Five mad machines from SEMA 2019

If you've never heard of SEMA, don't worry, you're not alone. SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association and the show is basically a place where the wildest car mods come to life.

Whether its swapping wheels for caterpillar tracks, turbocharging cars that really don't need more power or simply swapping out conventional engines for electric motors, SEMA has become a creative outlet for everything automotive.

As one of the largest auto shows on the planet there were too many vehicle to detail individually, but here's five vehicles that caught our eye.

2020 Ford Ranger XLT Sport FX4 Rambler
Imagine the Ford Ranger was equipped with a turbo-petrol engine? Well the US model is, and this 'Rambler' concept by RTR Vehicles in North Carolina features a butch look thanks to bigger wheels and tyres, Fox off-road suspension, new front bumper with winch, stylised side steps and a roof-mounted LED light bar that would illuminate a black hole. Designed for campers and adventurers, it has an extra fuel tank and water tank, and even a built-in fridge.

Illusion
This stunning machine reminds us a little of the striking Holden Efijy concept. The body panels are hand formed (akak coachbuilt) by the builder, Rick Dore, from sheets of aluminium and features a removable roof piece. Suicide doors with hidden handles are another neat feature.

The Illusion ain't slow either, the all-aluminium machine propelled by a 480hp (360kW) LS3 V8 from Chevrolet, driving through a 4L60E automatic transmission.

1968 Ford Bronco by Jay Leno
Okay, so there's probably too many Fords in this list, but this three-door Bronco was created by US comedian and car lover Jay Leno.

This beautifully finished machine is a sleeper, with serious firepower hidden beneath its classic bodywork, in the form of a bonkers 5.2-litre supercharged Shelby GT500 V8 engine. It also gets more potent disc brakes and a reworked chassis to cope with the extra herbs.

It's not a powerful vehicle but the 1970 Ford Escort is in mint condition for the SEMA show. Its Cosworth-designed 1.6-litre twin-cam engine used dual side-draft Weber carburetters to generate 113hp (84kW). But that measly power only had to push rougly 800kg of mass, making it a dextrous little number.