Camaros at SEMA 2009
November 7th, 2009
by Jim McIlvaine of ESPN Milwaukee Blogs
Rather than continue to post pictures of my SEMA experience here, I decided to put them together in a couple of videos:
This show really has something for everyone and is the biggest stage in the automotive aftermarket world for debuting new products and cars. Optima Batteries decided it was also a great opportunity to see if the some of the cars at SEMA performed as well on the track, as they did under the convention center lights. They asked me to scout for potential cars and the task was not easy.
I tried to bait the owners, by asking them if their car was strictly a “show car” or if it actually saw time on race tracks. As one would expect, 90% of the owners immediately proclaimed their cars were built to run. That led to my follow-up question, “Since your car is built to run, would you be interested in taking it out to the track this weekend after SEMA ends?” That’s when the hemming and hawing and excuse-making started. “My car isn’t tuned yet, we barely got it put together for SEMA.” “These aren’t my wheels and tires, they belong to one of my sponsors.” The list went on and on.
Optima did find plenty of cars for their event, which was comprised of a 0-60-0 run, an autocross course and timed laps on a road course. The whole thing will be televised on Speed in January. SEMA is always an adventure and I look forward to returning again.
Read more from muscle and sports car enthusiast Jim McIlvaine>>