SEMA SHOWSTOPPERS, DAY 1 by: Warren Shim-Quee

We're back! Oh, how we've missed you, Las Vegas! SEMA is upon us again and there's tons in store. We're excited to check out all of the new creations from some of the industry's top builders.

We are especially excited to see what this year's hot car will be. With the Evolution X and the STI getting redesigned, we are expecting to see a good amount of those scattered around the convention center, along with the release of the Chevy Camaro. We can't wait to see what they have hiding behind the walls.

While we are all feeling the effects of the recession, it's also going to be interesting to see how much SEMA has changed. We've already been hearing a lot of buzz going on about companies changing things up for SEMA this year, so it should be interesting. Here's what we have for day one!

There was a ton of buzz surrounding the Tjin Edition Road Show Camaro leading up to this year's SEMA show, and their Camaro stood tall among the competition. Sitting pancaked on the floor in the Air Lift Suspension booth, the Tjin Edition RoadShow Camaro had a crowd around it the entire day.

The Tjin Edition RoadShow Camaro has been completely transformed and definitely lived up to the hype! The Tjin brothers put the biscuit in the basket with this project!

The Tjin Edition RoadShow Camaro features a 415-inch cubic motor that is matched up with a Vortech supercharger. The interior of the Camaro is redone with carbon-fiber Status Racing seats and GlowShift gauges. The exterior features a custom two-tone matte and gloss green paint job, and the Camaro's center of gravity is brought down via fully digital Air Lift suspension, which tucks the custom 22- and 24-inch iForged Seneka wheel and Falken tires. Sitting nicely behind the brushed mesh faces are a set of purple eight-piston SSBC big brakes.
The Tjin Edition RoadShow Camaro has been completely transformed and definitely lived up to the hype! The Tjin brothers put the biscuit in the basket with this project!

The 2009 SEMA show carried on a tradition that has gone on for as long as we can remember with the annual Scion Tuner Challenge. This year the Challenge was in the form of xBs, where each competitor was given free rein to do whatever their creative minds could come up with.

Pete Collello is at it again - the Hot Import Nights best-of-show winner got his hands dirty in 2009 competing in the Scion Tuner Challenge with his newest creation that has Collello written all over it.

This teal colored xB was given the full treatment with a BRS wide-body aero kit that was molded to the body of the Scion. The giant wheel arches that were added onto the stock body were filled with 20-inch TiS wheels whose centers were color matched to the body of the xB while the lips were color matched the Collello's grill, and we aren't talking about the one above the front bumper.

Inside, Collello wrapped every panel with black suede and had a gallery of Glow Shift gauges installed in the dash which now resembles a Christmas tree. A roll cage runs throughout including the trunk where Collello had a custom audio/visual set up running wild with a huge Scion logo at the center of attention. Performance upgrades were given the same treatment as his custom gold teeth, the front mount intercooler gives it all away as Collello upgraded the stock engine with a full turbo kit that had various accessories coated in gold, the engine bay was also tucked and shaved which gave it a super clean look.

Next up on the list for the Scion Tuner Challenge is Eneri Abillar a talented individual with an impressive background in design. Abillar's xB is similar to Collello's but goes off in a completely different direction.

The Scion starts off with another BRS wide-body aero kit that had subtle modifications added to the kit to make it stand out; for instance, the rear bumper was modified to make room for the twin-tipped exhausts that poke out from the middle of the bumper. An air diffuser was also added just under the exhaust tips for some added flare. A massive set of JLine wheels were added that sit under the fenders of the Scion once the air suspension lowers the body to the ground, when the side skirts nearly scrape the floor.

The interior of the xB is a full entertainment center that's probably similar to your own living room. A full wraparound bench seat accommodates passengers while a huge flat screen television hangs from just behind the leather-wrapped bucket seats. Under the hood a full GReddy bolt on turbo kit makes its home complete with a huge front mount intercooler that grills you from behind the front bumper.

The third combatant in the Scion Tuner Challenge are the creative minds at Bowls LA, who have really stepped it up and come with a totally unique creation that stems from a 1970's style Toyota Crown that was never released in the States but has definitely made its mark.

The original body of the xB was stretched at the rear and converted into a truck bed, which made room for the color-matched and stretched Honda Ruckus that was on display inside the bed. Rhino Liner need not apply, the rear bed area was custom fabricated and finished off with a wood floor liner that was designed specifically for the Honda.

Inside, the xB's rear leg room was severely diminished, depending on how you look at it but the front passenger area was set up with a full bench seat, color matched dashboard, and a slick looking glass shift knob. A full roll cage was employed to keep the Simpson harnesses at bay, while a full Pioneer audio set up was tucked behind the seat as well. This xB definitely stands out the most from the three but we'll leave the final decision up to the judges.

