Events Coverage
SEMA Show 2007: Event Report
By by: George Achorn, photos by Stu Fowle and author
Nov 6, 2007, 11:18

There are universal truths that apply to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. You can bet that tens of thousands of industry car enthusiasts, or those smart enough to scam an industry name badge, will fly in to ogle a mix of everything automotive – from the most impressive builds you’ve ever seen to the most blatantly product-peddling cars. At night, there’s an army of slightly overweight guys in corporate Polos and Dockers ogling a barely clad waitresses at industry parties, then thumping on their buddy’s chest and further tiring out that weary phrase, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

Yes, the SEMA Show event is full of clichés, and that might be why we love it. You see, SEMA is a mix of everything – from opulent exotics on bejeweled rims to top-shelf street rods shipped in from points far flung. There are cars for art’s sake and cars blatantly made to help push annual sales of fill-in-the-blank line of automotive tchochkes. If you’re a car snob, there’s plenty at which to turn up your nose. If you just plain love cars, there’s a little bit of everything to see.

Volvo’s got a long history at SEMA – a corporate participant for years, while other European and luxury market competitors still haven’t followed suit. Volvo’s strategy of showcasing cars from its own aftermarket remained this year, though the approach changed slightly.

As far as display, Volvo stepped it up with a more Scandinavian brand feel. Wood floors and light colors helped differentiate the Swedes from the large blue display of their American parent Ford, while good-looking attendants with faint Scandinavian accents manned the Volvo desk.



Volvo chose to officially show five cars this year, two by German tuner Heico Sportiv, two by Swedish builder Caresto and one commissioned by Volvo Cars North America. At the stand, the car that seemed to gather the most attention was Heico’s satin silver S80 concept. Based on a T6 version of Volvo’s large sedan, the Heico car showed just how hot the normally conservative S80 can be.



Last year marked three C30s on the Volvo stand, though this year there was just one. Heico Sportiv built the car that, while not quite as wild as last year’s all-wheel drive camouflage car by the German company, was still quite radical in its own right. The C30’s orange tattoo-print graphics mimicked Volvo’s interior décor, while the entire interior was swathed in matching orange leather. More realistic to most C30 owners, the car also featured Heico’s production body kit and 5-spoke Volution wheels.



Swedish-based Caresto brought their Volvo V8-powered hot rod back to SEMA for the second time, joined this year by the company’s matching blue C70 convertible. With bespoke body kit, brown leather interior and great-looking under hood treatment (good for a few more hp too), the C70 was also a strong attention-getter at the Volvo stand.



The last car officially shown by Volvo was an aggressive raised lifeguard-themed XC70 that’d make any self-respecting Baywatch character want to make babies and go pick up some groceries. The XC70 Surf Rescue showed a more radical side to the handsome new XC70, complete with XC60-style grille and cool blue-lit lenses replacing the framed openings on the front and rear lower fascias of the car.

Of course, SEMA isn’t a terribly euro-minded show. Most of the European cars you’ll catch in Vegas during the SEMA Show are usually fitted with huge wheels and parked in the Wheel and Tire hall of the event. Volvos are usually sparse, though we did find two more outside of the official Volvo stand.



Yokohama Tire built a C30 this year – a project car that featured a Heico Sportiv body kit and a host of other mods. The metallic white C30 was given away to one lucky Yokohama Tire distributor as the main prize of an on-stand Blackjack tournament.

Also found within the vast Las Vegas Convention Center was a satin purple C30 built by Southern California dealer Galpin Volvo. Probably the most wild of this year’s SEMA C30s, we found reaction to the purple three-door was either love-it or hate-it.



SEMA remains one of the more interesting shows on the calendar. Its sprawling size, dwarfing all but the Frankfurt IAA in sheer footprint, will leave your feet hurting and your appetite for cars overstuffed, satisfied and with a hint of indigestion. We’re still waiting for the day that Audi comes to SEMA in an official capacity, which might induce even more participation by the company’s rich aftermarket. We’ll love this gargantuan party in Vegas even more when that happens.

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