PPG reports that the 2010 SEMA Show proved to be a success for its Automotive Refinish division. Considered to be the world’s leading automotive specialty products event, the show was held Nov. 2–5 in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center. PPG says it drew crowds – and awards – with unique indoor and outdoor exhibits, custom car displays, celebrity painters, a new product announcement, industry-related classes, and a dazzling show of custom-painted guitars and album covers.
The PPG indoor exhibit, a 1950s-style diner, was named best of show by Collision Hub, the premier networking site for the collision repair industry. A display of rock ‘n’ roll era guitars and records decorated by superstar painters of the custom car universe was also showcased. The guitars and records were finished with PPG’s VOC-compliant Envirobase High Performance and Nexa Autocolor Aquabase Plus waterborne coatings. Both these leading product lines represent the advanced, innovative and environmentally responsible waterborne technology PPG has introduced to the automotive refinish industry. The PPG outdoor exhibit featured the PPG Show Truck with its new, colorfully eye-catching paint scheme and Steve Hale’s “Green Machine,” a 100 percent propane-powered, customized 1956 F-100 pickup finished in gleaming Envirobase High Performance waterborne coatings.
Two custom cars on display in the PPG booth won noteworthy awards. “Wild Cad,” a radically chopped and channeled 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille painted in PPG neon purple by the legendary Gene Winfield took the General Motors Design Award for best GM passenger car. A second 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, a custom restoration by Todd Lewis of Xtreme Restorations, Slatersville, Rhode Island, received the Mother’s Shine Award which recognizes the best finishes at the show. Both cars added to the diner’s retro 1950s “Happy Days” motif attracting and exciting gearheads galore.
Crowds also gathered around the PPG exhibits to meet celebrity painters Gene Winfield, Tom and Mitch Kelly, Charley Hutton, and Dave and Jody Perewitz, who were on hand to sign autographs and discuss their techniques for painting with PPG Vibrance Collection custom finishes and Envirobase High Performance waterborne coatings. The classic cars, cool guitars and nationally known celebrity painters reminded attendees of PPG’s long heritage while demonstrating its leadership in innovative and green products for the future.
The SEMA show is open exclusively to members of the industry and attracts participants from over 100 countries around the world.
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