Is this the best Ford at SEMA? SEMA gave the Ford Design award to Steve Strope’s ’65 Mustang rally car. “I wanted to imagine what if Martini Racing was involved with Ford,” said Steve at the press conference at SEMA 2012. This re-imagined race car was introduced at SEMA 2012.
You know an underground trend has peaked when it goes mainstream; like when punk rock becomes Green Day. Driving rusty beater rods is punk rock. Faking patina is Green Day. Ya know how we know? Because phony rust is on display at SEMA 2012.
Cumberland Products has a Vintage Line of flat and satin paints that were used on this ’33 Ford to create what’s certainly the the most convincing fake patina we’ve ever seen. Even so, we can’t endorse fake rust.
However, we’re not so cynical about flat and satin paints, and what makes the Cumberland stuff cool is that it does not collect fingerprints or smudges. We fondled that ’33 to prove it. The company also claims “this coating is formulated to withstand the same atmospheric conditions as any single-stage urethane system.” So perhaps it won’t get all chalky like primer and other flats. Cumberland also has a clear that can be mixed for flat, eggshell, or semi-gloss.
See CumberlandProductsInc.com.
Think we’re wrong about patina? For that matter, do you think flat and satin are overplayed? What are the paint trends that interest you now?
Pontiac is back… Well kind of. This is Lingenfelter’s Pontiac Trans Am based off of a 5th-Gen Camaro. It’s a turn-key package Lingenfelter introduced at the 2012 SEMA show. Mike Copeland, who used to head special projects for GM and built previous HOT ROD project cars, said the only thing left is to sell them.
The Trans Ams will be offered in three price point packages that can be expanded upon or ditched for an entirely custom order. The base model is the $40,000 package which includes exterior work and cat-back exhaust. Package two is $69,000 and includes exterior, interior, paint job, and wheels. The top of the line package, what you see here, includes: exterior, paint, interior, Brembo brakes, full exhaust, and a 455ci V8. Lingenfelter starts with an RHS block and builds a custom 455ci with LSX heads and 655hp to the flywheel. The cars are built to order and don’t include the Camaro (they will buy one for you if you can’t show up with your own).
In 2009 Lingenfelter built four prototypes and thrashed on them for several years tweaking them before production was ready. The body kits were designed and now built by Lingenfelter. The car has specially designed wheels built by Forgeline and no, you can’t buy them, they will only be offered on the Lingenfelter Trans Am.
On almost every season of Chop Cut Rebuild, Classic Industries builds an awesome project and 2012 SEMA’s project is no exception. Project “Open Air” is an LSA-powered ’56 Bel Air Roadster (that’s not a misprint, it’s a roadster not a convertible). The entire build will air on Chop Cut Rebuild’s 9th season. The first episode will air mid January.
It started from a ’56 Bel Air found in a backyard in Compton, California. They got it back to Classic Industries’ shop in Huntington Beach, CA, only to realize that the entire car had started to bow in the middle because of rust. They called upon Art Morrison for a chassis and Real Deal Steel Bodies for a convertible body. Chevrolet Performance supplied the LSA crate engine and 4L85E transmission. Dakota Digital helped out with the gauges and C.A.R.S. Inc. stepped in with the interior.
The project was finished only hours before loading it on a trailer to be unveiled at the 2012 SEMA show. The build coincided with Classic Industries’ new tri-five catalog that was introduced April, 2012. Check back later as we will have build photos of project “Open Air.”
Brandan and Jesse snagged a ton of photos from SEMA today, mostly encompassing the Racing and Performance segment but capturing a lot of random stuff as well. Browse the gallery below for some particular points of interest, and click through to see the full set at CarDomain.
You can win Project Restoration Rollout at SEMA 2012! You have to register by Saturday, November 3, 2012 at Craftsman.com to win. You can also go to the site to watch the tutorial videos that followed the build of the Mustang. New videos stop when the contest does on Saturday.
Go to Craftsman.com and sign up for the Craftsman Club to register.
Craftsman Club members can enter the sweepstake in these ways:
1 entry by opting into the sweepstakes
1 entry by answering the trivia question after watching each video – for a total of 24 entries
5 bonus entries for answering all trivia questions correctly
Up to 10 entries for craftsman.com purchase during this time of the sweepstakes.
Members also get entries just for watching the videos!
I just recently picked up a copy of GMs new Performance catalog and all I can say is WOW!! But we’ll dive into that in a future post.
Gracing the cover was the latest and greatest COPO Camaro. You remember those special order packages. Well they have brought it back and factory racing just jumped up and shouted “LET DO IT!!!!” [vodpod id=Video.15839761&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]
