We’re entering the time of the year when new car news pretty much comes to a halt as manufacturers prepare to hibernate for the winter and unleash a swathe of forgettable electric crossovers upon us as the year turns once more.
Handily, it’s the perfect time for the aftermarket to sweep in and steal some headlines. What better place to do it than SEMA?
2024’s SEMA Show will take place from 5 to 8 November and, as always, will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. There’s always some mad stuff to look forward to, usually involving crazy engine swaps with four-figure horsepower numbers. We’ve picked out a few cars to keep an eye out for this year.
Plymouth GTX Electromod
Plymouth GTX Electromod – rear
Here’s one we suspect will cause a bit of outrage. Stellantis has dived into its deep muscle car archives for SEMA 2024 and has pulled out a rare groove in the form of a Plymouth GTX.
Only, rather than stuffing in a last-remaining Hellcat engine or the Hurricane straight-six from the new Charger, it’s made this one electric.
It’s designed as a showcase for its ‘e-Crate’ kit, a purchasable EV swap designed to drop straight into several late ‘60s and early ‘70s muscle and pony cars built by Chrysler. An interesting idea, although we’re intrigued to see how many takers are out there…
Ringbrothers Buick Grand National
Wisconsin-based Ringbrothers has been a mainstay of SEMA in recent years, bringing some pretty mad things like a 1100bhp AMC Javelin AMX in 2017 and a 1000bhp Dodge Charger last year.
2024 is no exception, with its headline a Buick Grand National using a completely overhauled 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 producing an eye-watering 1246bhp. Oh, and that’s apparently going through a manual.
We’ve only seen a teaser silhouette so far but expect some radical visual changes as well. Alongside the Buick, Ringbrother will also display a Chevrolet Blazer and Plymouth Barracuda.
Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf
You can guarantee at least one concept car at SEMA that we really wish would make production, and Toyota may be taking that prize this year.
This is the 4Runner TRD Surf, a throwback to the original ‘80s 4Runner by turning it into a convertible. Toyota says it’s a nod to its popularity in SoCal – that’d explain the surfboard out the back, then.
It gets a fully-custom suspension setup aimed for a little more comfort, 37-inch BF Goodrich tyres and a retro-tastic livery complete with ‘Turbo’ down the side. Much want.
Ford F-150 FP700S
Remember the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning? Long before that nameplate became an EV, it adorned a slightly bonkers version of the pick-up – its second generation with a great big supercharger strapped to it.
Ford is bringing a spiritual successor to SEMA this year, the FP700S. This regular car, rear-driven version of the truck uses a 3.0-litre Whipple supercharger strapped to the 5.0-litre V8, making it good for 700bhp and 590lb ft of torque.
Kia PV5
Kia is set to bring something mysterious to SEMA this year. From a sole teaser image, it looks to be related to the PV5 Concept van revealed earlier this year – albeit with some pretty rugged modifications.
Joining that will be an EV9 with a set of auxiliary roof lights, because of course.
