Bomex had the most Tokyo Auto...
Bomex had the most Tokyo Auto Salon-like booth, complete with calendar girls and all the latest Japan-inspired body kits.
The 2002 version of the Specialty Equipment Marketing Organization's International Auto Salon was bigger and better than the 2001 edition. The Salon's claim to fame? Unlike the trade-only SEMA Show, it's open to the public. Manufacturers, tuners and distributors have a chance to get some feedback from the end-user. It also affords enthusiasts a chance to see all the companies that support the scene under one roof.
Standouts at the show, held again at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif., were plentiful. The number and quality of the cars was high and there were several drag cars in the main hall.
One of the highlights was Shaun Carlson's Nuformz/ Meguiar's Focus, which was totally revamped for 2002. The car runs a 2.3-liter turbo four from the SVO Mustang of the mid-'80s. The tranny configuration is similar to Stephan Papadakis' Civic coupe.
Also of interest under Ford's banner is Ben Ma's AEBS RWD Focus, which sported American Products Company (APC) logos at the Salon. Ford withdrew its support of SC drag activities since Bill Ford took over the company. As a result, many Focus teams are scurrying for sponsors.
Other notable racecars fresh from Gainesville included the 199.93-mph Turbonetics Celica (Pro winner), Paisley Racing's Tacoma (Pro runner-up), the Paisley Racing Supra (Modified winner) and GM Racing's Cavalier.
In the spirit of the Tokyo Auto Salon, Volk Racing and Signal Auto unleashed a Top Secret-bodied Supra and a wild orange-hued Silvia. Bomex had calendar girls, just like TAS. Some new faces were on hand from Japan as well, including Best Motoring, a company that produces car enthusiast videos and Tommy Kaira, a Subaru tuner.
We spied some cool products at the Salon. Vortech had a Honda S2000 sporting a V-1 supercharger kit, Turbonetics had its Gen II wastegate that sports a flapper door-style valve and Wiseco had a number of sport compact piston designs. Wiseco is a good match for this industry, based on its experience with motorcycles and its products' inherent high-revving characteristics.
EFI Systems had its stand-alone engine management system on hand and Dart generated some commotion with its solid deck Honda race block. GM had a huge booth at the Salon and used the show to announce a number of performance parts for its lineup of sport compact cars. On the Ecotec side, four parts developed from the GM Racing drag race program were introduced at the event. For 2.4-liter twin-cam fans, a blower was released in accordance with the Salon. (For more on the General's offerings, check out "Backpressure" on page 122.) JG Edelbrock had its Honda race engine packages and coil-over shock set-ups on display. HKS had a trick grounding terminal for use in applications with a good deal of electronics; be they tuning devices or audio components.
Using the Salon to gauge the pulse of the sport compact industry, one can only say the growth trend continues. Prior to the show, SEMA updated its forecast for the market, estimating $1.92 billion in sales for 2002. Conservative guess? It's unclear. What is clear is the import juggernaut is picking up serious momentum.
Look for Shaun Carlson to...
Look for Shaun Carlson to be the most improved drag racer on the circuit in 2002. His Nuformz/Meguiar's Focus has been heavily re-worked and now flexes 2.3-liter Ford SVO power and a drivetrain set-up similar to that on Stephan Papadakis' Civic Coupe.
A scant .07 seconds away from...
A scant .07 seconds away from a $25,000 payday (from Summit Racing), the Turbonetics Celica made a quick pit stop in Long Beach before heading to the East Coast for a month of racing. Summit Racing's bounty is for the first sport compact drag car to break the 200-mph barrier.
Ben Ma's RWD Focus drag car...
Ben Ma's RWD Focus drag car is now running the APC colors. We hope to see this screamer on the strip soon.
5Zigen will now be distributed...
5Zigen will now be distributed in America by its parent company in Japan.
Vortech's trick Honda S2000...
Vortech's trick Honda S2000 supercharger kit is in full production.
As in Tokyo, one of the big...
As in Tokyo, one of the big standouts in Long Beach was the Acura RSX; here we see a pair of turbocharged variants. We expect to see kits on the market as soon as fuel enrichment and tuning are addressed.
Electromotive told us the...
Electromotive told us the first production run of the new TEC-3 sold out very quickly. The Windows-based engine management system covers an enormous amount of applications.
This Silvia, snapped in the...
This Silvia, snapped in the Volk Racing booth, was at the Tokyo Auto Salon. We juiced over it in Japan and we juiced over it in the LBC.
This is not just any Celica,...
This is not just any Celica, it's Turbo's long-term project and we wasted no time pouring on the power. A Blitz blower kit now pressurizes the 2ZZ-GE. Look for more on this Toyota and its wondrous one-week transformation in future issues.
HPC was in the house showing...
HPC was in the house showing off its lineup of high-temp and appearance coatings.
This caught our eye in the...
This caught our eye in the HKS booth. A complete, matched attack on the Supra 2JZ-GTE powerplant. The barrage of parts included a stainless manifold, T51-R Kai turbo, a wastegate, intake horn, cams, injectors and a fuel rail. Just add a Supra and you're there.
JG Edelbrock upped the ante...
JG Edelbrock upped the ante again in its attack on the sport compact car segment. Here we see its considerable lineup of shocks include full coil-overs for a number of popular imports.