SEMA’S Top 10 New Products

Decoma Cruiser SEMA 2001 concept

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SEMA Stays the Course by TCC Team (11/5/2001)

With all the news at Ford and GM, the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas took a backseat to other major news. But TheCarConnection didn’t leave the floor until we found the 10 products no serious enthusiast — okay, even some less serious — should do without. Our favorite aftermarket parts from Las Vegas (excepting those on Siegfried and Roy) follow:

And though it’s not a product per se, we start with the most-talked-about vehicle of the show, Decoma’s PT/10 Lifestyle Cruiser. Ho hum, you say, customized PT Cruisers were last year’s SEMA Show news. Not so fast —this is a one-of-a-kind PT pickup with 500 horsepower! That’s right, the Decoma folks managed to shoehorn a Viper V10 into the PT’s engine bay.

“We took the fascia off, then cut a hole in the firewall that was the circumference of the motor,” said Bob Fehan, Decoma’s director of advanced marketing, who designed this truly unique PT and led the team that executed it. They had to re-route or reposition every wire or hose “while working our way slowly back” through the engine bay. “We used as many Viper components as we could, including the independent suspension,” he added.

Last year, Troy, Michigan-based Decoma won awards for its woodie PT, “so our boss challenged us to top it,” Fehan said. “I took my artwork to Chrysler a month after last year’s SEMA Show, but we didn’t finish the truck until a week ago, after working four-to-five months on it.” Fehan’s work was rewarded with the Chrysler Group Design Excellence Award for the best “Chrysler Brand Statement.” “Everybody says it’s the talk of the show because everything works,” Fehan told us, adding ruefully, ”but everything had to be hand made.”

Sitback Sound SEMA 2001

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Sitback Sound offers a different take on hands-free cellular devices, a system that attaches to the vehicle’s headrest. In fact it looks like another headrest mounted over your existing one. But there’s a loudspeaker mounted inside and a flexible, omni-directional microphone attached to the side. Plug the German-built system into any 12-volt power outlet and Sitback Sound promises “high-quality sound and clarity the same as a land phone,” said Neil Sobelson of AR Solutions Management. His SEMA Show floor demonstration to TCC was impressive. Sitback Sound claims compatibility with 98 percent of current cell phones and allows you to use one phone while charging another. The first dealer shipments should be in late November, while single units can be ordered from www.sitbacksound.com at $299 each.

Bestop Super Soundbar SEMA 2001

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Sound is certainly what Bestop’s Super Soundbar for Jeep Wranglers is all about. Consisting of two, weather-resistant, 6.5-inch Sony X-plod speakers and two map lights, this three-way adjustable soundbar features an acoustically designed shape which can be mounted to any rollbar up to 2.5 inches. “We just try to make products that solve problems for the consumer,” said Bestop’s Brian Schmidt. “We know that current Jeep sound systems aren’t too flexible.” Bestop produces some 300 different Jeep tops and accessories that it sells to distributors throughout the U.S. Seewww.bestop.com for a list of dealers.

Travel Tray SEMA 2001

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Tired of cleaning the inside of your car every time one of your (or someone else’s) kids deposits food, drink, toys or whatever all over the seats or floor? The Travel Play Co. has come to your rescue with the Travel Tray, a collapsible unit that creates a contained area that fits onto a child’s lap. Creator Gali Rotstein designed the unit so that her eight-year-old daughter “could do artwork in the car.” Thus there’s a place for crayons, pencils or whatever, and a lift-up clear plastic flap that allows tracing. There’s also a cup holder, perhaps for small gulps. Made of nylon, Travel Tray resists water, adjusts to fit children of many sizes, doesn’t interfere with seatbelts, and lists for $23.95. You can buy it online at www.travelplayco.com. The company is looking for dealers and distributors, which was the main reason they came to the SEMA Show.

Bedwaggin SEMA 2001

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If keeping kids occupied isn’t your problem, perhaps you need a secure place in your pickup to transport your canine. The folks from Speed Weasel (yes, that’s the company’s name) would like to sell you the wonderfully named Bedwaggin’. It’s basically a portable kennel (or “safe canine transportation system” if you prefer) that latches to a bar that you attach to the front of your pickup’s bed. Available beginning in January 2002 in a single size ¾ 38-by-25-by-26 inches, to fit dogs up to 70 pounds ¾ the company plans larger and smaller sizes soon thereafter. Prices for the one-piece unit range from $240 to $290, depending on color. And like so many others, Speed Weasel is looking for sales outlets. “That’s why we’re here at the show,” said president Laura Di Mario.

