Truth be told, I’ve lost count of how long I’ve been attending the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, but it’s been more than 30 years. The huge, four-day event is officially called the SEMA Show (pronounced SEE/mah). It combines an immense indoor/outdoor modified car show, a bustling trade fair, a drifting exposition, Hot Rod Alley and a seemingly boundless multi-building display of auto accessories, tools, new products and reproduction parts, not to mention countless wheel and tire manufacturers.
The SEMA Show is the largest of its kind in the automotive spectrum. About 160,000 people crowd into and around the Las Vegas Hilton Convention Center each November. Many others attend the simultaneously held automotive aftermarket (AAPEX) show at the Sands Expo Casino. The 2022 edition was the 56th annual SEMA Show.
When the first SEMA Show was held back in 1967, SEMA was called the Speed Equipment Manufacturer’s Association. Looking back, the words “hot rod” were considered a pejorative term for stripped-down, souped-up older cars made famous by pioneering dry lakes racers and a host of “B” movies. Working with speed equipment pioneers (and LA’s Petersen Automotive Museum), jump-started this now long-standing trade association to legitimize the burgeoning hot rod industry.
