SEMA Show 2005 - SEMA Auto Show

Groundbreaking Trucks, Tantalizing New Products, And A Worn-Out Pair Of Sneakers

From the March, 2006 issue of Sport Truck

By Kevin Aguilar

Photography by Gary Blount, Kevin Whipps

2005 Sema Truck Show Yellow Flames Monster Truck

The first week of November is a well-known time of year, much like a black hole for the automotive world. Call up any major custom shop in the months prior to this week and they will tell you that they are busy getting vehicles ready for this event. The aftermarket industry is brought to a screaming halt and pulled into the heart of Sin City, aka Las Vegas, for the annual SEMA Show.

More or less, SEMA is the gathering of everything cool that is related to motor vehicles. But, overall, it is a trade show based around trucks and cars. It is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where all the action takes place, and it's one sight to see, since there are more than four floors jam-packed with exhibitors from all over the globe. It seems that every year it gets even bigger, with more booths and vehicles flooding the area. This year, SEMA opened up a couple of new big tents in the front parking lot, and these tents hosted even more booths.

This year was good and unique, just as any other SEMA Show before it. You had your normal booths with new products and spectacular show vehicles. Then, you had the back lot with a road course, where several demonstrations took place. There were also vehicles on the sidewalks, driveways, and any other flat surface that was open. The rockcrawler course in the front lot was bigger, and right next to it was a tent that hosted a special Overhaulin' buildup that took place live in front of attendees.

Overall, it is always a stunning event to attend, and it is also exhausting by the end of the day. It is quite an experience, as you get to see the best of the best grace the show area. But, at the same time, you end up walking from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weeding through all the booths to see everything good. And, by the day's end, your feet will feel like two beat-up punching bags, as ours did every night of the show. In the end, it's a good time, and if you have the ability to get into the closed event, we would highly recommend going, because SEMA is an experience in itself.