught our attention in the halls of SEMA 2009. It's a 1951 Kaiser Henry J owned and raced by Chris Beanes of California.
Running in A/Gas, this gloss-free gasser can storm the quarter in the mid-7s at better than 174 MPH. We read somewhere that it's powered by a Chevy 400 that's backed by a four-speed transmission, but other than that we don't have a lot more details. What we do have are a few pics in the gallery below that hopefully capture the magic of this nostalgic dragster.
Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.SEMA 2009: 1951 Henry J gasser is a 7-second blast from the past originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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