A recent Las Vegas Review Journal headline called the SEMA show at the Las Vegas Convention Center a “car show”. But SEMA is far more than that. It’s a show for the folks who make all their vehicles — street cars, race cars, off-road vehicles, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and even golf carts — special. The products showcased at this show help vehicles go faster, function better, look prettier, have better audio and communication access or be safer than any other similar vehicles on the road. SEMA stands for “Specialty Equipment Market Association”.

As I’ve said in previous years, I’m not a car person, but I love this show. The folks attending (some 130,000) are so happy to be at the show, you can see it in their smiles, their attention to a vehicle’s smallest details and their eagerness to take photos. Yes, a few pretty girl models are on hand, but most of the photos are taken of vehicles and parts of vehicles. I heard one man on a phone at the show being absolutely giddy talking to the folks back home about what he had seen the day before, what he had seen that day (Wednesday) and his plans for the next two days of the show. (The show ran from Oct. 30-Nov. 2.)

The accompanying video is called simply a “Taste of SEMA 2012” because this reporter attended the show for just a few hours, not days. If you’re a car and truck person, forgive my naivety and any narrator errors. I know more about quantum physics than I know about cars… And I know nothing about quantum physics. But I still love the show.

If you are a car person, what follows is a press release from the SEMA folks that you will love. It’s title is: “Hottest Car, Sport Compact, Truck and 4×4-SUV Announced at the 2012 SEMA Show”:

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Oct. 30, 2012) – This year’s SEMA Award for the top trending vehicle models in four categories were announced today at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The Ford Mustang was named Hottest Car, the Scion FR-S took the Hottest Sport Compact honors, the Ford F-Series won Hottest Truck and the Jeep Wrangler received the Hottest 4×4-SUV award.

“The SEMA Show has always been about innovative products and trends,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. “The SEMA Award amplifies the industry’s special ability to identify and set trends that consumers follow.”

The SEMA Award recognizes vehicle models that specialty-equipment manufacturers believe are the best platforms for accessorization and that showcase the year’s coolest products. It also underscores the cooperative relationship between the automakers and SEMA-member companies.

“The SEMA Award helps guide consumers toward the hottest-trending and most accessory friendly vehicles on the market,” added Kersting. “Our SEMA Show exhibitors are industry visionaries who determine the winners of the SEMA Award based on the vehicles they showcase in their booths. Each booth vehicle represents a ‘vote’ and the most prominent models in each category are the winners.”

The 2012 SEMA Show features more than 2,000 exhibiting companies that manufacture thousands of products designed to improve performance, safety and convenience, as well as those that enhance appearance and comfort. While products are available for every make and model, exhibitors are investing more in the Ford Mustang, Scion FR-S, Ford F-Series, and Jeep Wrangler than any other vehicles. Consumers, therefore, can expect to find great specialty products for accessorizing these vehicles.