SEMA Was Full Of Wild Concepts In 2002

The production version of the 3.2 CL Type-S hit the market in 2001. For 2002, Acura showed an enthusiasts version of the Type-S at SEMA. It’s five-speed automatic transmission was replaced by a close ratio six-speed manual along with a limited slip differential.

Outside, Acura dropped the suspension 1.5" and threw on 19" wheels with prototype Brembo brakes and an aero kit designed by Honda R&D America. The biggest changes were under the hood where a Comptech supercharger was bolted to the 3.2-liter V6. Along with a high flow exhaust system and custom headers, Acura said this CL Type-S made 312 horsepower at the wheels, an increase of 52 hp over the stock Type-S.

This was less a concept and more a preview of what was to come in 2003. Acura offered a factory performance package for the RSK Type-S. For $4,800 you got performance tuned shocks and springs, slotted brake rotors with performance pads, factory aero kit with unique front and rear spoilers, lightweight 17" wheels, performance tires, a unique shift knob and factory performance badging. Sadly there were no engine upgrades.

Inspired by it’s role in the Matrix Reloaded, the CTS M wore all black just as Neo, Trinity and Morpheus did in the films. Cadillac customized the CTS in a partnership with GM Performance. Outside it wore a special Ebony Diamond paint, black chrome grille, 19" black chrome wheels, ground effects package and HID headlights and fog lights.

No pictures were shown of the interior, but Cadillac said there were ebony leather seats with cashmere piping, Alcantara headliner, leather bound floor mats, ebony leather wrapped dash and black chrome trim used throughout the interior.

Information on the DTS Icon Concept is hard to come by these days. What can be found — and seen aside from obvious visual upgrades like the wheels and body kit — says the best part of the concept was its interior. It’s said it had amenities that were inspired by private jets and high end luxury cars.

This was actually thinly disguised concept version of a production trim. The ESV Platinum Concept showed what Cadillac could do given the task of making the most luxurious Escalade you can buy. Some of the features like heated and cooled cupholders and dual 7" rear DVD screens, would make it onto the $70,000 production version a couple of years later.

Similar to the CTS M Concept, the EXT M Concept was inspired by the Matrix Reloaded film (the Escalade EXT also had a role in the film.) It was blacked out, from the big black chrome wheels to the tinted windows and headlights and black chrome trim.

The Suburban Lucchese Concept was Chevy’s way of testing the waters by collaborating with a lifestyle brand. Ford had been successful with its Eddie Bauer, Harley Davidson and King Ranch trims and Chevy wanted in. So it partnered with (expensive) cowboy boot brand Lucchese for a Suburban concept.

Outside it wore unique front and rear facias, big wheels and Lucchese badges on the c-pillars. Power came from the big block 8.1-liter V8 with a K&N air filter along with a custom exhaust system with Edelbrock mufflers and Corsa tips.

Inside was where the Suburban Lucchese really shined. Inspired by the “southwest lifestyle”, the seats were covered in two-tone Perone leather with Klein Karoo Ostrich leather inserts with the Lucchese Mission logo on the headrests as well as the dash and floor mats. The interior was also covered in walnut wood and sterling silver on everything from the grab assist handles and armrests to a custom Truckvalut storage unit in the rear.

Chevy showed the production version of the Silverado SS at SEMA in 2002. It was an all new model for 2003. It was cool and pretty quick with its 345 hp V8 and all wheel drive. But buyers could only get it in an extended cab configuration. So Chevy brought a concept to SMEA that was what the Silverado SS should have been from the beginning, a regular cab SS

Everything about it was the same as the production SS, just in a sportier looking regular cab body. Sadly Chevy never produced was essentially a new age 454 SS.

This Cavalier concept was obviously a SEMA special. Behind the admittedly nice looking body work and wheels, there was some production intent here. Bolted to GM’s Ecotech I4 in this concept was a supercharger that you could actually buy.

On the production version of the Cavalier Z24, buyers could option an Eaton M45 supercharger kit for the Ecotech. With 4.7 PSI of pressure you got 40 extra horsepower and 40 more lb-ft of torque for a total of 190 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque.

