The 2009 SEMA show was one to remember for any Camaro enthusiast in attendance. Why? How about the fact that over 80 '10 Camaros found their way onto the Las Vegas Convention Center floors-an amazing contrast to previous year's show where only a handful new Camaros were on display-and most of those belonged to GM.
A lot can happen in a year, and with the '10 Camaro finally making it into the hands of the aftermarket [and consumers], there was no shortage of killer performance parts and shiny billet goodies packaged up and ready to bolt on to our favorite new hot rod.
We spoke with Jay Leno a few...
We spoke with Jay Leno a few months before SEMA and he mentioned he had something going with GM. Apparently this was it. This concept car was developed with quite a bit of inspiration from the comedian/car enthusiast. There are plenty of body enhancements, many of which are functional, but the twin Turbonetics T3 turbochargers on the 3.6L V-6 had everyone talking.
A few weeks leading up to the show, the Camaro Performers magazine office was overwhelmed with phone calls and emails from aftermarket companies informing us that "there will be a 2010 Camaro on display in our booth at SEMA this year, be sure and stop by to check it out."
Piece of cake. We can manage to swing by a few of the booths that are featuring new Camaros. But once we arrived at the event, we instantly realized we had our work cut out.
This was going to be the most hectic SEMA show we've ever attended. After all, the Camaro has been out of production since 2002, and the overwhelming positive consumer response to the '10 model caught the attention of the aftermarket. If any of these companies were on the fence about fabbing up parts for the new Camaro, word of mouth alone was a solid indicator that they best get busy. And busy they got. Whether it was wheels, suspension, exhaust, billet pieces, or horsepower adders, the SEMA floors were drenched in hopped-up Camaros.
We made it our quest to shoot every Camaro at the show, new or old, but experience told us it would be insane to think we could make it down every row of the massive convention center buildings. So there's a good chance we missed a few. With that said, we've dedicated a few pages to feature the most memorable Camaros at the 2009 SEMA show.
Whether or not the Camaro prevails as the car of the 2010 SEMA show remains to be seen, but with the number of companies manufacturing parts for this late-model hot rod, there's a good chance we'll be just as busy next year.
Yes, we know. The Trans Am...
Yes, we know. The Trans Am was a Pontiac, but this car started life as a Camaro and for the most part, still is. The highly-modified fifth-gen was quite the attention-getter. The only things missing were Burt Reynolds and Sally Field.
Touted by GM as a "cool and...
Touted by GM as a "cool and striking vision of tomorrow," we happen to like the "Synergy Camaro" today. The car features all sorts of body add-ons from GM. Accessories include wing spoiler, 21-inch black painted wheels, ground effects kit, performance air intake, and more. As for now it's a concept car, but if consumers contact GM and let them know there is interest, that could change.
Grunewald Racing had their...
Grunewald Racing had their '10 drift Camaro on display in the GM booth. It was built by Luke Lonberger at BR Racing and features a powerful LS-A crate engine. Carbon-fiber hood, doors, fenders, deck lid, and bumpers by Seibon Carbon bring it down to fighting weight for the 2010 Formula Drift series season.