Underground Racing has released a new video which promotes their twin-turbo package for the Ferrari 458 Italia.[...]

For better or for worse, tuning shows are as much about modified cars as they are about booth babes - and that's regardless of where they take place. Just wait and see at next week's SEMA Show.

But just to get your engines running ? or so to speak, we have a special treat for you, and no, we're not referring to the Nissan 180SX/200SX ...[...]

The Chevrolet Camaro is back at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show and just like last year, expect to see plenty of Bumblebee in all different kinds of iterations.

One of the most anticipated versions of the Camaro is the 1LE Concept, a modern-day take on the legendary 1LE option code designation that Camaro fans the world over have come to love. It’s only a concept - major bummer! - but it does combine the best of both worlds from the SS and the ZL1 to offer a true race-ready program.

?The Camaro 1LE concept is all about the track,? said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer for the Camaro. ?It?s an all-out race car package that pays tribute to that special option from the past.?

Dressed in a Victory Red finish with a flat black hood and hash mark extensions, the Camaro 1LE Concept is the picture of awesomeness. The car also carries a satin black splitter, rocker panels, a rear spoiler, a sport suspension system that features Magnetic Ride Control, a shock tower brace, dual exhaust outlets, and a set of 20" racing wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G tires with Brembo brakes.[...]

SEMA is ready to welcome its guests this week, and we have an arrival wearing both Mopar and Dodge designations to bring to your attention.

This black on orange creation is the work of Mopar Underground and is called the Tow Hook Concept. It's meant to bring the sort of paint schemes associated with musclecars to the SUV scene. You have a four-cout orange paintjob that offers plenty of deep contrast with the satin black roof.

As for the 22-inch forged wheels, these have been garnished in b... [...]

The most powerful Chevrolet Camaro is taking a turn to the dark side and we couldn’t be any happier.

No, it’s not becoming evil, although it’s about as mean and menacing as a Camaro can get. What we’re talking about is the first 2012 Camaro ZL1 special edition model: the ZL1 Carbon Concept.

To begin with, the ZL1 Carbon Concept already has everything the standard ZL1 possesses, including the massive 6.2-liter LSA supercharged V8 engine that produces a gnarly 580 horsepower and churns out 556 lb/ft of torque. But more than that, the ZL1 Carbon Concept carries plenty of unique style features that Tony Roma, program engineering manager for the Camaro ZL1, attests to. ?This concept?s dramatic appearance matches the extreme performance capabilities of the Camaro ZL1,? he said.

The highlight of the ZL1 Carbon Edition’s design is the Ashen Gray paint finish, which is then complemented by an array of carbon fiber elements, including an exposed-weave carbon fiber 'Mohawk' hood insert, a carbon fiber rear spoiler with stainless-steel wicker bill, and carbon fiber inserts on the interior door, and instrument panel. The car also has dual exhaust outlets with active exhaust and diffuser and a new set of lightweight 20" Satin Black wheels with machined faces and Brembo brakes.[...]

Some say the Chevolet Camaro looks great, others say that it needs some work. For those people, we have proof that things can get incredibly better with a carefully selected collection of accessories with Chevrolet’s Camaro Red Zone Concept to be displayed in SEMA this week. According to the company, this new concept "debuts a new, heritage-inspired stripe graphic that will be available soon."

The first thing anyone will notice about this incredible concept is the Crystal Claret exterior color with black convertible tonneau cover and silver heritage stripe. There is also a new set of Chevrolet Accessories 21x8.5-inch silver/polished-face wheels, Chevrolet Accessories body-color grille, and a convertible wind screen. The interior adds titanium leather interior with Silver Ice accents, a black soft instrument panel insert, Chevrolet Accessories Silver Ice door and instrument panel inserts, and Chevrolet Accessories floor mats with silver "Camaro" logos. To add an even meaner look, the concept has also received a suspension lowering kit by Pedders and a polished strut tower brace.[...]

Scion’s fleet of SEMA-bound iQ’s has taken in another world-famous designer in the name of one Jon Sibal. Just like Michael Chang and Tatsu, Scion gave the keys to Sibal to personally design his own iQ to be displayed at SEMA.

With this program, Sibal sought out the help of a number of partners to design his iQ, including MVDesignz, Veilside Premier, Nitrous Express, HRE Wheels, and Air Runner System, to name a few.

