10 Unhinged SEMA Psycho Cars You Need To See

The SEMA show is always a bag of laughs for all the right and all the wrong reasons. Generally speaking, mainstream manufacturers take the chance to show off concepts we all wish they had the bottle to make, and tuners use SEMA to showcase how badly their medication is working.

Below is a list of our top 10 favourites:

1. Chevrolet Spark EV Tech Performance

Why start big when small is this mental? The two-tone paint job is as lairy as a badger on speed, and we suspect the rest of the car is, too. This Spark’s electric motors produce 140hp, but 450lb ft of torque. Yes, 450. That’s 52 more than a Ferrari 458, making this Spark more of an explosion.

2. Universal Technical Institute Gulf Focus ST

We all know that the Gulf colours are among the best liveries ever to grace a car. Check it out on this Focus ST, with its boosted track, unusual cropped wheel arch extensions and huge rims packed full of awesome. The turbo has been swapped for a supercharger, and we want it badly.

3. Dodge Viper SRT

Casual insanity seems to be at a low ebb at SRT, but the fact that its most exciting debut at SEMA is a new, very blue paintjob is fine by us. This colour hasn’t actually been named yet, but rumour has it that Competition Blue, Overtaking Blue and Viral Blue are all in the running. Whatever it’s called, it looks eyeball-burstingly dramatic.

4. Bismoto Hyundai Genesis Coupe

Yes, it has a Hyundai badge. But it also has 1000 ponies under the bonnet courtesy of a pair of high-pressure turbochargers and an intercooler the size of the Death Star. The back tyres are 11 inches wide and probably won’t be cheap to replace every time you shred them. Which will be at every set of traffic lights.

5. Greddy X Scion Racing Drift FR-S

If you like your compact coupes a little less powerful than the modded Genesis, try this Greddy-tuned Toyota GT86-alike with a mere 750bhp. Rest assured it’s no dullard, having been given suspension geometry that’s designed to let the car go sideways more or less everywhere. And before you ask, no; Kwik Fit don’t sell those drift tyres that give off coloured smoke.

6. 1978 Chevrolet 4x4 E-Rod

Just look at it. What a thing. America might be stuck in the dark ages when it comes to efficiency and emissions, but when they put together trucks like this, who gives a damn? This stunning ‘78 pick-up has been given a new 324bhp engine - and it even passes every US state’s emissions tests.

7. Jeff Gordon SS Performance Concept

Ignore the fact that this little beast sounds like it was put together by Flash Gordon’s dad. The SS Performance is a pumped-up, muscle-bound animal in the same vein as the Mercedes C63 AMG. There’s a 6.2-litre V8 with 410bhp at the front, and the only kick in the teeth is that there’s no proper manual gearbox.

8. Ford F-100 ‘Snakebit’

Imagine a 1956 Ford F-100 pick-up in the sweaty throes of passion with a modern-day Mustang and you’ll basically get to the idea behind the Snakebit. Unveiled by Gene Simmons of Kiss, it’s no looker but it’s packing more than 540bhp from a supercharged V8. All that muscle goes straight to the back wheels in a frenzy of noise and evaporating money. Just as we like it.

9. Pure Vision Design TT Camaro

Back in 1972, they made cars that looked like they wanted to eat you. The Camaro, with its unique ‘beak’, is one of those cars. After serious fettling this will eat more or less anything else, after two turbos ramp the output up to a frankly ridiculous 1400 horsepower. Every inch of it is just stunning.

10. Toyota CamRally Concept

Take the most boring of all motorised vehicles, a Toyota Camry, add Nascar driver Parker Kligerman and a bunch of other Toyota sadists and watch the resulting carnage. With a turbocharged V6 kicking out an undisclosed power figure, this is the CamRally, arguably the most improbable car at SEMA 2013.