A SEMA-supported bill in the West Virginia Legislature to provide owners of antique motor vehicles with a reduced personal property tax assessment has been passed by the Roads and Transportation Committee.

SEMA again helped turn back legislation in the Washington Legislature that would have implemented a vehicle scrappage program for passenger vehicles more than 15-years old.

Legislation that would have expanded the definition of “abandoned motor vehicle” to include vehicles that were left unattended for more than six hours on private property without valid plates, title or permit will not be considered in the 2010 legislative session.

Ford is accepting the final proposals for its annual project vehicle program, due March 1. Act now if you're planning a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury project for 2010.

Roger Penske gave up a successful racing career to open his first car dealership in 1965, but that didn’t keep him away from the track. He began Penske Racing that same year, and one of his earliest acquisitions was the 1966 Corvette coupe. The car had been used by Chevrolet to develop the L88 engine program, and Penske struck a deal with Zora Arkus-Dontov—who quietly worked around GM’s factory ban on race support—to buy the car for competition.

Penske sent a young West Coast racer named Dick Guldstrand to Detroit to drive the Corvette to Penske’s operation in Pennsylvania. [Read More]

As the automotive industry continues to adapt to changes in the economy and consumer spending habits, SEMA-member companies are faced with the decision to race ahead with a new course for the specialty-equipment market or fall behind with the old status quo. In a recent SEMA webinar, "The Major Determinants of U.S. Automotive Demand: Factors Driving the U.S. Automotive Market," moderator John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, urges members to focus on the upside of the industry’s downturn.

The SEMA Person of the Year Award was established in 1969 to honor an individual for outstanding contributions to the industry reaching beyond the person’s normal job functions. In the case of this year’s honoree, those contributions were extraordinary and ongoing. SEMA was proud to name Doug Evans of Source Interlink Media its 2009 Person of the Year at the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

News and information from SEMA's councils and committees.

A photo collection of Ford cars, trucks and SUVs from the 2009 SEMA Show.

Performance parts pioneer and SEMA Hall of Fame member John Simmons kept in touch with trends on the streets, at the track, and at the shows.