Picking a Porsche at SEMA

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BBI Autosport made their presence known this year with several vehicles, one of which was right by the Mobil 1 booth, so we went to check it out immediately. Going by the hashtag #projectnasty, this beautiful 911 was also wearing a set of Fifteen52 wheels wrapped in P-Zero tires.

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I think there is quite a bit of conflict with the Rocket bunny / Liberty Walk kits being put on high end cars. Some people like to think they are not functional, but I don’t think that is the case. BBI Autosport broke the train of thought for those who felt that way by bringing out two beautiful Liberty Walk kitted Porsches, which not only looked great but did their business on the track.

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This year Wataru Kato released his kit for the 997, which was a pleasure to see. This car was located at the CSF Radiators booth and was absolutely phenominal. Speedhunters has an awesome post about this build, which I suggest you read here here.

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The second Liberty Walk Porsche 997, also built by BBI Autosport, was one that stood out – one that was built for function and form. The details on this car are up to SEMA standards, and the dark wheels set off the evil look.

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We were also able to capture this car ripping up the autocross course at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway one day after it left its booth location, which to me is what makes some of these cars special.

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If you saw any car at SEMA with an Optima Batteries Ultimate Street Car Invitational sticker on the door, then not only was it show-car ready with amazing paint, detail and wheels, it was also built with top notch suspension and engine modification. And it was not only capable, but spent time at the track doing what it was designed to do.

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What is SEMA without a RAUH WELT presence? This beautiful blue 911 (993) was hanging out in the iForged booth representing while Nakai-san was actually back in our hometown (Miami) at Parkhaus1 putting together an HRE-wheeled, red RWB Porsche. (Click here to see more.)

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This year, the Liberty Walk presence was definitely stronger than Rauh Welt, but that does not take away from the amazing build quality Nakai-san puts into all of his cars. Hopefully, next year we will see more RWB builds out in the open because they are truly special.

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Renegade Hybrids have been, for a lack of a better word, upsetting the Porsche purists for years now by switching out the original heart for a beastly V8. Regardless of the moral issues this causes, it’s pretty impressive how they fit an LS engine into a rear engine 911.

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This particular 911 not only has the heart of a monster but the looks to match. Last but not least on our tour, we were finally able to visit this car at the Hawks Performance brake pads booth on Friday before leaving the show for good (and were thankful we did).

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This car may not have a middle ground – some people love it while others may be turned off by the exposed rivets on the widebody (which is another conversation by it self). But whatever side you find yourself on, there is no doubting the quality on this build.

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For more information on this build, you can check out the website at http://www.911dv8.com/ or follow the Instagram page at http://instagram.com/911dv8.

I could never put these cars put in any particular order. All of them are equally amazing, and as always, SEMA brings out the best in every builder. I am really glad we got to see more Porsches than usual this time around, and those whose attention to detail were second to none.

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However, one of the most anticipated Porsches to show up at SEMA, was brought in by HRE. With an MSRP of just over $800,000 the Porsche 918 is a rare machine and thankfully it was out in full display. If you are a Porsche fan this was a rare catch, considering the First Porsche 918 burned to the ground prior.

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