SEMA – the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association show held annually in Las Vegas – wrapped up this week, and we witnessed some of the most amazing vehicles. Some were rather low-key and subtle, while others were certainly more eye-catching than the usual C&C car.
This year's show received over 160,000 visitors and featured one of the largest numbers of vendors and exhibitors – 1.6 million sq. ft of booths within a 3-million-square-foot campus – according to president Mike Spagnola. “Everything [at the show] is driven by passion, all the cool stuff. It really represents almost every aspect of the industry.” Representatives from Spagnola's team also confirmed that SEMA is now the largest show in Las Vegas, surpassing the previous titleholder, CES (Consumer Electronics Show).
And while SEMA has always been a place for companies to showcase their latest products and innovations, 2024 marks the second year the show opened to the public, further enhancing the experience for consumers looking for inspiration for their next builds.
“We knew there were people coming through who probably shouldn’t have been (laughs), so we decided to make it official,” said Spagnola when asked about the motivation for allowing public access. “The market has shifted to focus on consumers. [Companies] have distribution, but now they’re looking for brand awareness.”
"And you can gain brand awareness from consumers.” Tickets for SEMA were limited to 15,000, but Spagnola hinted at the possibility of increasing the ticket count after two years of “testing” public attendance.
But if you attended this year, you surely noticed an impressive collection of some of the best-tuned and customized vehicles in the world. Some trends we observed include a significant rise in restomod creations — with the Built by Legends Skyline R34 GT-R literally at the center of the show — as well as an increase in motorsport heritage references, led by the stylish “Celica GT Four”-inspired GR86.
Toyota’s Rally concept. The “Treadpass” exhibition by Toyo Tires remained one of our favorite showcases, featuring a variety of show cars, from vintage, German, JDM, to British builds, all with stunning details and refinements. A controversial “Lamborghini”-powered Miata also became a viral hit at the show, along with the impressive Buick Grand National build by Ringbrothers, which was undoubtedly a showstopper.
Check out some of our favorite vehicles from the show.
