Top 10 Cars of the 2014 SEMA Show

The SEMA Show is a ludicrous mix of vehicles modified to the moon and back again that draws thousands of people every year. Manufacturers pay absurdly high fees to host displays mostly filled with versions of their car that a third party modifies.

Some are massaged to make mind boggling horsepower while others are basically artwork on wheels. These are the top 10 cars of the 2014 SEMA Show.

A Scion xB? Yes, the bread box from Toyota’s budget brand made this year’s list. Riley Hawk, son of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, worked with Scion to come up with a retro-themed partymobile. The interior is trimmed with wood style finishes and shag carpeting that is nothing if not unusual, which is half the battle at the SEMA Show and the biggest reason we picked it to kick off the list.

If you owned something with mind-melting acceleration like a Porsche 911 Turbo S, it would probably be frustrating to pull up beside a Toyota Camry only to have it blow your doors off from a red light.

That scenario is less likely in the real world than winning the Powerball jackpot, but there is a Camry at the SEMA Show this year that could do it.

Well, that’s partially true. Toyota took a Camry body and put it on top of a full tube chassis housing the same 5.7-liter V8 that normally powers the Tundra pickup. Then they went further by adding a supercharger. In theory, Toyota says the purpose-built Camry drag car can complete a quarter mile run in 9.8 seconds.

It didn’t take long for Roush to announced its performance tuning packages for the sixth-generation Mustang. Ford’s new pony car is still fresh on dealer lots and already there are a long list of available performance packages for the car.

If you go the Roush route – and you really should – you get access to a variety of tuning kits that spur the car to make more than 600 hp.

Roush brought a Mustang tuned with its stage 3 track pack that bumps power from the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 to over 700 hp.

The Lexus spindle grille is already a polarizing design and that’s even more true with the RC in all its forms. If you love the new Lexus design, this thing is a home run, but it’s probably hard to get on board if you already aren’t a fan.

We fall firmly into the first category and subsequently see the dark red RC 350 F Sport equipped with a widebody kit from Rocket Bunny as a serious visual enhancement. It also gets a GReddy performance exhaust and significantly wider wheels that make it a real head turner.

Leave it to Ken Block to go over the top. At number two, it’s the star of Gymkhana Seven with 845 tire shredding horsepower going to all four wheels courtesy of a 6.7-liter Roush Yates V8.

What’s better than eight cylinders? Ten! At number one it’s the Dodge Viper ACR concept. Dodge had a hard time finding people to buy its halo car until it dropped the price by $15,000 to bring it closer to the less expensive Chevrolet Corvette.

With that in mind it seems unlikely that the ACR concept will become a reality, but how cool would it be if it got the green light?

Dear Dodge,

Please, please, please, build this…