Chevrolet builds Sonic B-Spec racer concept

by: Zach Bowman

 
Chevrolet Performance worked over the Chevrolet Sonic just for this year's SEMA show to create this B-Spec racecar concept. Built to conform to all of rules and regulations of the B-Spec subcompact classes in both the SCCA and the Grand-Am series, the five-door features new coilovers on all four corners with revised mounts, adjustable front stabilizer bar links and a rear axle shim kit. The requisite air inlet restrictor has also been shoved in place, and the ECM and EBCM have been recalibrated accordingly. That's exciting in all, but we're more thrilled about the fact that Chevrolet says the parts are intended for production as a kit any consumer can buy.

That would leave competitors to independently source pricey pieces like the roll cage, seat and associated harnesses. The automaker says some of the parts may change en route to production, including the lightweight 15-inch alloy wheels.

Underhood, buyers can expect to find a stock 1.8-liter four-cylinder mated to a factory five-speed manual gearbox. Look for the production kit to go on sale in the first quarter of 2013. Check the full press blast below for more information.

Scion FR-S Tuner Challenge declares a winner

 by: Seyth Miersma

We're all still a little taken aback at the sheer number of Scion FR-S mods we've seen at SEMA this year. Not only did the FR-S win the Best of Show award for the Sport Compact class, but based on gross tonnage the rear-drive Scion has got to be one of the most popular models in the tuner world today.

But of all the FR-S customs on display, it was this trio from Scion's tuner build-off that were up for the chance to win a fat $10,000 grand prize. We brought you the stories of Daniel Song, Chris Basselgia and John Toca last week, all of who built some pretty stellar, modded coupes.

Earlier on the show floor, Scion announced that Mr. Basselgia's "minty FReSh" car was the most well liked by the judges. We'd like to extend our congratulations to him, and to all of the hard working contestants.

Production-ready Lingenfelter LTA Camaro debuts in Vegas

 by: Seyth Miersma

Following the well-received concept version of the Lingenfelter LTA at SEMA all the way back in 2009, the specialist tuning company has finally brought along a production version of the car this year. Surprise... it's a convertible!

Ken Lingenfelter himself says that "overwhelming response after displaying conceptual versions of the LTA at previous SEMA Shows" has forced the company to offer up the real deal. Great news for enthusiasts of retro-themed performance cars, and Camaro fans in general.

Each LTA begins life as a model year 2010-2013 Camaro (including convertibles, obviously) and is then modified completely by Lingenfelter. The company will not be selling pieces of the body kit, for instance, as separate pieces. Lingenfelter will only deliver "...a complete, finished vehicle that's been re-done inside and out."

The LTA will be available in three grades, though the Level 3 LTA seen here would seem to be the one to have. This package includes a V8 engine tuned to produce some 655 horsepower, Brembo brakes, 20-inch "Honeycomb" wheels and a completely custom interior.

Hyundai goes bonkers with performance Velosters

 by: Seyth Miersma

Hyundai's news that it would be producing a new Re:Mix edition of the Veloster was passingly interesting, at least for fans of the sprightly hatchback. But that wasn't the only Veloster we saw at the SEMA show this year... far from it.

Much more pulse pounding is this Veloster Turbo Velocity Concept, a fire-breathing, Cosworth-tuned, free-breathing, turbocharged beast of a thing that outputs some 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. Full details on the Hyundai Velocity Concept were reported here, though we suggest you take in all of its be-winged glory in our gallery of live images first.

While you're at it, have a gander at the Velosters presented by ARK Performance and the JP Edition Concept, as well. The "JP" in question stands for John Pangilinan, a mainstay of the tuning community, and his Veloster features a Mint Green shade of BASF that wouldn't look out of place on a Tiffany's box, as well as various fashionable interior and exterior upgrades.

Meanwhile, the ARK "Alpine" Concept has been sorted to accommodate the lifestyles of extreme winter sports athletes. That means an interior designed to stand up well to wet gear that's composed of Alcantara, WeatherTek material and some leather.

Mazda brings trio of tricked-out CX-5s to Vegas

 by: Steven J. Ewing

We at Autoblog do love us some Mazda CX-5 – it is, without a doubt, the best-driving compact crossover in the segment. And since 2013 is the CX-5's first model year here in the States, it only makes sense that Mazda has used the 2012 SEMA Show to give us an idea of just how far its CX-5 can reach in terms of design and functionality.

First up is the CX-5 180, ready to hit the beach with its attached Rusty surfboard or take to the slopes with a Burton Cheetah snowboard. Its blue-and-black color scheme features a topographical map graphic of southern California hot spots like Big Bear Lake and Point Dume. Other upgrades include black chrome 20-inch wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, and a new matte red finish along the grille adds a funky accent to the front fascia. Inside, aqua leather has been fitted to many of the CX-5's touchable surfaces, and there are contrasting bright white leather inserts on the door panels, seats and steering wheel.

Moving on to darker tones, the CX-5 Dempsey – named for Mazda racing driver and Dr. McDreamy Patrick Dempsey – shows the first application of the automaker's 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel engine on a North American-spec CX-5, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. (Well-placed foreshadowing, we hope.) Like the 180, the Dempsey CX-5 rides on dark chrome 20-inch wheels, and its paint scheme is meant to mimic the high-performance, competitive architecture of the specialized bicycle racer – cycling is one of Dempsey's big interests, after all. To that end, there's a Thule T2 carrier holding an S-Works Tarmac SL4 Red bike that features a carbon fiber frame with red highlights.

Last, but certainly not least, is perhaps our favorite of the CX-5 concepts. In terms of design, anyway. The CX-5 Urban might simply look like it's painted in a matte finish, but upon closer inspection, you'll see the multi-dimensional shadows with triangular patterns woven into the paint finish. It's seriously cool, as are the extended wheel flares that house new 22-inch matte black wheels.