The second of GM’s Cavalier concepts at SEMA ‘02, the Cavalier 2.2 Turbo Sport Coupe showed Chevy wanted in on the tuner compact world. The brand wanted to do battle with the Civic Si’s Ford SVT Foci and Nissan Sentra SE-Rs of the world.

The result was the work of GM Performance. Outside it received an agressive body kit that GM actually considered offering as a dealer option, yellow paint, 19" Racing Hart M5 wheels, ram air hood and a nice sized rear spoiler. The suspension also had an airbag system for some reason that could drop the suspension a few inches.

The real goodies were under the hood. A Garret turbocharger, ported head, higher compression ratio and modified exhaust resulted in 182 hp and a zero to 60 mph time of 7.5 seconds.

While Chevy eventually brought the Trailblazer SS to market in 2006, it was previewed by this SEMA concept in 2002. Power came from the same 6.0-liter 345 hp V8 from the Cadillac Escalade. This was paired with a four speed automatic transmission and all wheel drive. There was also SS specific wheels and exterior styling, most of which made it to the production version.

The 2000's saw Chevy bring back the SS performance badge with a vengeance. By the end of the decade, the SS badge had graced no less than eight different models. One model that had never had a SS version in production was the Tahoe.

While this wasn’t the first time Chevy had toyed with the idea of a Tahoe SS — the brand first showed a Tahoe SS Concept back in 1997 — everything here could have easily gone into production, mostly because it was just a visual package. Outside it got more aggressive styling with a lowered ride height, big lower air intakes and HID headlights. Power came from the same 345 hp Vortec V8 that powered regular Tahoes.

The Corvette Z06 “White Shark” Concept was a tribute to another Chevy concept car from the 1960s, the Mako Shark Corvette. While that concept was all black, Chevy went with white for this modern reinterpretation. The exterior was painted in Shark Sand tri-stage pearl paint, a unique front facia with chin spoiler, air extracting hood, nickel plated five-spoke alloy wheels and a European tail light package. Inside there was aluminum pedals and black/Klein Karoo ostrich/cowhide leather trim interior.

It wasn’t all about styling of course. This C5 Corvette Z06 made C6 Z06 power. Sat inside a carbon fiber engine bay was a 6.6-liter V8 making 512 hp. Weirdly, the engine was mated to a four speed automatic transmission.

The PT Cruiser Big Sky Concept showed Chrysler fine tuning the styling of the PT Cruiser and throwing on a big, multi-pane glass roof. Similiar to the one seen on the Pontiac G6, the roof was made using an innovative glass glazing interlayer technique developed by Solutia Automotive. Called Vanceva Color, it resulted in a tinting of the class that matched the exterior color of the concept.

The real reason for the concept was much more interesting though. The Big Sky Concept was Chrysler’s way of testing the waters of the market. Chrysler wanted to see how the public would respond to the idea of an all wheel drive PT Cruiser. Sadly it seems PT Cruiser buyers weren’t interested in all wheel drive as the idea was axed by Chrysler just two years later.

The Dodge Stratus Turbo Concept looked like your typical, early 2000s tuner concept — and not in a great way. Underneath that custom front facia, functional hood scoop, Euro-style tail lights and huge rear wing was some actual performance.

Dodge engineers lifted the 2.4-liter turbocharged I4 from the Neon SRT-4 and threw it in the Stratus. The result was 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. There was also a lowered performance tuned suspension from the Stratus R/T, short throw five-speed manual transmission and performance brakes.

Ford brought a real life-sized Hot Wheel to SEMA in 2002 in the form of a Ford Focus ZX3 hatchback. It was done up exactly how you’d imagine a real life Hot Wheel would be: lots of bright colors and flames. Power came from a supercharged version of Ford’s Zetec I4 engine with 180 hp.

The Envoy XL Project Pro was GMC’s attempt to show professionals another vehicle option outside of the usual Savana cargo van. Based on the long wheelbase Envoy XL, it had an integrated tie down system in the cargo area as well as a load floor that could be pulled out and a cargo management system. Other unique features included an on-board wet/dry vac, 110-volt rear outlet and a rear seat DVD entertainment system.

