SEMA Tuning Show Part 2: Boost, Nitrous, Bodykits and Vinyl Wrap

We covered a handful of the unique specialty vehicles at SEMA earlier this week, and we're back for more tuned and occasionally tasteless goodness from SEMA 2012.

Bisimoto Honda Accord Coupe GT

Long name, eh?  Honda's traditionally been a darling of the tuning community here in the US - although I'm aware it has sort of a Buick connotation to it over seas - and it's something the big H is trying to capitalize on.  Strangely enough, they're doing it with the Accord this year.  Although the Accord was a car I liked enough to buy, it wasn't one I like enough to keep.  If mine had been more like this GT3RS-inspired Bisimoto show car, perhaps it would be a different story.  The sleek coupe starts out with the punchy 3.5L 24v V6, which Bisimoto stuffs full of laughing gas to the tune of 401bhp.  A Bisi catback and mufflers are the only other performance adders, so that gain is entirely from nitrous.  The matte grey wrap is overlaid with red racing graphics (a bit like lipstick in the front), along with a matching set of red Buddy Club 19" alloys.  Brake upgrades help counteract all the nitrous, while inside a set of racing buckets hold the driver in place.  I kinda dig it.

VWVortex/APR "Super Beetle" Concept

VWVortex is the largest VW forum in the world, and APR is one of the best-recognized tuners for the German brand.  When you combine the two, you're bound to get impressive results.  The Super Beetle is based on the range-topping Beetle Turbo, but has been pumped up to an insane 500bhp.  The internals of the 2.0L engine have been fortified, and an APR GTX Stage IV Turbo kit supplies massive boost, while upgrades have also been done to the cylinder head, intake manifold, exhaust, and intercooler system.  Putting 500 horsepower through the front wheels is never going to work, so the Super Beetle grabs the Haldex AWD system from the Golf R to put the power to the road.  The Super Beetle also gets an upgraded clutch (can you imagine how quickly 500 horsepower would melt the stock one?), some suspension components from the TT-RS, and a ferociously sexy set of 19" wheels from fifteen52.  For more information on the Super Beetle build, check out VWVortex's blog here.

Acura ILX Street Build

It might not be an Integra, but the ILX is the closest thing Acura's willing to give us these days.  There's a normal 2.0L model, a lame Hybrid, and the slightly more interesting ILX 2.4.  It's got the high-revving VTEC 2.4L from the Civic Si, comes only with a six-speed manual, and it's a sharp looking car.  I think Buick's building a better car in this segment these days (wow, it's strange to say that!) but the ILX has potential.  To show it, Acura brought two concepts to SEMA: a "Street Build" and an Endurance Racer, which will be lapping at Thunderhill in the near future.  The street build takes the normal ILX 2.4 up a notch, thanks to a set of proven modifications.  Under the hood, a CompTech Engineering supercharger boosts the four-cylinder motor up to 250 horsepower, running on a tweaked ECU courtesy of Hondata. A set of Volk wheels fill the fenders, lowered on Tein coilovers - and a GReddy SP Elite exhaust rounds off the name-brand Honda aftermarket bits.  Toned down a bit, this would be a nice foil to the upcoming Audi A3 and the Verano Turbo - maybe without the stickers and 19's?

Ford Mustang Twin-Turbo Cobra Jet

The Mustang Cobra Jet is Ford's factory-ready drag racing version of the Mustang, similar to Chevrolet's COPO Camaro or Dodge's Drag Pak Challenger.  In the past, it's used a modified version of the 5.4L dual-cam from the GT500, topped with a massive 2.9L supercharger.  It's been very competitive in drag circuits, but even racing eventually has to turn an eye towards sustainability.  Thus we have the concept Twin Turbo Cobra Jet - it uses the 5.0L 32v from the GT, aided by a pair of turbochargers sourced from the Focus ST.  Considering that the supercharger consumes up to 100 horsepower just to spin it, a twin-turbocharger setup will always be more efficient.  Although Ford doesn't provide any horsepower numbers, they say it's performance is similar to that of the 5.4L supercharged Cobra Jets - which runs anywhere from high 7's to low 9's in the quarter mile.  So it should make a considerable amount of power - we'll just have to wait and see.

ICON D200 Series "Reformer" Truck

Icon is a company out of Los Angeles, CA that's more of a manufacturer than a tuner or modifier.  They started out specializing in restoration and restomodification of old-school Toyota Land Cruisers, but have branched out into the iconic (get it?) Jeep CJ as well as the original Ford Bronco, offering modern drivetrains and running gear in better-than-new bodies.  Very high quality, bespoke stuff.  This is their latest project, a restomod version of the Dodge D200 pickup truck from 1965.  Although it looks a lot like the original, under the skin it's an entirely different beast.  Powering the D200 is a modified version of the Dodge 5.9L 24v Cummins 6-cylinder diesel: a workhorse of a heavy-duty motor usually seen under the hood of 90's and 2000's Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks.  With tweaks from renowned tuner Banks Power, the inline-six cranks out an undisclosed amount of horsepower, and a ridiculous 975lb-ft of torque.  The chassis for the D200 is sourced from the modern Ram 3500, and the chassis is lifted 4½" with Fox 3.0 shocks and a Baja 1000 lift kit.  All that torque will come in handy for turning all four of the 37" off-road tires!  A custom interior with Bison leather and a full JL Audio sound system features inside.  Your vehicle for the zombie apocalypse is ready!

Hyundai/Cosworth Veloster T Velocity

Quite a mouth-full, eh?  Hyundai brought a ton of cars to SEMA, including two tuned by legendary modifiers Cosworth.  One's a pumped-up Genesis Coupe, the other is this 400-horsepower Veloster Turbo Velocity concept.  It's got the typical over-the-top body kit and wing, but it's what's under the hood that is intriguing.  The 1.6L motor, which normally makes 208 horsepower (for US customers), is fully rebuilt from the bottom up - rods, pistons, new turbo, manifolds, exhaust, engine control unit - for a healthy boost to 400bhp and 350lb-ft torque.  Designed to be ready for the track but suitable for the road, the Velocity has a full roll cage inside, along with racing harness and a data acquisition system to track lap times.  The white-painted roof and low slung spoiler give the funky hatch a bit of a chop-top look, and red accents everywhere spice things up.  It's gotta be more fun to drive than the normal Veloster.