Wednesday, November 16, 2016

2016 SEMA Coverage - 1971 C3 Custom Corvette Built by Heartland Customs

MEGUIAR’S POLISHES Displayed a 1971 C3 Custom Corvette Built by Heartland Customs


Text and Photos By: Wayne Ellwood
1971 C3 Custom Corvette Built by Heartland Customs
1971 C3 Custom Corvette Built by Heartland Customs
Meguiar’s Polishes incorporated a bright red 1971 C3 custom in its display. This car was built by Heartland Customs of Purcell (OK) and lists a large number of modifications. The paint is one of its many notable features. It’s a PPG Deltron base/clear candy red metallic with matte finish Steel Cities gray stripes. 

2015 C7 Widebody by Ivan Tampi at the 2016 SEMA Event

Ivan Tampi presented at SEMA the XIK Widebody Corvette

Text and Photos By: Wayne Ellwood

This is one of those cars that catch you by surprise. Ivan Tampi is the designer, and he has assembled a certain number of partners to assist in the development of his ideas. Ivan’s has worked the design field for many years and is developing a number of new projects for various manufacturers and private clients.

2016 SEMA – 50TH ANNIVERSARY REPORT - JEFF NOWICKI C7 CONCEPT Z

JEFF NOWICKI C7 CONCEPT Z AT 2016 SEMA

JEFF NOWICKI C7 CONCEPT Z AT 2016 SEMA
JEFF NOWICKI C7 CONCEPT Z AT 2016 SEMA

Text and Photos By: Wayne Ellwood

Nowicki Autosport launched his Concept Z last year. This year the car is updated, and Jeff calls it his all-new ConceptZ, which includes a range of styling, and aerodynamic aids for 2015+ Corvette Z06 models. These components are showcased on a black “Michelin-themed” 2016 Z06. The car is a nod to the more than 25-year relationship Nowicki Autosport founder Jeff Nowicki has shared with the tire company.

2016 SEMA – 50TH ANNIVERSARY REPORT - Chaparral 2X VGT Concept

Chevy Chaparral 2X VGT Concept at SEMA 2016

Text and Photos By: Wayne Ellwood

Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo Concept
The Chevrolet Chaparral 2X VGT concept race car was developed for the Vision Gran Turismo project, which celebrates the 15th anniversary of PlayStation® racing game Gran Turismo® by inviting manufacturers to give fans a glimpse into the future of automotive design.

2016 SEMA – 1963 BLACK CORVETTE BY BOBBY ALLOWAY

1963 Black Corvette by Bobby Alloway

1963 Black Corvette by Bobby Alloway, Blount (Louisville, TN). This car is actually Bobby Alloway’s personal car.
1963 Black Corvette by Bobby Alloway, Blount (Louisville, TN).
This car is actually Bobby Alloway’s personal car.
Text and Photos By: Wayne Ellwood

1963 Black Corvette by Bobby Alloway, Blount (Louisville, TN). This car is actually Bobby Alloway’s personal car. It looks a lot like a project that was completed for a customer about 5-6 years ago. This time, Bobby built a car for himself, and he did introduce some new ideas. The color scheme changed from black with a red stinger to black with a blue stinger. Apparently, in researching the colors, Bobby also found that this color combination also drew the highest auction bid for a Corvette, to date. Interestingly, the blue interior and stinger are color correct for a 1967 Corvette, when four were built in this combination.

2016 SEMA – LINGENFELTER DISPLAY

LINGENFELTER (MAIN) DISPLAY

Text and Photos By: Wayne Ellwood

Ken Lingenfelter had a solid presence at SEMA. At his home base, he featured three Corvettes and a lot of product. In various satellite locations, a couple more cars were co-located on Lingenfelter partner booths. Each of these cars is a rolling demonstration of the Lingenfelter product as well as the contributions of the partners.

The first car is the Lingenfelter-Superformance C3 Grand Sport replica. The power train is a Lingenfelter LS3 with 11.5:1 compression, ported LS3 cylinder heads, roller cam shaft and valve train components, with a wet sump as required by most vintage race groups for this era.

Lingenfelter-Superformance C3 Grand Sport replica.
Lingenfelter-Superformance C3 Grand Sport replica.

2016 SEMA – 50TH ANNIVERSARY REPORT - GM DISPLAY AT SEMA

GM DISPLAY AT SEMA

Text and Photos By: Wayne Ellwood
Corvette Coverage of the 2016 SEMA show in Las Vegas, including Vettes in the Battle of the Builders® competition.
Corvette Coverage of the 2016 SEMA show in Las Vegas, including Vettes in the Battle of the Builders® competition. 


Being the 50th anniversary of SEMA, the organizers created special badging and organized a number of events to celebrate this long and successful history. SEMA has been working on our behalf in many areas, always to good effect. One function of SEMA is to monitor state and federal activities as they affect the transportation industry and to make sure the voices of all concerned parties are heard. They do a truly remarkable job, on this front. Of course, any of the industry partners who shared such a significant landmark were eager to jump in, and show their visible support. In this case, Chevy presented some special versions of its Camaro, which is also 50 years old in spirit but fresh in design.

The SEMA event, which is actually an industry-wide convention-exposition, is another of their major accomplishments. However, for Corvette fans, GM’s focus was on the Camaro. Regardless, SEMA’s “Battle of the Builders” drew a large number of specialty builders and tuners eager to enhance their already well-established reputations. There was a multitude of suppliers who were eager to present their wares. And finally, a number of smaller builders had their car on show as stand-alone representations of their work. I’ll tell you about these, and their display cars.