Special Car, auto, cars, vehicles

Looming over everything is the aftermath of The Nightmare on Wall Street. No-one you talk to here expects all three of Detroit's automakers to survive the credit crunch intact. Chrysler is widely regarded as the weakest link and the most likely to fail or be absorbed, though most people merely nod sagely when you explain that at the current rate it is burning cash, GM has maybe 12 to 24 months to live. A year ago they would have called you crazy.

Ford's in scarcely better shape, but the view here is Alan Mullaly's decisive moves to dramatically downsize the company have at least given it a head start over the other two. And maybe a shot at survival.

It's easy to think of the credit crunch as only really affecting the vulnerable Detroit Three. But otherwise healthy automakers are also deeply worried. The long faces among execs working for Japanese automakers betray the strain of dealing with sudden 20 to 30 percent slumps in sales. Even the upscale brands are stressed -- I heard the suggestion one high-margin, highly successful European automaker could only afford to support its dealers at current levels for 16 months before the company would run into serious financial problems.

There's blood on the concrete at dealerships all over the country. One prominent dealer told me his business was currently running at 25 percent the level it was seven or eight years ago. "We've been used to growth," he said. "Now we're having meetings every day trying to figure out how we can get back to profitability." He paused for a second, then smiled: "At least at SEMA we can enjoy some escapism for a couple of days."

How true.

Pro-Street Rolls-Royce
We're used to seeing Rollers at SEMA -- even this year there were at least two Phantom Drophead Coupes on display. But most are simply high-priced show ponies for uber-bling wheels, primly stock in every other way. This Pro-Street Silver Shadow is the real SEMA deal, however -- slammed and tubbed, with a blown Hemi metal mountain thrusting through the hood. Inside is a lot of leather. But no burl walnut.

Rothmans Porsche 962C
I started in this business in the early 80s as a freelance motor sport reporter in Australia, hustling stories as a way of getting up close and personal to fast cars and fascinating people. And maybe make a couple of bucks here and there along the way. By 1985 I had landed a job on a mainstream buff book, giving me the opportunity to occasionally see first hand the best racers in the world compete on tracks I'd read about all my life. The Rothmans Porsche 962s ran in the World Sports Car Championship in the mid-80s, a series that rivaled Formula 1 for excitement and manufacturer involvement. I think I saw this particular car race at Spa-Francorchamps in 1987. It's most famous, however, for winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year, breaking a run of wins by the all-conquering Silk Cut Jaguars, and causing then Jaguar boss Sir John Egan to utter the immortal line: "God must be a German".

Matte and gloss
One of the fun parts of SEMA is trying to spot the trends. One of the obvious ones this year was tone-on-tone matte-gloss paint jobs. This Nissan GT-R was one of a number of cars with variations on this theme. Another that caught my eye was a very cool Challenger with a gloss black lower, matt black upper, and gloss black racing stripes over the hood, roof and trunk.

Get smart
Though Ford tried hard with the Flex, the tiny smart fourtwo was -- along with the Dodge Challenger -- one of this year's "it" cars at SEMA. The smarts ran the gamut from mild to wild (George Barris had one pimped as a baby Batmobile). My favorite was this neat little one from German tuner Carlsson. It had been lowered, fitted with 16in front and 177in rear wheels and bigger tires, and had a sports exhaust with quad outlets. Carlsson boss Markus Schuster wondered aloud whether there would be a market for a modded smart in America. What do you think? We'll be testing this one when it's shipped to LA after the show, so stay tuned.

Closing the circle
This is how it began. Could it also be how it ends? The Jeep J8 "Sarge" is a military-spec version of the JK Jeep. It rolls on a 116in wheelbase, and is offered as a two or four door. It can be configured as a light troop carrier, ambulance, or cargo truck. Chassis upgrades allow the J8 Sarge to tow and carry much heavier loads than a regular JK Jeep. Under the hood is a 2.8-liter four cylinder turbo-diesel making 158hp and 295lb-ft of torque, driving all four wheels through a five speed automatic transmission. Jeep started out as an all-purpose motorized mule for the Allied forces in World War Two. The J8 Sarge has a rugged honesty that too many of Jeep's modern products lack -- step forward Commander, Compass and Patriot. Maybe that's why I liked it.