Assuming I’ve done the counting right, this is my tenth SEMA Show. In a row. Not something to brag about by any means, as a number of my fine colleagues have been coming to this show a helluva lot longer. In fact, I just found out this evening, that a guy who used to have my job and now works at a major automotive manufacturer (let’s call him Chuck) has not missed a show since 1991.
Yeah, that’s what I said. But you know, things have changed a bit in the decade that I’ve been coming out to this trade show. Not so much to the show itself – there hasn’t been any deviation from the auto orgy script as far as I can tell. No, the changes have been to yours truly. When I first started coming it was always about the cars. Big cars. Small cars. Fast cars. Fantastic cars. And many many first cars. I have had many of firsts at SEMA – my first Nissan GT-R in the flesh (R34 and R33), my first 1000+ horsepower street car and first 4-rotor Mazda. In successive years I saw my first 9-, 8-, 7-, 6-second Honda drag car. And a few years back I saw my first Bugatti Veyron, Caparo T1 and Pagani Zonda – all in the same booth no less. The list goes on and on. SEMA 2010: Faces in the Crowd… imageLately, however, it’s been less about the cars and more about the people I’ve seen and spoken with. For all the hot metal covering the show floor, SEMA also delivers some pretty interesting personalities, from celebrities to industry heavyweights. Guys like Snoop Dogg, who just happened to be in Ford’s booth this morning as guest of the manufacturer and his apparent homie and master marketer, Funkmaster Flex. Why where the two putting on a show in Ford’s booth? Why to promote the Mustang Flex built for the D-oh-double-g, of course... Read more inside Motor Trend: 2010 SEMA Show - Celebrities