The winner from the Scion Tuner Challenge will be announced later this week, stay tuned for complete coverage.

Chevy hit it big with the Camaro - SEMA is the absolute confirmation of that. Stretching its legs in the BASF booth was Mark Abate's SCAP wide-body Camaro. This widened beast was turning heads all day, from its custom twin turbo set up to the paint that looked so wet you could swim in it. The one off wide-boy kit was really the topic of interest as onlookers checked out the complete build from Abate. Abate even went with a set of throwback taillights that are a subtle, yet creative modification.

AP brakes supplied Abate with a set of calipers and rotors to stop the iForged wheels from spinning, while inside a full roll cage and a complete custom audio setup made its home among a set of bucket seats and custom wrapped interior panels. The trunk area was recipient of a custom fuel cell and a pair of Nitrous Xpress bottles mounted to the left of the cell. An impressive build from Abate's team.

There's a reason why Mobil 1 is one of the biggest companies in the world; they've got to be doing something right. Mobil 1's booth was impressive to say the least. Their booth consisted of their massive transforming and accommodating rig that made home to two impressive vehicles that were on display.

On the left side of the booth, you'd find a fully tuned Chevy Camaro, and to the right side one of the crown jewels of SEMA was prominently displayed in all its glory. This flat black Lamborghini Gallardo doesn't even need a rear bumper to impress; to tell you the truth, it probably doesn't need a front one either - we'd like it just the same.

This twin turbo Laborghini Gallardo had all the bells and whistles, and then they took the bells and whistles and made your grandmother polish them - that's how badass this thing is. Rumor has it that this Gallardo was putting down low 9-second passes at the drag strip on street tires, and if that isn't enough, how about 250mph-plus from a standstill. Yeah, where's grandma now sukkas? If you are at SEMA, and you haven't seen this, don't leave without taking a look at it.

Five Axis never ceases to amaze us. If you think back to 2004 SEMA, you'd remember Five Axis' hot creation back then was their first generation Scion xB with a complete DJ booth at the rear of the vehicle that broke major ground for Scion.

Creations from Five Axis only got wilder as the years went by, but for 2009 Five Axis took a new spin to their DJ xB idea with a second generation xB and a second generation design. Of course Five Axis designed everything in house using only their own custom fabricated products to complete their projects.

Troy Sumitomo gave us a quick tour of the xB that featured a gull wing-style rear opening that made for standing room in the rear of the xB where the turntables were located attached to the roof liner of the xB. Tableists take full control of the tunes while standing on a transparent multi-colored illuminated floor with massive speakers to their sides, thanks to the custom speaker enclosures attached to the gull wing doors.

While the Dj setup does take center stage in this project, please don't think for a moment that the rest of this build is from a cosmic galaxy far, far away. The stock fenders of the xB were flared, and that's an understatement; a set of custom over fenders were installed and a set of custom one off Five Axis wheels were employed to fill those in. Sparco Seats and a touch screen monitor finish off the interior of this insane creation. What else will these guys come up with next?

You know who Ken Block is. You know what Ken Block does. You know what Ken Block drives, but have you seen his newest modifications to his Subaru Sti?

We've all seen what Ken Block can do on four wheels, but he's just stepped up his game. Ken Block's Subaru STi has been upgraded with a set of tank treads, and a sled that holds four passengers hitched to the rear of the Subaru. It all looks like a big mess of snow, dirt, gravel, and mud just waiting to happen. We had seen some sneak peeks of the Subaru on its new rollers recently but this is the first we are seeing it with our eyeballs, and where else other than SEMA. The STi and the sled were decorated in traditional DC shoes colors while parked in the Subaru booth at the center of attention. Gymkhana on treads please!!

We've been a fan of Bomex Aero kits for years now, but we've been dying for them to release something new that will blow us away. Well, Kaboom!

Bomex surprised us all with their newest release for the Chevy Camaro. As if the Camaro wasn't wide enough already, Bomex took it upon itself to flare out the fenders even more and add some aggressive lines to the body of the Camaro. Going wide on a Camaro is usually dangerous territory, usually destined for failure, but Bomex pulled it off with flying colors. Check out the slick looking rear exhaust just under the license plate and the vents in the front fenders that really make this kit unique. We hope Camaro owners will take this kit on and we'll start seeing replicas of this beast on the road.

You don't know the definition of tailgating until you've seen this. Displayed in the Scion booth, was Kogi Korean BBQ's Scion xD. This Scion was complete with a full grill at that replaced the hatch area, a sink, and a full audio set up to keep you entertained while you are cooking up your yummy short ribs. Can we get a delivery to the Media Center please, and thanks!

That's a wrap for day one, and there are tons of other things to see before the end of the week. We'll keep you updated as the week progresses; also, keep up with our micro-blog to see what kind of mischief we are getting into!