So why should you care about the SEMA Show? Well, for one, it's a reminder of how big the modified scene is, but it's also a source of inspiration for car manufacturers. Within the 3.2 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the grass roots of car enthusiasm will be on show. From classics and hot rods to jacked-up off-roaders and supercars, this is a one-hit demonstration of how broad a community is behind this constantly evolving scene. Carmakers are taking note.
Of course, it's not just the United States where this has taken off. If anything, the UK is the home of the modified car. We've been finding ways to improve on the factory design for, well, almost as long as the factories have been producing the cars. And from the garages of the oily-fingered enthusiast, big names in tuning -- MG, Abarth, and AMG, to name a few -- have become global tuning brands now tied in closely with the manufacturers themselves.
If proof of its influence was needed, look at the legacy it's had on the way we buy cars. You can now walk into your nearest dealership and order a box-fresh model shod with larger wheels, lowered suspension, bolt-on body modifications, and uprated audio gear, all without affecting the warranty. We lap it up, too. Some 40 percent of all Audi A3s sold this year will be in the entirely cosmetic S line trim. Let it never be said that modifying cars is just a fad.
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