2020 SEMA show canceled by COVID 19

 

2020 SEMA show canceled

The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show scheduled for November will not be taking place in 2020, due to COVID-19 and concerns that event facilities and services will be unavailable,

Recent SEMA Show survey results indicated interest in a possible virtual tradeshow with related live elements so SEMA officials will be working with industry members to determine interest levels on specific alternatives.

"The SEMA Show is committed to furthering businesses in the automotive specialty equipment market, and to providing manufacturers and buyers with the best opportunity to connect, promote new products and discover new trends," said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. "We appreciate the spirit, hard work and innovation our industry puts into the SEMA Show each year. While we are disappointed circumstances prevent us from hosting the Show in November, we look forward to getting everyone together in 2021 for another outstanding event."

The 2021 SEMA Show is scheduled for November 2 – 5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  

A rare "resto-mod" sports car 

This Iso Rivolta IR 300 started life in 1967 as a rare luxurious coupe built by Iso Automotoveicoli S.p.A. in Italy, one of only 797 examples built between 1963 and 1970.

In the 1950s Iso’s founder, Renzo Rivolta, developed the Iso Isetta microcar and sold the car in Italy which he licensed to BMW and the little bubble car was sold around the world. For his next project, Renzo envisioned a “gentleman’s touring car” and the Iso Rivolta sports touring car is the result.  Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at the renowned Italian coachbuilders Bertone, it offered comfortable room for four, Chevrolet Corvette 327-cubic inch V-8 power and a four-speed manual transmission. 

When found by Richard Griot (pronounced Gree-Oh) of Griot’s Garage car care accessory fame, this once beautiful machine was a badly rusted out project. Griot commissioned Louie Shefchik, of J & L Fabricating in nearby Puyallup Washington to rebuild and update this classic.   

Since the original chassis was too rusted to save, long-time SEMA member Art Morrison Enterprises built a new frame which received a General Motors Connect and Cruise LS7 427-cubic inch crate motor and Chevrolet Performance Tremec T56 Super Magnum Six-Speed Manual Transmission.    

Although the Iso Rivolta featured four-wheel disc brakes from the factory, 500 horsepower from the dry-sump aluminum LS7 engine necessitated a brake upgrade to 13-inch Wilwood rotors, which required bigger wheels so EVOD Industries produced a set of custom 17-inch billet wheels that are wrapped in Pirelli P7 tires.

Courtesy of Griot's Garage 

This car reached the final four of the sixth annual SEMA Battle of Builders competition at SEMA Ignited 2019 and it finished second in the voting behind the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro known as “VALKYRJA” built by Jim and Mike Ring. Griot's Garage recently featured the car on the cover of their catalog. 

Photos by the author except as noted.

2017 SEMA "Battle of the Builders" winner

Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy was the winner of the coveted 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) “Battle of the Builders” competition held during SEMA Ignited, the official SEMA Show after-party held after the 2017 SEMA Show.

Trepanier’s 1929 Ford Model-A Tudor sedan shown at the B&M booth in the SEMA 2017 Central Hall edged out Alan Johnson’s 1932 Ford Tudor and Troy Ladd’s 1936 Packard roadster for the title. The three builders will be featured along with many other SEMA Show builders in a new episode of the TV special "SEMA: Battle of the Builders," which will premiere on the Velocity Channel on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. 

The 1929 Model A Tudor is powered by a GM first generation fuel-injected aluminum small block engine with custom valve covers and air cleaner connected to a Legend Gear and Transmission LGT-700 5-speed transmission with a Hurst Competition Plus ™ shifter and a modified Halibrand rear end. The exhaust is all stainless steel, fed through stainless steel Flowmaster ™ Super HP2 mufflers.   

The car built for Mark and Dennis Marianai features front and rear torsion bar suspension with an entirely hand fabricated body including the hood air cleaner and grille shell that was covered with a custom mixed bronze paint from Glasurit a division of BASF.  The car rides on CNC machined custom artillery  style wheels built in the Rad Rides shop. 

 For more details check out these sites: 

https://www.glasurit.com/en-int

http://www.bmracing.com/

http://legendgt.com/

All photos by the Author