The first day of the SEMA Show is a surge of announcements, project car unveilings, and new product reveals. It kept us on the move all day, but here is a reason the show is four days long — there is a lot to see. Even if you are trying, you can’t see it all in one day.

 

So we are back on the ground searching for cool cars and hot performance upgrades. As the week rolls on we’ll keep updating you with the noteworthy machines and machinery that we uncover as we dig deeper into the Las Vegas convention center, so stay tuned.


Boosting an LS-based engine results in huge power, but adding boost to the mix means taming the inlet temperatures. It also means ensuring an unrestricted air path into the engine. FAST addresses both issues with its LSXHR Intake Manifold Intercooler, which is designed with the company’s LSX 103mm intake lid. In testing, it dropped air inlet temperatures by nearly 200 degrees on a 1,300-plus-horsepower engine running 20 pounds of boost. 

 

Ringbrothers is known for creating immaculately detailed custom cars, and that didn’t change with the PATRIARC. This 1969 Mustang Mach 1 is the result of 5,000 hours of build time. The result is a completely revamped restomod motivated by Ford Performance’s 580-horsepower Aluminator 5.2 XS crate engine backed by a Bowler TREMEC Magnum six-speed and a Strange 9-inch rear. Based on a Roadster Shop chassis and FAST TRACK suspension, it stops with big Baer brakes. “The Mustang Mach 1 has always been an aggressive-looking car, and we wanted to add to those classic good looks with subtle but critical changes,” added Ringbrothers co-owner Jim Ring. “Over 5,000 hours went into building PATRIAC and perfecting the aesthetics. And, like all our builds, it has the performance to match its new-found aggression. Teaming with our trusted partners BASF, Motul, Miller Welding, Painless Wiring, GFS, and others helps make it all possible.”

Earning runner-up honors in the Performance-Street New Product category, the JMS TractionMax is designed to improve traction and acceleration on vehicles with big power and limited traction. It does so by taming the throttle response via remote adjustment knobs that allow the driver to dial in the hook for a specific vehicle. It also has automatic and on-the-fly traction options.

When you think of Aeromotive, fuel pumps come to mind, but these days the company is also about moving other fluids. A case in point is its new Intercooler Water Pump. With a brushed motor and a closed impeller for improved efficiency at high pressure, it could be the upgrade your intercooler system needs to maximize its efficiency.

Today’s modern performance machines often straddle the line between street driving and all-out track performance. Doing so means supporting everything from EFI systems and big electric fuel pumps to electric cooling fans and audio systems. For applications where charging output and weight are both considerations, Proform developed its Lightning alternator, which delivers a whopping 80 amps at idle and more than 100 amps at high rpm. It does all that weighing in at just seven pounds.

It’s always great to see a Red Line Oils NMCA Muscle Car Nationals decal on the show floor, but it is especially cool when it is on the back of Tom Bailey’s Sick Week Camaro, which held court in the Gear Vendors vendors display. This single-digit street car wows fans on the street and at the drag strip.

This isn’t something you see every day, but Transcend Energy Group says it has something that gives an engine an extra charge. That something is the Thunder Rod, which is a two-piece connecting rod. You read that right. The company says the secondary joint in its patented rod delivers more leverage to the crankshaft, improves torque, reduces piston rock, and increases dynamic compression by 25 to 30 percent. The company says it has tested the rod for durability and believes it will "revolutionize" the combustion engine. 

If you love modern Mustangs and carbon fiber, it is difficult not to drool on Matt D’Andria’s Mustang Mach 1 holding court in the Anderson Composites booth. Not only does it feature the complete line of carbon fiber upgrades from Anderson, including a functional, scooped hood, but it is nicely customized throughout, including a Focal audio system, a full Steeda suspension, and an emissions-tested Hellion twin-turbo system that generates big power while exhaling through the factory catalytic converters.

Ford’s Gen 3 Coyote is a potent performer in stock form and responds to aftermarket modifications, but if those upgrades exceed the capabilities of the factory slugs, MAHLE offers its drop-in replacement Gen 3 Coyote PowerPak pistons kits for the dual-fuel 5.0-liter engine. Built with all the usual hallmarks of the company’s piston line, these units are forged from a 2618 Alloy and feature a hard-anodized top ring groove for Extreme Duty applications.

With Dodge // Mopar making a major push on the show floor with a huge booth full of modern muscle, there was something for every Mopar fan. While the company did tease its forthcoming electric muscle car, there was still plenty of internal combustion on display, including the new Hellephant C170 crate engine. Topped by a new 3.0-liter supercharger paired with an improved intercooler, this crate engine is optimized for use with E85. With corn in the tank, it can crank out four-digit output.

If your Ford Godzilla build is more serious than the factory pistons can handle, Diamond created its Competition Series slugs for the 7.3-liter pushrod powerplant. Thanks to a ribbed forging design, these street/strip pistons are rugged and lightweight. With side gas ports for improved ring seal and a moly skirt coating for reduced friction, these pistons will endure high output in naturally aspirated or power-adder applications.

It is not often that you’ll see an Audi S5 flying down the drag strip in big-time competition, but Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings star Daddy Dave Comstock revealed his Tynan Race Cars-built version in the FuelTech booth at the show. Despite its striking Euro looks, the new ride is powered by a ProCharged XRE Hemi engine.