Dr.Jeff
True Classic
This week was the SEMA and AAPEX shows. In a word, "dead". According to the statistics SEMA had 50% of the usual number of exhibitors/vendors and 50% of the usual attendees. And that's despite them allowing the general public to purchase tickets for the first (and hopefully only) time. AAPEX was even worse; there was something like a 80% decrease....and that's about how it looked. Apparently COVID has kept a lot of people away still. Plus travel restrictions for much of the world (these are normally huge international events). And the whole vibe was rather lackluster; significantly fewer vehicles (and not many really nice ones), little swag, few models (and even fewer hot ones), reduced exhibit sizes, only a handful of "celebrities", not a lot of "fanfare" overall. While the reduced number of attendees was nice (I could actually move about unhindered), the lack of exhibits was very disappointing. But I saw a lot of my longtime friends and industry contacts, which is always one of the most enjoyable aspects for me.
Not a lot of news to relate from this year's shows:
As far as the cars go, interestingly I saw several vintage nicely resto-modded Datsun Z cars and Audi Quattros (for some reason noticeably more than usual for both), some unexpected vehicles with Honda engine swaps (we aren't the only ones doing that), the new C8 Corvette seems to be a big hit with the aftermarket companies (as for the styling, think "guys with small penises"), drift style cars are still popular, and naturally all of the American muscle car/hot rods are still hanging on...but apparently dying out (yey).
As far as products/services go, a bit surprising but I guess not unexpected was the number of EV related companies. Pretty much every aspect of it in one form or another. Looks like everyone is hoping to jump on that bandwagon.
A couple of noted offerings the X1/9 crowd might like are:
LED headlights in 7" round that look like the traditional standard sealed-beam headlights, but are engineered from scratch for LED technology. They won't be available on the market for a few months but the preproduction examples looked good. One nice feature is they've managed to keep the rear of it no larger/longer than a stand light, so no clearance issues. Here's their site, however they won't add these units to it until they actually become available:
www.morimotohid.com
EDIT: See the note added in the following post.
A newer source offering brake and clutch hard lines. Available in copper-nickel, stainless, and coated steel, all are seamless and annealed. The quality appeared good and the pricing should be very competitive. Plus they claim to offer a lifetime warranty. The manufacturer is located in Canada so you guys up north will like the lower shipping cost. They are working on more sources in the US but all products can be purchased directly online:
4lifetimelines.com
In general it was difficult to get much insight into what is currently going on in the industry. Especially when you consider there were no shows last year so this was the first exposure for almost three years. Most of the automotive world has been pretty much on hold since the pandemic hit and it showed here.
I may remember other interesting things later and will add more as I do.
Not a lot of news to relate from this year's shows:
As far as the cars go, interestingly I saw several vintage nicely resto-modded Datsun Z cars and Audi Quattros (for some reason noticeably more than usual for both), some unexpected vehicles with Honda engine swaps (we aren't the only ones doing that), the new C8 Corvette seems to be a big hit with the aftermarket companies (as for the styling, think "guys with small penises"), drift style cars are still popular, and naturally all of the American muscle car/hot rods are still hanging on...but apparently dying out (yey).
As far as products/services go, a bit surprising but I guess not unexpected was the number of EV related companies. Pretty much every aspect of it in one form or another. Looks like everyone is hoping to jump on that bandwagon.
A couple of noted offerings the X1/9 crowd might like are:
LED headlights in 7" round that look like the traditional standard sealed-beam headlights, but are engineered from scratch for LED technology. They won't be available on the market for a few months but the preproduction examples looked good. One nice feature is they've managed to keep the rear of it no larger/longer than a stand light, so no clearance issues. Here's their site, however they won't add these units to it until they actually become available:
Welcome to the store
www.morimotohid.com
A newer source offering brake and clutch hard lines. Available in copper-nickel, stainless, and coated steel, all are seamless and annealed. The quality appeared good and the pricing should be very competitive. Plus they claim to offer a lifetime warranty. The manufacturer is located in Canada so you guys up north will like the lower shipping cost. They are working on more sources in the US but all products can be purchased directly online:
Automotive Line Replacement Coils and Brake Line Repair Tools
4Lifetime is the fastest-growing automotive online retailer in the United States. We provide quality aftermarket automotive parts at the best prices, while always putting our customers first. With a focus on customer service and satisfaction, 4Lifetime has become a trusted source for mechanics...
4lifetimelines.com
In general it was difficult to get much insight into what is currently going on in the industry. Especially when you consider there were no shows last year so this was the first exposure for almost three years. Most of the automotive world has been pretty much on hold since the pandemic hit and it showed here.
I may remember other interesting things later and will add more as I do.
Last edited:
