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Camaros at the 2010 SEMA Show - Hot TopicThe Camaro Is Once Again The Talk Of The Town On The Automotive Aftermarket's Largest Stage-SEMA. From the April, 2011 issue of Camaro Performers By Nick Licata Photography by Nick Licata, Robert McGaffin, Steven Rupp
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Opposite Our parent company,... Opposite Our parent company, Source Interlink, secured a spot just outside the Central Hall and provided an area for each of our magazines to show off a few past and current feature cars. From left to right, that's Camaro Performers magazine project car, Rupp's Bad Penny, Matt Alcala's '69, which won the GM Design award in the Sports Car category, and James Shipka's killer '67. The '09 SEMA Show could easily be considered as "the year of the Camaro." By sheer numbers alone, the Camaro was dominant to every other car make in attendance - late model or classic. And this year's event was not much different. So with the seemingly endless number of customized and performance upgraded Camaros lining the hundreds of rows inside the Las Vegas Convention Center halls and outside parking lots, we may be inclined to refer to the '10 SEMA Show as the [unofficial] year of the Camaro. And with the number of aftermarket companies stepping up with an endless supply of Camaro goodies, I say "Let's do it." As just mentioned, the aftermarket has recently shown its affection for our beloved fifth-generation muscle car, so we knew going in, there would be tons of new products adorning the plethora of '10 and '11 Camaros at the show. Body kits, horsepower adders, exhaust kits, sticker packages, suspension upgrades, and of course, literally boatloads of wheels were all on display for us Camaro enthusiasts to salivate over. One of the cars GM brought... One of the cars GM brought to the party was this '11 Red Flash Concept Camaro. This 1SS features Red Jewel Tint Coat exterior enhanced with a high wing rear spoiler, ground effects, Camaro-branded fender badges, and a host of other cool highlights. And if you think about it, all this attention is well deserved. Especially since the Camaro brethren didn't have much to talk about between 2003 and 2009. Well, there was plenty of talk about the return of the Camaro, but from concept to production taking what seemed like forever to come to fruition, watching grass grow may have been slightly more exciting. It also didn't help that Ford's latest Mustang was sucking up all the thunder during the Camaro's little "down time." It made sitting on the sidelines a whole lot tougher. So, when we showed up to the largest aftermarket party of 2010, it was more than refreshing to see the fifth-generation Camaro getting the respect it deserves. With that said, it was also great to see GM play host in their usual massive booth and showcase some super cool performance concepts. With no Z28 sightings at the '10 SEMA Show, we can only hope something shows up in early 2011-concept or production-we'll take it.  This SSX Camaro Track Car...  This SSX Camaro Track Car Concept is a collaboration of GM, Riley technologies, and Pratt & Miller. It was drawing major attention throughout the show. Its LS3 is enhanced with tons of performance goodies including GM Performance Parts' camshaft, cylinder heads, and dry-sump oiling system. An upgraded suspension and brake system, along with a host of other performance parts make this a great closed-course runner. Wherever the line starts for test drives, count us in.  YearOne and Cherry Bomb figured...  YearOne and Cherry Bomb figured they'd disturb the peace once more with this '68 Camaro. It's armed with an LSX-based engine and an 8-71 blower. The custom Cherry Bomb side pipes scream out 1970s muscle car. This is a great mix of modern technology and old-school cool.  Hot Rod magazine's recently...  Hot Rod magazine's recently completed '79 Camaro was looking sweet in the Source Interlink booth. Mike Copeland and the crew at GM handled the build and did a killer job putting this car together. It was nice to see a late second-gen getting some love.  Speed by Spectre brought out...  Speed by Spectre brought out their almost-finished second-gen. It will make the track scene in early 2011. And with 19x13-inch Forgelines wrapped in 345/30 rubber out back and 18x11s up front hosting 315/35s, it should have plenty of grip. We wonder if they'd be up for letting a couple of magazine hacks take it out for a day at the track.  RK Sport showed their wares...  RK Sport showed their wares on this '10 Camaro. Besides their cool fiberglass ground effects, it also features their vented carbon-fiber Extractor Hood.  Another wicked fifth-gen in...  Another wicked fifth-gen in the GM booth was this '11 XS Supersport built by the crew at the Revolution Styling Group. It's choc-full of custom interior and exterior trim bits including a custom aluminum smoothie hood, chin spoiler, rear diffuser, front bumper ports, shaved door handles and rear quarter-panels, and air suspension, too. It was also in the final running for Sony Computer Entertainment's Gran Turismo Best in Show Award.  There were just few fouth-gens...  There were just few fouth-gens on hand, including this very clean drag car we spied in the Quick Time Performance booth.  Brent Jorgenson's fifth-gen...  Brent Jorgenson's fifth-gen is mostly stock in the engine compartment, but features a killer paint job by Mitch Lanzini of Lanzini Bodyworks. It rolls on Foose 22-inch Legend wheels and gets some extra rumble from a Magnaflow exhaust.  Second-gens seem to be making...  Second-gens seem to be making a noticeable resurgence these days. We found this gem in the CFR Performance booth.  We found the Dregs fifth-gen...  We found the Dregs fifth-gen Camaro parked outside the North Hall. It's loaded up with just about everything Seibon Carbon offers for Camaros. Fenders, trunk, trunk spoiler, hood, seats, and driveshaft-all carbon fiber. KW Suspension components and Brembo brakes ride along to help with some spirited driving at the track.  The Hurst RS V-6 Camaro is...  The Hurst RS V-6 Camaro is turbocharged and features Detroit Speed Inc. suspension components for improved handling and stance. The BFGoodrich redline tires are a nice touch, too.  Retro USA has quite a few...  Retro USA has quite a few goodies for those who want to add a little first-gen styling to their fifth-gen Camaro. Like the windshield banner says, go to www.retrousa.net to see all their offerings.
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