Question of the Day: Does Anyone Else Find SEMA Boring?


This week is SEMA week, and I’m not there. Which is just fine with me. (In case you’re lucky and don’t know what SEMA is, it’s the tuner car show. Click over to Jalopnik to see how silly it all is). Why don’t I care about SEMA? Because I’m not interested in new 42 inch rims that cost as much as Nicaragua. I also don’t care about new bodykits for Ferraris, just because someone with plastic molds decided that they know better than Pininfarina. And I’m really, seriously not interested in washed up rappers’ pimped out family station wagons. I just find the whole event mind-numbingly boring. I’d rather chew cardboard. This isn’t to say I think car mods are all unworthy. If you run your car on veggie oil, like Chuck Goolsbee and other TTAC commenters, that’s a fantastic mod. Or the guys that converted a BMW 750i to a manual transmission: very cool. And nothing wrong with a Porsche 914 with a WRX engine (Porsche purists dissent, but it’s a worthy debate). So mods are good. But as far as I’m concerned, SEMA is just a snore.
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The emperor isn't wearing any clothes! Trouble is, you could cut and paste this commentary and apply it to almost ALL motor shows these days.
I think a Deux Chevaux with customag and 24 inch rims would be pretty cool. NOT!
Now that SEMA is all about the manufacturers yes, it is incredibly boring. Ten years ago I'd go to SEMA or watch the coverage to see all the great new aftermarket performance products--now it's nothing but rappers with bigger and bigger wheels, and unveiling especially hideous versions of factory vehicles. LAME.
Japanese Tuner Car Madness is a great example of people having fun with modding cars and not taking it seriously. This stuff is great. I'd never go to a SEMA or other event just as I'll never care to go see a muscle-car event, simply because I've seen it enough times already. Viewing photos on the internet is just fine. But, if I could afford or had the pull to go to a posh exotic-laden event full of Aston Martins, rare Ferrari's and so on, I'd be all up ins, yo.