SEMA manufacturing members were given private previews of more than 25 new vehicles during 2007. The vehicles, provided by several OEMs through the SEMA Measuring Session program, were often made available to members months before they were released to the general public. Last year's sessions included vehicles from Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota and more.  

The sessions provided SEMA manufacturing members with the opportunity to gather the measurements and data needed to produce products, and access to vehicle designers, product managers and high-level executives.

That was 2007. For 2008, the SEMA OEM relations department has already conducted two Measuring Sessions and has scheduled two separate upcoming sessions with Ford for the automaker's 2009 line of E- and F-Series trucks, the all-new Flex and the Lincoln MKS. SEMA manufacturing members who would like to take advantage of the upcoming Ford Measuring Sessions are encouraged to visit www.sema.org/oem and access the 2009 Ford Measuring Session Information link underneath the Ford logo.

For more information on upcoming SEMA Measuring Sessions or additional details about the program, contact Bill Wolf at billw@sema.org or 909/396-0289, ext. 177.

Boyd Coddington, SEMA Hall of Famer and longtime hot-rod industry icon died Wednesday morning at the age of 63.

Recognized worldwide as an automotive designer, builder and fabricator of innovative hot rods, Coddington is credited with being the winningest custom-car builder of all time. His accolades include the prestigious Grand National Roadster Show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy—an honor he claimed on seven separate occasions.

“Boyd was a great innovator and entrepreneur. His passion for cars has touched thousands of people and inspired what has grown into a classic American pastime,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “He is among the individuals who helped shape and influence SEMA. His amazing talent will continue to inspire us for many years to come.”

Coddington’s illustrious career began in his backyard garage in 1976 and flourished to include such milestones as having the only hot rod to ever be displayed in the Smithsonian Institution, and having a DuPont production paint, “Boyd Red” named in his honor. Coddington worked with other top designers, including Larry Erickson, Thom Taylor and Chip Foose who, along with Jesse James, worked in Coddington’s shop for a number of years.

A longtime contributor to charitable organizations, Coddington and his wife Jo founded the Coddington Foundation, a non-profit corporation in 2005. The Coddingtons formed the organization exclusively for charitable and educational purposes to provide terminally ill children with a chance to realize their dream of building a hot rod, which were, in turn, auctioned for charity.

In addition to his induction into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 1995, Coddington was also welcomed into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the Route 66 Wall of Fame and the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame, to name but a few. Hot Rod magazine voted him its “Man of the Year’ in 1988.

For more information, please click here.

Businessman, philanthropist and respected NASCAR driver Kyle Petty will be the featured guest at a Congressional reception in Washington, D.C., celebrating the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the American motorsports industry. Sponsored by SEMA, the reception will take place on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. 

In addition to influential SEMA members and industry leaders, among those attending the reception will be members of the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, consisting of about 100 members of Congress.  The Caucus, formed in 1996, is a coalition of federal lawmakers who are car enthusiasts themselves or have racing and performance manufacturers in their districts. Co-chaired by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI), the Caucus was created to help raise the profile of the motor-vehicle performance industry in Washington and throughout the country.   

The Victory Junction Gang Camp is a year-round camp that serves children ages seven to 15 with a variety of health issues. Located in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina, the camp opened its doors in June 2004. Founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their son Adam, the camp has a racing theme with the sights, sounds, look and feel of a race track. It operates solely on the donations of corporations, organizations and individuals. Through its Cares Committee, SEMA is one of many corporate sponsors of the Victory Junction Gang Camp. SEMA Cares also supports Childhelp, whose mission is to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of abused and neglected children.

“SEMA members have a long history of giving back to our communities by assisting children and families who require a helping hand,” said Joel Ayres, SEMA Cares Committee chairman. “We’re thrilled to be able to use the occasion of SEMA’s Washington Rally to recognize the remarkable work being done by the Victory Junction Gang Camp, its staff, the Petty family and the many SEMA members who have contributed to this endeavor.”

Ayres is a former SEMA Board member and is the current national marketing director of the Leer Division, Truck Accessories Group (TAG) Inc.

In addition to the congressional reception, SEMA members who attend the Washington Rally will be treated to an Opening Briefing Session with United States Senator Jon Tester, meet with their members of Congress in a one-on-one setting, partake of a political insider session with well-known Washington pundits and given a tour of the United States Capitol.

For more information or to download a registration form for the Washington Rally, please go to: www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?ID=51667.

SEMA manufacturing members are invited to join Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, for the Ford Measuring Session featuring the 2009 Ford Flex, F-150 and Lincoln MKS. This is the event where you can gather the measurements, photos and information needed to get your products ready for when these vehicles hit the streets later this year.

The Measuring Session is scheduled for Tuesday–Thursday, April 22–24, at the Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn, Michigan. To register, access the writable PDF available by clicking here. The deadline to register is Friday, April 11. Photos of the vehicles are available at www.ford.com and www.fordflex.com.

For more information on this and other upcoming SEMA Measuring Sessions, contact Bill Wolf at billw@sema.org or 909/396-0289, ext. 177.

Filler for eNews

SEMA members are encouraged to tune into SEMA's next webinar, "Analyzing the Income Statement: The Nuts and Bolts," on Thursday, March 6, (10:00 a.m. PST) to learn how to use income statements to manage and determine the financial health of your business.  

Spy photographer Pedro Domingues, part of Brenda Priddy & Company's network of covert auto shooters, snapped these shots of the forthcoming Lamborghini Gallardo LP550 in Portugal, ahead of its debut at the Geneva Auto Show.

SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle registration classification for street rods and custom vehicles and provide for special license plates for these vehicles will be considered by the Kansas House Transportation Committee. The bill defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948.

The bill allows kit cars and replica vehicles to be assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the body of the vehicle it most closely resembles.

For more information click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

With the help of grassroots hobbyists across the state, SEMA defeated two bills in Washington State that sought to tax vehicle owners in an attempt to reduce motor-vehicle emissions. The first bill would have established two separate progressive fees for state motor vehicles based on (1) engine size and (2) calculations of carbon emissions. These fees would have been collected by the state at the time of initial vehicle registration and at subsequent renewals of registration.  

The second bill sought to establish a progressive annual excise tax for all passenger motor vehicles based on the EPA’s fuel-economy ratings. This tax could have required some vehicle owners to pay up to $240 each year.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA is supporting Maryland legislation that proposes to exempt motor vehicles that are driven 1,000 miles or less from the state’s mandatory emissions' inspection program. Vehicles of any model year would be eligible. The bill is scheduled for a hearing by the House Environmental Matters Committee on March 7, 2008.

For more information click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.