Mazda teases SEMA-bound CX-5s

 by: Jeffrey N. Ross

Mazda is getting into the SEMA Show spirit by teasing us with a trio of concepts based on the 2013 CX-5, all of which were hatched at the automaker's design studio in Irvine, California. Looking at the renderings, there is nothing over-the-top about any of these crossovers, but what we do see here is our long-awaited first look at a diesel-powered CX-5.

The CX-5 Dempsey uses Mazda's new Skyactiv-D diesel engine paired with all-wheel drive. As for the show aspect of this concept, it is obviously named after actor Patrick Dempsey who not only races a Mazda RX-8 in Grand-Am, but apparently he is also an avid cyclist. Other than the contrasting black, red and grey paint scheme, this CX-5 is also equipped with a roof-top cargo carrier and a bike rack to carry a similar Specialized Bicycle S-Work Tarmac racing bicycle that helped Russian Olympian Alexander Vinokourov win the gold medal at the London Summer Olympics.

As far as paint jobs go, the CX-5 180 show car is probably the best of the bunch with a unique look consisting of what seem to be colors and designs that actually make up topographical maps of Big Bear Lake and Point Dume State Beach located in Southern California. Finally, the CX-5 Urban goes for more of the dark and sinister look that is made up various triangular shapes that end up looking like some sort of futuristic digital camouflage.

While we only have these renderings to go off of currently, we'll get a better look at all three Mazdas very soon as the 2012 SEMA Show kicks off later today.

Scion shows off trio of SEMA-bound FR-S coupes

 by: Zach Bowman

In preparation for this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas, Scion approached three tuners with the chance to go head to head in a design competition. Each entrant received its own FR-S, $15,000 and three months to turn its show-car vision into reality. Judges at the show will score each ride on a variety of merits, and the winning builder will go home with a $10,000 check.

Chicago native John Toca's Carbon Stealth FR-S boasts a Vortech Supercharger as well as a host of Cusco suspension bits. A full body kit, wheels and a suite of high-end audio components define the coupe, while a custom alcantara interior and leather Reacaro buckets add to the show car's flavor.

If we had to pick a winner right now, it would probably be Daniel Song's FR-S GT (above). The Orange County, California resident decided to eschew the typical show car regimen for a pared-down GT racer look. The car features a widebody kit penned by JONSIBAL along with a full roll cage, a Sparco racing seat and plenty of carbon fiber. Song's FR-S uses the same Vortech Supercharger as Toca's creation.

Of course, we're fond of Chris Basselgia's "minty FReSh" FR-S, too. With its wild paint, a full leather interior retrim and a stack of audio gear, it's easy to write this car off as just another show queen, But Basselgia shoved in a custom billet intake as well as an Eaton blower for a little more pep. Full Neo Motorsports 6-piston calipers are also part of the recipe.

Hyundai shows SEMA-bound Veloster by Ark Performance

by: Chris Tutor

 
Want your car to reflect as well as enable your active lifestyle? Then you may want to check out the ARK Performance "Alpine" concept coming to this year's SEMA show.

Ark began with standard 201-horsepower Hyundai Veloster Turbo and, using various bits from the Ark catalog, ramped power up to 232 horses with a torque boost to 240 pound-feet. The extra oomph comes from an ARK exhaust, test pipe and turbo up-pipes, a K&N intake, Nitrous Express Proton kit, Ark oil cooler and a Koyo radiator.

Beneath the coupe is an Ark coilover system, big brake kit and strut bar. The wheels are Gram Light 57Xtremes.

But SEMA is as much about looks as it is about fast. An Ark/Adro body kit and CF Rally Wing was covered in Custom Pearl White by Beyond Coachworks. JPM Coachworks outfitted the Veloster with a matching "Alpine Edition" interior featuring custom seats, instrument panel, steering wheel and headliner. Alcantara, mildew-repelling Italian leather and WeatherTek material. A Seibon Carbon hood and deck lid are accented by 180 Customs head and tail lights.

Ford teases five SEMA-bound Focus ST concept cars

by: Seyth Miersma

Ford has revealed a few images of five tuned Focus ST concepts that will be shown off at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas this month. None of this group of five is overly subtle, which would run counter to the spirit of SEMA itself, and all hope to highlight the performance nature of Ford's newest hot hatch. In no particular order then, here are the quick-and-dirty facts on each car, in advance of the full details out of Vegas:

1. 2013 Ford Focus ST by Tanner Foust Racing (top): X Games warrior Tanner Foust wanted his ST to be able to go from work to the track, while not being too harsh for commuting in Southern California. A body kit, MagnaFlow exhaust and fully adjustable front and rear suspension have been added.
2.  2013 Ford Focus ST by Bojix Design (upper left): The Bojix Design car stands out mostly for its eye-catching orange paint, black hood and low-rider stance. Upgraded brakes and coil-over springs are noted performance adds.
3.  2013 Ford Focus ST by M&J Enterprises (upper right): M&J partnered with Ford, Cosworth LLC for ultimate performance. Ford Racing engine and suspension upgrades result in an aggressively fast car putting out some 330 horsepower.
4. 2013 Ford Focus ST by Galpin Auto Sports (lower left): The sinister Galpin car, rocking some shockingly green wheels, was meant as a rally car-inspired build. The menacing looks of the body kit are backed by methanol injection and larger brakes, creating a car that the tuner claims is rally-ready.
5. 2013 Ford Focus ST by Steeda Autosports (lower right): Steeda has added its own "G-Trac" suspension to its SEMA Focus, as well as Brembo brakes and a custom 19-inch wheel and tire package.