This compilation of restoration products that were introduced at the 2010 SEMA
Show runs the gamut from traditional numbers-matching reproductions to
modernization components for handling and power. We’ve also interspersed
comments from the owners and executives of some of the industry’s leading
restoration specialists. Both say a lot about how the marketplace has changed.

The bedrock of the automotive specialty-equipment industry is the parts that are used to build, restore and modify vehicles of all types. Every segment of the industry counts on parts that are properly designed, engineered and manufactured to operate as promised. Within the restoration segment, however, those standards are complicated by the fact that the vehicles involved are anywhere from two decades to nearly a century old.

As part of our annual look at where automotive technology stands, we recently engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with John Waraniak,
SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, delving further into the
four advanced vehicle technology megatrends: driving green, driving
connected, driving safe and driving cool.

A special group of enthusiasts entered the Las Vegas Convention Center on the final day of the 2010 SEMA Show.
Despite the trade-only attendance rule, this select group was granted a
“golden ticket” through the SEMA Opinion Leader Program. Participants
received access to the SEMA Show on one condition: Their experiences
had to be shared via feedback surveys and, when possible, across a
variety of Internet-based social networks. This was the second year of
the project, and the feedback and enthusiasm were inspiring.