Events Coverage
2006 SEMA Show: Volvo Perspective
By by: George Achorn
Nov 7, 2006, 12:27

As auto shows go, there is no equivalent to SEMA. It’s not exactly a world auto show like Detroit, Frankfurt or Paris as not all manufacturers are represented. It’s not an enthusiast show, though you’ll see many of the finest enthusiast-built cars from around the U.S. and the world on display here. So what is the SEMA Show exactly? In short, it’s a trade show for the automotive aftermarket, but look more deeply and you’ll see just how much it has to offer. Volvo has hardly been a stranger at SEMA, one of the first European marques to attend the show in-force, one that consistently shows up with an impressive collection of cars. This year was no different, with no less than three tuner-built pre-production C30s, a V8-powered hotrod and one of the coolest vintage Volvos you’re likely to lay your eyes upon.

The big news with Volvo this fall is the launch of the new C30 sports hatch. Set to hit the European market quite soon and America next summer, Volvo viewed SEMA as the perfect place to show the potential of its newest model. With that in mind, three pre-production C30s were shipped to three of the most prominent Volvo tuners around the world. In the USA, IPD and Evolve marked two companies involved, having also built previous SEMA show cars for the brand. Newcomer this year to SEMA was the German tuning house Heico Sportiv, who built the third car.



Out of the imagination and the fabrication shop at Evolve in Southern California came a bright yellow F1-inspired biturbo C30. With an emphasis on aerodynamic function, this all-wheel drive converted C30 has been significantly widened and uses similar suspension design to the company’s S40 concept shown at SEMA two years ago. Evolve always likes to flex its muscles on the fabricating end, and this year it was hard to miss their C30’s 14-piston brake calipers straddling more of the front rotors than not.



From the Pacific Northwest came IPD and their gull-wing C30 complete with Swedish flag livery and supercharged 5-cylinder engine. Just in case the supercharger and its 6-psi of boost aren’t enough for you, the blue 3-door also has a full nitrous setup that’ll be sure to smash you back into those blue Alcantara seats.



Going a totally different route, Heico Sportiv focused more on what an XC30 might look like in Alpine camouflage garb as the company worked with Volvo affinity partner Burton Snowboards. If you wish Heico had applied more of a racer look to their C30, you will still get your wish as the company is working with Volvo Germany to display a racier version along with a duplicate of the SEMA car at the 2006 Essen show later this month.



Those who followed Volvo’s presence at SEMA last year may recall the Caresto T6-powered hotrod. Well, Caresto is back this year, taking the Volvo hotrod theme to another level by using the company’s newer V8 drivetrain. Arguably, the car looks better as well.



In perhaps an even bolder move, Volvo brought in a fifth car – a simply stunning modified Amazon 2-door wagon. Considering Volvo no longer builds the Amazon nor even rear-wheel drive cars, it would be easy to see why Volvo execs might look over spending the money to send such a car to SEMA. In as much, we applaud Volvo for making that call, a move even more impressive when you learn that the car was chosen based on a people’s choice award voted on at Sweden’s uber Volvo show Vallakara. The car itself is simply stunning, and was perhaps the surprise star of the Volvo stand.

Unlike the aforementioned Swedish Vallakara event, Volvo is still not as widely accepted as an enthusiast car in the United States. Of course, readers of this site can easily point out that this changes for the better more and more each year. Still, traction for Volvo brand outside of the company’s show stand. Elsewhere in the SEMA halls, we found just a handful of other Volvos.



Back again as it was in 2005 is the Matejka S40 touring car that expects to campaign a full season this summer in the SPEED Touring series. Another nicely modified S40 could also be found at the Status Seats booth in the show’s main hall.



Elsewhere in the show, we spotted this year’s Volvo gravity racecar (the highest of tech in soapbox racer technology), and some interesting new parts applications for Volvos. The latter included some cool rear-seat entertainment packages like VizuaLogic’s headrest backed unit that now offers iPod video input capability.



Originally held in 1967 at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, the SEMA show has grown over thirty years to fill the Las Vegas Convention Center and then some with over 10,000 exhibitor booths and over 2,000 display vehicles. Today the show is a powerhouse, so it’s no surprise that more and more companies continue to follow Volvo’s lead in making SEMA a must-hit on the yearly auto show calendar.

For more discussion on this story, click on the link to our discussion forums to the left.	For more photos of the car in this story, click on the link to our gallery at the right.

All information Copyright © 1999-2003 Swedespeed. All rights reserved.

No photos, news stories, graphics, or Swedespeed logos may be used or reproduced without written permission.
Volvo is a registered trademark of Volvo Car Corporation and Ford Motor Company. Swedespeed is an independent media publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Volvo Car Corporation