2015 SEMA Show Preview

This year’s SEMA Show is right around the corner, and as usual we’ve got fun surprises in the works. New cars, new parts, and tons to report on from the greatest automotive show on Earth!  SEMA 2015 will begin on Tuesday, November 3rd, and ends on Friday, November 6th.

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The 818C is now in full production and we will debut an all-new 818 production coupe in sinister black on black carbon!

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The 20th anniversary Mk4 Roadster will be in our display with Ford’s new 2015 IRS, our all-new 18″ Halibrand wheels, and Wilwood’s new brake package.

power-automedia-challenge-carMark Gearhart and our partners at Power Automedia are going to take the wraps off of the FFR Challenge Car they are building over in Toyo Tires booth, #40039 (click here to read their build logs).  This is a 624 HP Coyote-powered custom race car.

Our booth location is in a similar spot to previous years, and is booth #23217 in the main hall between Ford and GM.  We are fortunate to have some great Factory Five customers helping out at the show.  Karen Salvaggio, Jo Coddington, Ron Everitt, John Kabacinski, Scott, Jim, and Doris from the build school are working the booth.  Wayne Presley, Dave Hodgkins, John Tongish, Erik Hansen, and a bunch of good friends plan on attending.

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In addition to the Factory Five cars, we love bringing a rolling chassis to show people what is under the Factory Five skin, and there are some customer cars attending as well that will make this year’s show a memorable one.

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The Factory Five booth is always crowded through all four days of the show.

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Factory Five customers Wayne Presley and Erik Treves at the 2013 SEMA Show with the award-winning 818 custom built by Wayne and shown in the Toyo Tread Pass area.

The new 2015 IRS will be featured this year. The new design will be shown in our ’33 rolling chassis and the 20th Anniversary Special Edition Mk4 Roadster in our booth.  It will also be in a Factory Five ’33 that will be on display over at the Ford Performance Racing Parts booth.

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Ford Racing showed off this EcoBoost 6-powered Factory Five ’33 at SEMA 2014.

Customer John Kabacinski has been racing his Factory Five GTM, and we will be putting it in our booth for customers to check out. The car is loaded with go-fast race parts, and John is one of the nicest guys and most talented builder/racers anywhere.

We’re planning on a fun customer cocktail hour at Vince Neil’s Tatuado Bar at the Circus Circus (more details), and Friday night we’ll be driving four of the FFR SEMA cars to the Friday night SEMA Ignited event, which is open to the public.

SEMA is an industry only event and not open to the general public, but it is still a great opportunity to catch up with friends and partners in the industry.

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Nate Johnson with Power Automedia’s Jessica Barton.

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This year the Factory Five crew will be joined by some celebrities in our booth to make the event even more fun. Pete Brock will be on hand on Thursday to meet folks, and Jo Coddington will also be available on Thursday from 10 am to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 2 pm. At 3 pm on Thursday, you can meet the new host of PowerNation, Katie Osborne. We’re hoping she brings her hubby Tanner Faust along!

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Left: Jo Coddington, Right: Katie Osborne.

New this year, we will be bringing the entire FFR SEMA fleet to Florida the week after SEMA (click here for details on the Emerald Coast Cruise).

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SEMA is a great time to meet leaders in the auto industry and to see the latest cutting-edge in the automotive aftermarket.  We will be bringing you daily coverage on our website of Factory Five-related events at SEMA.

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