SEMA in Las Vegas.
Show car, show-ready.
Early each November the SEMA Show fills the Las Vegas Convention Center with cars built to be looked at. A show car should arrive exactly as it left the shop, on the hour the organiser gave you, and leave the same way.
How the week works
SEMA runs on appointments. Exhibitors get a move-in slot, and a car that misses it waits. Brandt runs show cars to Las Vegas on a private trailer so the slot holds, delivers to the hall the organiser names, and collects at move-out when the doors open again. Between the two, the trailer is available for the after-parties and the photo shoots that fill the rest of the week, if the car needs to move.
What a show car needs
Most SEMA builds are lower, wider and more fragile than the car they started as. The lift-gate raises the car level; the strap layout is set for the width; body kits, wraps, exposed carbon and one-off paint are noted so the pads and straps are chosen for them. If the car does not run, or runs but should not be driven, it is loaded accordingly. The trailer is sealed and the car is photographed at both ends.
The lane
Austin to Las Vegas is 1,265 miles and one of the lanes on Brandt's home page. Builds from Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana shops share the corridor with dealer and collector traffic all year. The route page has the detail.
Questions on this
Can you meet a SEMA move-in appointment?
Yes; that is what the private trailer is for. The car leaves when it is loaded, drives straight to Las Vegas and arrives at the hall for the slot the organiser gave you. Tell the specialist the hall, the slot and the car's clearance and the plan is made before the trailer leaves.
Can you move a show car that does not run?
Yes, with notice. Whether the car runs, steers and rolls decides how it is loaded, and the specialist confirms it before the trailer is assigned. A build that runs but should not be driven is treated the same way.
Will you collect the car after the show?
Yes. Move-out is planned with the delivery: the same trailer collects at the time the organiser allows and takes the car home, to the next show, or to a buyer. The condition report is signed at both ends of both legs.