The first two were given the task of dressing up the iQ’s exterior and they most certainly went to work on it. MVDesignz put in the iQ’s Matte Metallic Grey paint finish with Bronze Pearl accents. Meanwhile, Veilside Premier put in a number of modified parts including a front bumper, front fenders, a vented hood, side skirts, and a rear bumper. Other exterior enhancements include a Roadwire custom sunroof, smoked frosted lights, LED daytime running lights, an Air Runner System suspension set-up, and a set of 18" HRE 567C Forged wheels wrapped on Toyo Proxes 4 tires with a Stop Tech braking system.

Under its hood, the iQ-RX was also given an array of upgrades in the form of some nitrous additions, including a Nitrous Express universal fly-by-wire single nozzle system, a purge system with a D-4 manifold, and a dual vent purge line kit. The mere addition of nitrous to the iQ makes this one a certified bottle rocket on wheels.[...]

Steely, cold, and downright awesome. That’s what the Scion iQ-MR by Tatsu represents. The car is headed to the 2011 SEMA Auto Show as part of the Scion contingent and the industrial-looking exterior makes us pine for the days when less was definitely more.

To add some spunk to the iQ-MR, Tatsu added some graphics from G1 Design while the exterior panels come from Specialty Cars. Other notable parts of the iQ-MR’s exterior include a KW Variant 3 Suspension system and a new set of 15" Axis Wheels from Sakura that have been wrapped around RT615 Falken Tires with 4-pot piston Fastbrakes. Meanwhile, the interior of the iQ MR is pretty much bare and bones with little sticks and stones. The cagework and the interior paneling come courtesy of Specialty Cars while the seats, steering wheel, window net, and belts all come from Sparco.[...]

The Toyota Yaris B-Spec Club Racer is more than just an upcoming display at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show. It actually has far bigger objectives that that.

The car, which is the first of the 2012 Yaris SE generation to be built for race competition, will actually be competing in the SCCA B-spec class race in 2012. But that’s another discussion for another time; we’re here about SEMA.

It’s quite funny that a car that few people have time for is being showcased at a grandiose event like SEMA. To that we have to give props to the people behind it, most notably SportsCar Magazine, the fine people that responsible for building the car. Looks can be deceiving and you probably wouldn’t recognize this as a Yaris under that Toyota GT-One-inspired racing livery paying tribute to the company’s 1998 LeMans pole-winning GT-One race car. Add that to a new Cussco Zero-3 Series suspension kit and a set of 15" Enkei RPF1 wheels wrapped in Hoosier Racing Tires and you probably wouldn’t think that this was a Yaris at all.

The car’s overall sporty styling, is even more punctuated by an interior that offers all the latest in racing technology, including an 8-point an FIA race seat with a 6-point harness, a WRC steering wheel, an Autopower window net, a 2.8-liter fire system, an SCCA-spec roll cage, and RLC Racing Track Commander data acquisition system.[...]

It takes a special kind of tuning talent to turn a rather mundane Scion iQ into a piece of racing art for the 2011 SEMA Auto Show. Fortunately, Scion found the right person in Michael Chang.

In turning the iQ into a wicked little racer, Chang enlisted the help of Evasive Motorsports in breaking some attitude to the iQ. A plethora of EM custom materials were used on the exterior, including fender flares, a vented, a Voltex GT wing and trunk mount, a carbon front lip, front splitter, side splitter, and rear diffuser. On top of that, the car was also fitted with Voltex carbon canards, a Wraptivo Matte White vehicle wrap with custom Red Pin striping, and a set of 17" Advan Racing RT wheels wrapped on Toyo R888 Racing R-Compound tires with a Wilwood 6-piston front and rear brake kit. Inside, the iQ-RS was dressed up EVO seats with 6-point, 3" racing harness, racing side mounts, a steering wheel, pedals, and a Weld-On quick release, all of which were sourced from Sparco. Then there are the custom parts, which Chang himself put into the car. There’s a carbon fiber door panel, a rear trunk panel, a 6-point roll cage, a carbon dash trim, a rally-style shifter, a carbon fiber center console, a warning indicator and toggle switch, and an 11" touch-screen display.[...]