Gear Boot SEMA 2001

At first glance, Studio Futuro’s Stars & Stripes Gear Boot would appear to be another attempt to capitalize on post 9/11 patriotism. Such is not the case. “I discovered the fabric in Italy in May,” said Raymond Gillabert, Studio Futuro’s International Marketing Manager, of the American flag-pattern gear boot cover. The company is a division of the Italian automotive accessory firm Conrero, makers of “high-quality, hand crafted” steering wheels, shifter knobs, boot covers and frames. “We use carbon fiber, titanium, the real stuff,” Gillabert emphasized, adding, “a standard size boot cover, which fits about 80 percent of all vehicles, costs $49.” The larger sizes depend on “how the boot cover is designed and attached to the shifter.” The patriotic gear boot is available from CFI Motorsports in Dover, New Jersey,www.cfimotorsports.com.

Cool Clocks 2001 SEMA

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Appealing to the more traditional auto enthusiasts’ desire to show his or her marque preference, Dearborn, Michigan’s Cool Clocks offers the “patented design, real steel, chrome finish” Air Filter Clocks. That’s right, they’re quartz movement clocks that look like your car or truck’s air filter. According to Sharon Shelton, her brother, electrical engineer Randy Shelton, thought up the idea for the clocks, and for the last three to four years has been securing licenses from Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and very recently, Chevy, to produce a wide selection. There’s also a U.S. Route 66 clock for every state that the “mother road” passed through. Shelton said that the clocks are available in Minnesota’s Mall of America, several craft malls “mainly in the Detroit area,” and onwww.choicemall.com/coolclocks. Retail prices range from $30 to $50.

Magna Supercharger SEMA 2001

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We thought we should give you at least one real performance part, so how about a supercharger system that can increase your engine’s horsepower substantially? Magna Charger’s 4.8-liter GM Supercharger System adds up to 77 horses, is 50-state-emissions legal and comes with a three-year/36,000-mile powertrain warranty. “What sets it apart is a proven, positive displacement Eaton supercharger,” said Kevin McMillan, R&D Manager for Magnuson Products Inc. “It’s one of the few systems designed to run on 87-octane gas and the only supercharger system with a powertrain warranty.” Priced at $3,630, the system should take “a Saturday do-it-yourselfer about four-to-six hours to install,” McMillan added, “or we have approved distributors that can do it for you.” Asked who the prime consumer is for such a system, he answered, “We’re going after people who have tow vehicles, who pull a horse trailer and the like, who need long-running dependability. We’re not getting into the racing thing.” You can check outwww.magnacharger.com .

As a product, Tireflys pro probably qualifies for all three of our SEMA Ws — weird, wacky and wonderful. Consider them the poor man’s neon lighting effect. Tireflys are motion-activated lights that screw onto any normal size valve stem. As your wheels turn, Tireflys flash, “so there’s a point (a time period) when it’s not on, so it won’t quite create a continuous beam of light,” said Chris Hodnett of Buzztronics, a purchasing/marketing firm representing creator Daniel Deutsch. Available in red, blue, green or yellow in packs of two, Tireflys retail for $7.95 and last for 200 hours thanks to their replaceable alkaline batteries, three per unit. Tireflys can be found (what a surprise) in the J.C. Whitney catalog, or online from Whitney or www.tireflys.com and perhaps a store near you. (The Web site offers the chance to become a dealer or distributor.)

Not content with wimpy circles of light around your wheels? Well, the Stealth Light System allows you to mount multiple, triangular, auxiliary lights atop your pickup, SUV, van, construction equipment, etc., to “create your own lighting display.” Billed as “the world’s only light rack that comes in modular interlocking rack pieces,” the system allows individual lights to slide lock into additional ones, so you can create almost any shape you want. It’s also a GM officially licensed product.

“The beauty of it is that you can stack them in any way you want,” said Bob Bueker of JF Manufacturing Corp. “We’ve been showing this system for a while,” he added, “now we’re finally getting it into production.” The individual lights measure 10.71-inches long by 6.06-inches high by 5.6-inches deep and contain a standard H-3 55-watt halogen lamp. The Stealth Light System also touts “the world’s only 3-D lens (that) comes with a 3-D cover that easily snaps on and off.” Bueker characterized JF as “primarily an aftermarket lighting company” and “one of the first to have high-intensity-discharge lighting.”

story posted 11/12/01