Ford Motor Company will have a major presence next month at the 2013 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas November 5-8, where it will showcase 57 customized vehicles and make several announcements. The Blue Oval will take over more than 27,000 square feet inside the Las Vegas Convention Center and 110,000 square feet of the convention center’s Silver Lot.
Ford Out Front
Those 110,000 square feet of the convention center’s Silver Lot will be dedicated to something called “Ford Out Front” — a series of events and displays where company-sponsored racing schools from Miller Motorsports Park will take center stage. Attendees will be given the opportunity to ride in Rallycross Fiestas driven by Ken Block and Tanner Foust and even drive the Fiesta ST and F-150 SVT Raptor that are used at Ford-sponsored racing schools.
The Ford Exhibit
Inside the convention center, Ford’s exhibit will contain modified versions of The Blue Oval’s most popular models, including the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, Mustang, F-150 and Super Duty.
In addition, Ford and its aftermarket modifiers will display something Ford calls “Vandemonium” — an exhibit of 10 Transit Connect Wagons and cargo vans “treated as blank canvas by aftermarket tuners to illustrate the vehicle’s use beyond family or commercial transportation.” Ford says that the mods will go beyond the typical custom paint and body kits, and will instead be comprised of “functionality that captures the spirit of Transit Connect, including creating a mobile boutique, working bike shop and a portable two-person gaming lounge.” Now that’s customization!
Ford’s “Exciting Major Announcement”
Ford has also stated that it will host a press event at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5 inside the Las Vegas Convention Center where it will make “an exciting major announcement about its 2014 racing program”. We wonder what that means!
In addition to the planned announcements, special guest Gene Simmons of KISS and his wife, actress Shannon Tweed, will reveal a 1956 F100 truck that will be auctioned off. Proceeds from the truck’s sale will go toward funding a new children’s hospital near Tweed’s hometown in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Ford And Forza Motorsport 5 On Xbox One
Rounding out Ford’s planned festivities for this year’s SEMA show is early access for attendees to play Forza Motorsport 5 on Xbox One (which goes on sale November 22). Players will be able to take the new Fiesta ST for a virtual spin at the exclusive Xbox One demo stations on the show floor, which will also contain a custom-designed 2014 Fiest ST MRT Xbox show car.
The Motrolix Take
Looks like Ford isn’t pulling any punches for this year’s SEMA — as it shouldn’t: The Blue Oval has a very exciting lineup of fun-to-drive performance vehicles that also look great, and it should flaunt their “tunability” proudly.
We’ll be on hand to provide coverage.
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