2020 was the poorest year in terms of auto shows pretty much since most of us were born. Everything got canceled or postponed; some shows, including SEMA in part, moved online, trying to salvage whatever was to salvage. But we still missed a lot of excitement this year.
For years SEMA has been the place to go for the auto and related industries that crave the attention and feed on live reactions. Without people attending in-person, showing a new product is like presenting this 1950 Ford F-1 you’re seeing now, through a screen - the excitement, although there, is greatly diminished, because so is the perception.
And for a company that spells disaster. This here pickup, built by Austin Speed Shop, was supposed to be a support platform for PPG Industries to show some of its paints. Imagine having to do that through a screen, with people forced to zoom in and out to convince themselves that this red is actually mostly matte and not gloss.
Wouldn’t it have been better to see it in person? Luckily, for some people it was, as the truck was on display at SEMA in 2014, in the PPG booth. And now a lucky someone, willing to pay $149,900 for it, will get to experience the pickup as close and personal as possible.
The all-red machine (only small traces of chrome upset the PPG coating), placed close to the ground thanks to its air ride suspension, looks just as fresh as it did six years ago and, for all intents and purposes, the 278 miles (448 km) on the odometer are proof that is so.
The fact that this truck was barely used these past few years kind of makes us sad, though. That means the massive 547-ci (9.0-liter) V8 engine fitted under the hood is just there for décor, and the 878 horsepower it can develop have barely been put to any use.
Now that the truck is for sale, we can only hope someone snatches it - this way, there's a chance of actually seeing it on the road, regardless of whether we'll have auto shows next year or not.
And for a company that spells disaster. This here pickup, built by Austin Speed Shop, was supposed to be a support platform for PPG Industries to show some of its paints. Imagine having to do that through a screen, with people forced to zoom in and out to convince themselves that this red is actually mostly matte and not gloss.
Wouldn’t it have been better to see it in person? Luckily, for some people it was, as the truck was on display at SEMA in 2014, in the PPG booth. And now a lucky someone, willing to pay $149,900 for it, will get to experience the pickup as close and personal as possible.
The all-red machine (only small traces of chrome upset the PPG coating), placed close to the ground thanks to its air ride suspension, looks just as fresh as it did six years ago and, for all intents and purposes, the 278 miles (448 km) on the odometer are proof that is so.
The fact that this truck was barely used these past few years kind of makes us sad, though. That means the massive 547-ci (9.0-liter) V8 engine fitted under the hood is just there for décor, and the 878 horsepower it can develop have barely been put to any use.
Now that the truck is for sale, we can only hope someone snatches it - this way, there's a chance of actually seeing it on the road, regardless of whether we'll have auto shows next year or not.