SpoCom 2009 is when I first spotted the AQ Motorsports / Harman Motive STI.  After SpoCom, Performance Auto and Sound grabbed a handful of us (Jason w/ the Tomei Evo X, my car, this Subbie, and a handful of other cars) for a quick shoot in a parking lot behind the Long Beach Convention Center.  This car is loud as FAWK!  I also remembered asking JC what “m/P*T” meant and he didn’t even really know, lol.

Here is what it looked like at SEMA 2009.

Well, here is what this Subbie looks like now at this past RPM show.

NACA ducts.

Fire suppression.

AEM standalone.

Some crazy Ground Control camber/caster plate.

Stoptech monoblock trophy brakes.

The Sierra Sierra Enterprise Time Attack Evo was Cosworth’s booth car at SEMA.

Oooh, Advans!

Cosworth CA Formula 1 Motor

Right in front of that rat rod is this beautiful kandy red (or is it burgundy? I’m color blind) hot rod.  And it’s got ITBs!

Spotted this rat rod at SEMA.  I’ve always liked rat rods: function over form, driven over shown off.  Just like my car.

When I was passing by the SamcoSport booth at SEMA 2009, I was expecting to see one of Ferdie’s Subarus there.  However, this Evo X from AutoConcept greeted me.

Rocking one of JDM Ego’s favorite brands: Voltex.  Thought it was a bit ironic to represent JDM Ego while sponsored by Seibon.  Seibon pretty much single handedly counterfeited (and effectively destroyed) the JDM carbon fiber hood market in the United States.

Limited edition Bride Japan seats.  They are one of the few Bride seats that are made out of suede.  The only other car that I have seen rock these are Shaun’s HKS Kansai Evo.

Limited edition Bride kimono-material seats.  I’ve never seen these seats in person.

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Can’t go wrong with Project Mu with SSR, wrapped in Advans.

The entire SamcoSport and ARC catalog.  This is probably one of the first Evo X that I’ve seen that is rocking the ARC catalog.

I know I’m hella lagging on posting my coverage of SEMA 2009.  I guess it’s a good thing that I got too much content, not enough time to post.

Anyways, we all know the recession hit SEMA 2009 pretty hard but damn!

Every year, Mopar Alley connects the performance hall and wheels hall.  It’s also something to look forward to while crossing over to the wheels hall as they host some pretty badass American muscle.

There has to be nothing more rewarding, automotive-ly speaking, than having your own project car, your own baby to be recognized and displayed at your car manufacturer’s SEMA booth.  Most of us are pretty happy to get into a SEMA “featured car spot”; we would be stoked to be a booth car for a reputable exhibitor.  My buddy, D. Huang, pulled it off: his “IS1000″ was at the Lexus booth, lining up with the Lexus LF-A.  I know I’m a color blind muthaf*cker but I really like the “new” midnight purple paint job.

I also want to point out that Lexus, not just D. Huang himself, has dubbed this car the “IS1000″.  Furthermore, both of them are ballsy enough to post “Investment: [over] $100,000 USD”.

Oh, and check out D. Huang’s blog.  He’s got some badass, detailed coverage of the 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon that can’t be found anywhere else.

The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing M3 made a reappearance this year at the Escort booth.  I love the Euro-esque flares, single-lug magnesium Volks, and massive AP Racing brakes.

I have to be honest: I’m usually not a big fan of the Korean sport compact scene.  Most of the the cars are built more for form (i.e. Kia Soul) than built for function.  As you can imagine, I like cars that are built for both form and function.  Rhys Millen’s 2009 SEMA build really blew me away and changed my perception on the potential of the Genesis.  First off, over the last few years, a lot of SEMA builds are littered with crap products: Taiwanese-made big brake kits and bucket seats, and uninspiring and/or knockoff wheels.  This “RM460″ Hyundai Genesis Coupe is rocking the top-of-the-line Stoptech Trophy Big Brake Kit, HREs, and Sparco bucket seats.  It’s running top tier aftermarket parts on a car whose manufacturer is generally labeled as less than top teir.  To top it all off, Rhys Millen Racing moved the motor to the rear of the car, built the motor, and threw in individual throttle bodies.  Well done Hyundai and Rhys Millen Racing!