Called a contractors dream, GMC partnered with Home Depot and conducted focus groups with contractors to create what they thought the perfect work van would be. It came with features like dual side access panels that could be accessed with the remote entry system and enhanced interior lighting for the cargo area.

The van was so well received that GMC made the Savana a production model the following year. It came with both dealer and factory installed features for contractors and workers.

Pro drag racer Adam Saruwatari used SEMA 2002 to show off his new Civic Si drag racer. Designed to compete in the NHRA’s Pro-Comp class, it featured a tube chassis and rear wheel drive. The best bits were underneath of course.

Power for this drag racer came from a heavily modified version of the NSX’s 3.2-liter V6. With mods like a Tial Sport turbo and Motec M880 ECU, the engine made over 1,000 hp and was paired with a five-speed sequential transmission. It also had Enkei drag wheels, Nitto drag slick tires, Sparco seats and Eibach springs.

The seventh generation Accord was all new for 2002. So SEMA was a perfect opportunity to showcase the new Accord and what could be with Honda Performance accessories. The Accord Concept Coupe was powered by a modified version of Honda’s 3.2-liter V6. With high flow intake and exhaust it made 300 hp and was paried with a six-speed manual transmission.

Other modifications included 20" black chrome wheels, a carbon fiber rear wing, Sparco carbon/Kevlar backed bucket seats covered in Alcantera, a three-spoke race steering wheel, lowered racing suspension and Brembo brakes with prototype eight piston calipers.

Honda allowed the only authorized Mugen distributor — King Motorsports — in North America to show off a modified Civic Si at SEMA ’02. Power came from a modified version of the JDM K20 engine used in the Civic Type R. Many parts in the engine were Mugen from a cold airbox to a stainless steel twin-loop cat-back exhaust. The result was 240 hp. The suspension used Mugen parts like a rear stabilizer bar and coil over suspension.

Outside, the Si was done up with parts like Type R front and rear bumpers, Mugen MF10 forged wheels, Mugen carbon fiber hood and a Mugen carbon fiber radiator duct kit. Inside there were Mugen gauges, seats, pedal set and racing wheel.

The Jaguar X-Type Racing Concept was strange. On one hand, it was Jaguar’s way of exploring racing options for North America, which is cool. But on the other, it was the brand’s way of testing the waters for “the potential of Jaguar’s X-TYPE sports sedan as a ‘project car’ for the enthusiast market.” Jaguar’s strange words.

But Jaguar was serious. Inspiration for concept was taken from Trans-Am and the European DTM race cars. Jag partnered with Paul Gentilozzi’s Rocketsports Racing for the design. It featured a wider track, full width rear wing, Michelin Pilot race tires, Brembo six-piston racing brakes and Jaguar leaper graphics. Unfortunately the race similarities stopped there. Aside from all the race ready stuff, the 231 hp 3.0-liter AJ V6 and five-speed manual transmission were bone stock. But hey, it had all wheel drive.

The Mazdaspeed Protégé was just a year old when Mazda showed a mid-year updated version of the performance compact at SEMA ‘02. It featured revised front and rear skirts, new rear wing, Mazdaspeed exhaust tip, and Racing hart aluminum wheels.

Inside there was new Mazdaspeed branded shift knob, floor mats and pedals along with yellow accented stitching throughout the interior. Only 4,500 Mazdaspeed Protégés were ever made with just over half (2,750) being the updated mid-year model.

Pontiac’s GXP high performance line made it’s official debut at SEMA ‘02. While the brand showed both the V8 powered Bonneville and Grand Prix GXP concepts that eventually made it to production, there were a couple concepts that never saw the light of day. Pontiac showed a Sunfire GXP, Grand Am GXP and the Vibe GXP you see here.

This could have easily went into production. It featured subtly aggressive styling with a new lower front spoiler, five spoke wheels and a rear spoiler. Power came from a supercharged version of Toyota’s (Remember, the Vibe was the result of GM’s NUMMI partnership with Toyota, who got it’s version of the Vibe as the Matrix.) Toyota’s 1ZZ-FE I4 engine. Pontiac claimed a 35 percent increase in power over base Vibe’s, which made 130 hp.