Road Rumblings

What to Expect at the 2021 SEMA Show

SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting provided an update on preparations for the 2021 SEMA Show, scheduled for Nov. 2-5 in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time of the interview, Kersting confirmed that there are over 28,000 resellers and 1,300 exhibiting companies currently registered for the show. “After almost a two-year hiatus, we understand that the SEMA Show is viewed as highly important to so many companies as we head into 2022,” said Kersting. “We’re glad to see so many resellers registered for the show. They are eager to check out the industry’s latest innovations and trends.” During the interview, Kersting noted that SEMA will be following the health and safety requirements issued by the Nevada health authorities. Additionally, the Las Vegas Convention Center has installed medicalgrade air filtration and ventilation systems throughout the facility and has achieved a GBAC (Global Bio-risk Advisory Council) Star Certified rating. Hand sanitizing stations will also be placed throughout the show floor and crews will be cleaning and sanitizing high-traffic areas daily. The Convention Center has also expanded. The addition of the new West Hall has added 25% more show space, making room for wider aisles, more places to network and navigating the show more easily. Click for up-to-date information about the SEMA Show http://www.semashow.com/ Based on current COVID-19 indicators and trends in Clark County, Nevada, attendees at the 2021 SEMA Show can expect that face masks will be required while indoors during the event taking place Nov. 2-5, in Las Vegas, Nevada, show organizers announced.

Chevrolet Pulls The Plug On Another High-Horsepower Crate Engine

At some point some of you have thought about sticking a Chevrolet Performance LT5 crate engine in a project. Let’s face it; there’s nothing like the sound and power of a supercharged mill under the hood with a factory warranty to boot. But, unfortunately, this dream has come to an end for some as we’ve learned that Chevy has pulled the plug on this killer engine and will no longer be offering the powerplant known for pushing the 2019 Corvette ZR1

The 6.2-liter LT5 is rated at 755 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 715 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm at only 14-pounds of boost thanks to its efficient four-lobe design supercharger. A 2.65-liter supercharger sits atop the LT5 and is 64-percent larger than the now legendary LT4 engine’s blower, making it a monster. The LT5 offered a host of goodies to support the supercharger including, 10:1 Forged aluminum pistons with polymercoated skirts, forged steel crankshaft, and Rotocast A356T6 aluminum cylinder heads. Unlike other GM direct injection engines, the LT5 utilized both direct injection and a secondary injection system as well. While we hate to see GM pull the plug on this supercharged powerplant, it’s not much of a surprise due to the $19,995 MSRP price tag. It also makes us wonder if the company will be removing even more crate engine options in the future since it announced its plan to go all-electric by 2035. For that, we will have to wait and see. If you are looking for an LT5 crate engine, we wish you the best of luck. Unfortunately, companies like Scoggin Dickey, Jegs, and Summit Racing, which would usually have these engines in stock or at least access to one, have already posted that it’s no longer available or discontinued. And while Chevrolet recommends contacting your closest dealer, that could be a very long shot. But who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky. And while this may be a bummer for some, the good news is Chevrolet Performance still offers several LS and LT crate engines to choose from.

Ford Performance Updates F-150 for NASCAR Truck Series

The 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season will see a new look F-150 in the field as Ford Performance has unveiled the 2022 NASCAR F-150 that will compete starting next season. The new truck features styling taken directly from its production counterpart to more closely mirror the current F-150 found in consumer driveways, the company said. Development of the new truck took place both in Ford’s Dearborn design center and at the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina, where Ford’s NASCAR scale model and aero teams are located. Extensive development continues on full-motion simulators at the technical center, where both racing and production work takes place, the company said. “We’re proud to be the first to show off our 2022 NASCAR truck today,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance. “The Ford F-150 is the pride of the Ford truck lineup so we’re glad to be able to update the race version to show off the dynamic front end styling that is truly F150. We can’t wait for our teams to get on track with it next February in Daytona.” Changes include an all-new composite nose surface that incorporates design character from the production F-150, as well as newly designed composite hood and tail areas. The hood switches from steel sheet metal to composite for 2022 while the newlook fender will remain sheet metal. The 2022 NASCAR F-150 makes its competition debut in February 2022 at Daytona International Speedway.

First Photo Of 2023 Cor vette Z06 Leaked Ahead Of Reveal

Easter eggs, those hidden little gems which like to obscure themselves in plain sight. Chevrolet has made an art form of stashing information among the commonly-consumed data. Tidbits such as new logos, color selections, and even new fonts used in upcoming products have been shared in videos and posts by the automaker for a while now. The Corvette team just dropped a bombshell of an egg in one of its Instagram posts recently – showing what is presumed to be the upcoming 2023 Corvette Z06, or at least a variant of it. For those perusing Chevy’s IG account, the post looked much like any other teaser, but if you went beyond the initial photo, you were blessed with another photo of a camoclad, high-wing variant of the high-horsepower Corvette. There is also a sketch of the car, and to everyone’s surprise, a photo of a wide-bodied C8 Corvette with various body changes from the production vehicle, all hid behind the wording, “Time To Get Real.” The main text of the post reads, “Who needs spy photos when you’ve got the real thing? Full reveal coming 10.26.21. The All-New 2023 #Corvette #Z06.” It can only be presumed this one photo represents what the actual car (or one of its variants) will look like when sitting on showroom floors. Of course, there’s the disclaimer of this being a pre-production model, yadda-yadda. But there it is! One of the long-awaited Z06 spy photos we’ve all been waiting for, and, interestingly enough, it came from the marketing team at Chevrolet.