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Story & photos by Budd Stanley, additional photos by Bryan Irons
The 2014 SEMA show is a wrap! We’ve staggered back onto the first flight back to Canada, loaded down with business cards, product catalogs and memory cards jammed full of mind blowing 4x4’s. After putting in over 10 km of hiking a day, our knees are crippled, our feet are numb with pain, and we are grinning from ear to ear, drunk from the overdose of concentrated automotive magnificence.
Before we jump into the eye candy, both Mr. Irons and I would like to make a few observations from the 2014 edition of the SEMA Show. The automotive customizing scene and aftermarket is a constantly evolving living entity. New fads and trends gain popularity, and then die out almost as fast as they came to light. Mr. Irons and I have made note of some of the good and the bad trends that we witnessed at this years show. Now, this is our personal opinion, and when it comes to style, there is no shortage of differing opinions, so there is obviously going to be some upset feelings along the way. If you disagree, log on to our Facebook site and let us know how you feel?
Regardless, here’s what we liked and disliked about the current trends rocking the Las Vegas Convention Center.
GOOD TRENDS:
The Return of the Bronco
It was fantastic to see a true classic gain in build popularity as vintage Bronco’s littered the show grounds.
A Healthy Market
Yes, the aftermarket is alive and well. The current state of the market means you can do just about anything you want to any vehicle, no one is left behind.
Rebuildable or Easily Changed Ball Joints
Ball Joints are one of the most heavily abused wear items on a truck. Luckily, the aftermarket is finding several great new advances to make these much more robust and easier to work with.
More Selectable Lockers
We all know the value of a selectable locker, whether it be air or electrically actuated. Well the people have spoken and the aftermarket is listening, as the market is rife with more options than ever before.
Half-Tons Getting Attention
The 2015 Ford F-150 hasn’t even started production, yet the convention floor was littered with the bloody things. And the Fords weren’t alone, GM, Ram and Toyota were all well represented in the half-ton segment and getting lots of dedicated parts.
BAD TRENDS:
Don’t Forget the Old Fellas
While the Bronco and Willys Jeep were well represented, just about every other rig was no less than 5-years old. Where are the everyman’s rigs?
Glowing Parts
It seemed everywhere we looked; some part of a vehicle was lit up. From antennas, speakers, interior and exterior mood lighting and even glowing paint. Lights are for vision, that’s it.
LED Light Bars
Holy LED overload Batman. Everyone, calm down, are LED’s so great that you need 10 rows on a single truck. Vehicles had so many they were mounted behind obstructions or even mounted behind other light bars. It’s all a bit ridiculous.
Painting with Bed Liner
It was pretty cool to see an entire truck painted in bed liner a couple years ago, but today, this fad is getting way too fashionable, way too common and we’re done with it.
Way Too Many JK’s
Even Bryan Irons as a dedicated Jeep dork, admits there were way to many JK's in attendance. Yes, they are the biggest market, but it seemed 70% of the show vehicles were all JK’s.
Too Much Tire Shine
“Sir, you are displaying in the off-road section, can you please make your tires look like they will be used for something more than a means of rolling the show queen back into the trailer.”
Death of the 15-in Wheel
Rolling into the wheel section, I was left in awe of the sheer size modern wheels are becoming. What I thought was a 15-in was actually an 18-in amongst all the 24’s and 26’s. Only Weld Wheels showed up with a new 15-in wheel, so we salute you good sirs.
Drooling and whining aside, we now bring you our favourite show vehicles at this years SEMA Show.
4WDrive Editors Coolest Vehicle Picks
Best Jeeps:
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Best Jeeps
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Best Jeeps
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Best Jeeps
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Best Jeeps
Best Non-Jeeps:
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
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Best Non-Jeeps
Best Trucks:
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Best Trucks
Best Dirty Rigs:
With all the glitz and polish of all the show queens (we called it the glitter), we decided to showcase a few vehicles that truly deserve attention. Rigs that were pulled straight from the desert or the race track and plopped down on the SEMA Show floor.
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Best Dirty Rigs
Best Dirty Rigs
We chose Yukon’s Ultra4 machine as our top dirty rig due to the fact there were still rocks imbedded in the tires.
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Best Dirty Rigs
Best Dirty Rigs
This SCORE Baja 1000 machine missed the top spot because it was spotless on day 1. After qualifying for the Baja 1000 on day two, it returned showing signs of a substantial rollover.
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Best Dirty Rigs
Best Dirty Rigs
This was most likely the dirtiest of the bunch, but just didn’t have a story to tell.