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At a luncheon the day before the official opening of the SEMA show, Honda held a special gathering of aftermarket luminaries that have helped shape the current tuner industry.

In a panel discussion in front of a room full of auto journalists about where the tuning scene is going, the group discussed the possibility of transplanting some current hybrid technology into vehicles like the S2000, as much for a low-end performance boost as an environmental one.

The panel included moderator Matt Pearson, founder of Super Street magazine and now editorial director for the Specialty Equipment Market Association; John Concialdi, head engineer for go-fast giant parts maker AEM/DC Sports; plus the man they reverentially refer to as "the Godfather," Oscar Jackson of Jackson Racing, "the founder of the whole compact performance industry," thanks to his pioneering drag racing efforts with a tiny Honda Civic back in 1973.

"I was racing Honda motorcycles, and they were dominating," said Jackson. Looking into the engine bay of the Civic, although the displacement was small, he could tell it was a well-designed engine with performance written all over it, relayed Jackson, who actually used engine parts from Honda's Gold Wing motorcycle to speed up those early Civics.

"I thought I better hurry up and get moving on doing up the engines, because they wouldn't just be building econo-cars forever."

Thirty years later, hybrid vehicles are the strange outsiders to the current performance scene, but the aftermarket seems willing and almost enthusiastic to their potential for both speed and fuel economy gains.

"Hybrids are part of the puzzle," said Concialdi, when asked where the market is going. "If you could take the major torque available at low rpm from an electric motor and then drop it into an S2000, you could have the best of both worlds: major low-end torque, plus a 9,000-rpm engine."

Trucks, minivans get

Canadian camping boost

One interesting truck display at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show was by a Canadian company called Sportz by Napier, owned by Roman Napieraj of St. Catharines, Ont.

Napieraj says he's seen huge growth in his firm's pickup- and SUV-attachable tents in the United States and around the world, to the point that manufacturers Ford, Toyota, GM, and Nissan offer the tents, with each respective brand's logo, as dealer or factory options.

"The Pontiac Aztek was our baby," he said. "Apparently every dealer who sold an Aztek wanted the tent, and they even used it in their advertising campaigns."

He's also hoping that rising gas prices that are hurting big SUV sales will push more manufacturers to offer their customers accessories like his tents to keep those big vehicles moving off the lots.

Celeb sightings

at SEMA

Okay, it wasn't exactly the entertainment world's A-list of weekly tabloid regulars, but there were many recognizable faces for car and racing fans at SEMA this year, a couple that non-gearheads would know, and even a little Canadian content.

Jay Leno is becoming a celebrity staple at practically every major auto show, but in terms of star power, the TV talk show host shone brightest. Carroll Shelby, the legendary builder of the Shelby AC Cobra and whose Shelby name has since been used to signify performance packages on a wide range of cars, very well could have been the oldest person at the show at 82 years old, but also one of the most revered.

Former wrestlers were big at the show, among them Bill Goldberg, who appeared in the recent remake of The Longest Yard movie with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds. Also, the Hulkster was there, regularly known as Terry "The Hulk" Hogan, who's apparently still champion somewhere.

As always, motorsports played a major theme at SEMA on the performance side of things, so a number of big racers were there, past and present. Current NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield made appearances, while former NASCAR drivers Robby Gordon and Geoffrey Bodine were also there. Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi provided some road racing history to the floor, while Michael Andretti and Bryan Herta signed autographs at the XM booth.

And finally, for fans of The Bachelor TV show, Canadian Kim Choma was there as a spokesmodel for Navicom. You may remember her as the Edmonton-born swimsuit model vying for Charlie O'Connell's attention earlier this year amongst 25 other hopeful romantics, making it to the last four before her run ended.

No Acura

CSX hybrid

Folks at Honda Canada may have deemed this the right year to change the name of the smallest Acura sedan to better fit the brand's current naming hierarchy, but they won't go as far as offering a hybrid version of the car -- at least not at its introduction this winter.

Honda Canada officials confirmed last week that there will be no hybrid version of the Canada-only CSX when it goes on sale later this year, even though the Civic it's closely based on already sells a hybrid version.

Car cleaning tips

from detailers on-line

If you've ever wondered why your car never shines as brightly when you wash it at home as when it's professionally done, there's an auto detailer's website that chronicles just about everything that goes into a professional detailing job, whether inside or out.

The http://www.mobileworks.com site is meant for detailers, but has handy tips for consumers about what to expect from a good detailing, whether for your car, boat or plane.

There are also some handy tips on carpet cleaning, getting out smells and stains from inside your vehicle, and polishing tips that'll make your car sparkle. Or make you realize how much time it takes to do it right, and take it somewhere that will.

globeauto@globeandmail.ca