Every year, car makers and aftermarket manufacturers gather at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA show.
There are cars people expect to find at a car show.
... this lowered Audi S3 ...
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad... this souped up Nissan GT-R.
But because this is SEMA, show goers get much more than they would at the average car show, such as this Jeep rock crawler ...
... this funny car dragster ...
... this kitted-out classic BMW ...
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad... this chopped hot rod and ...
... this. Frankly, I'm not sure what it is. It looks like the melting skeleton of an Autobot.
Then there's the KIRA Van. It's a go-anywhere exploration vehicle built by a former Disney imagineer.
The Kira Van is named after the imagineer's daughter and is built around a Mercedes-Benz Unimog.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdAnd then there are the classics. This Cadillac Coupe DeVille is positively menacing.
Check out this badass VW microbus! Lowered, and then lowered some more.
The Shelby Cobra is an American icon.
For many, so is the Chevy Impala low rider.
With four massive engines ...
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad... this is quite possibly the most powerful Ford Econoline Van ever made.
The most beautiful car at the show. It's called "Aquarius," and it evokes the Moderne movement of the early 20th century.
The sleek stunner is based on a 1934 Packard.
On the other hand, there's this modern beauty. A Rolls-Royce Wraith wearing Forgiato wheels.
Aftermarket customizers have turned their attention to the Tesla Model S.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdIn addition to aftermarket guys, the big-name car companies were present, as well. Here, Toyota showed off a modified hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan dressed up to look like a time machine from "Back to the Future."
It comes complete with a "Mr Fusion" — reference to Doc Brown's modified DeLorean.
Toyota also showed off a modern interpretation of Marty McFly's pickup truck.
In addition to the movie-themed cars, the Japanese automaker also showed off its Tonka Truck 4Runner.
It certainly reminds me of the toys from my childhood.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdToyota wasn't done with the off-road theme. In fact, they turned a Sienna minivan into blacked-out off-road beast.
A truly unexpected participant was Toyota's Tundrasine.
That's right! They turned a Tundra pickup into a limo.
And it's actually quite nice on the inside!
Mazda unveiled a pair of special variants of its new MX5 Miata.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdAnother lightweight sports car at the show was the Lotus Elise.
Honda brought its Ridgeline Baja trophy truck.
The Lexus RC-F showed up both as a GT3 racer and ...
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdThere were a couple of rare racing classics, as well, like this 1965 Shelby-DeTomaso P70 and ...
... The legendary 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe.
There was also a Shelby Mustang.
A descendant of Carroll Shelby's great work is the new Ford GT.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdFord showed off the GT in both race and ...
... street car guise. Both come with a turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine instead of the traditional Ford GT V8.
The Ford GT's rival Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was nearby.
Hennessey's 1,000-horsepower Venom GT made an appearance as well.
The Texas-built supercar has been clocked at over 270mph.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdOne of Porsche's rare 918 hybrid hypercars sat next to one of its corporate cousins — the Lamborghini Aventador.
Not only did Acura show off its NSX supercar ...
... it also showed off a restored Acura Legend belonging to rapper/actor Ludacris.
Kia showed up with several special models including a pair of ...
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip Ad... a Forte mud-bogger and ...
... an Optima convertible.
... complete with suicide doors!!