SEMA Sideshow: Camo and military themes abound

Click for high-res gallery of camo and military-themed cars from SEMA

Considering that the majority of vehicles at SEMA tend to be rolling showcases for aftermarket companies, most of them are designed to attract as much attention as possible. After all, how better to make your car stand out from a sea of thousands than to give it an eye-popping paint job or use models or some other attention-getter (like 30-inch rims, maybe) to bring people into closer range to find out more about your products and services? It seems kind of ironic, then, that some have chosen to go the invisible route with their choice in exterior adornment -- as in camouflage. And then it struck us - that is precisely the point. Just like the new Malibu ads, invisible can be effective.

Follow the jump for more of the story and additional photos from SEMA.

These companies decided that the best way to get people into their booths was to have them walk right into the vehicle itself. Frankly, we barely noticed some of these rides until we were right on top of them, and by then we were already within the grasps of the sales people. How clever. Actually, most of the camo appeared on outdoorsy trucks, so it was very appropriate. In a few cases, though, it just didn't click. In others, people had used it to honor the military in one way, shape, or form, which was very touching. In fact, some military tribute vehicles dropped the camo altogether and went with rolling memorials. Reminds us that there can be some substance in all of this fluff as well.