Here is the Honda Element at the SEMA show in Las Vegas....

Whats with all these "street" concepts.. why doesn't anyone come out with a "rugged" version of the E... I hate the ricer scene..

my element was there too. it was in the mobile tv booth. the element done by hfp if preety cool but not street legal. that car use to be an orange element. they use it purely for car shows. all the stuff on that car from the suspension on is all custom made. it is a cool fast element.

Whats with all these "street" concepts.. why doesn't anyone come out with a "rugged" version of the E...

Several people have posted pictures of the SEMA Element with the Loftyshelters roof tent and plethora of off-road lights.

.. why doesn't anyone come out with a "rugged" version of the E...

So what's stopping you?
I did it. For around $1000 you could easily transform an Element into a mean, ruff-n-ready adventure box.......if not atleast in appearance.

That silver E is far from "rice". Theres no huge aluminum wings, altezza tail lights, angel eyes, vents, or a coffee can exhaust. Everything was done cleanly and besides that E was built to perform. Its suppose to be making nearly twice to hp (due to the custom built K20A) of a stock E while remaining all natural. The transmission is a custom peice utilizing the all wheel drive system from the MDX and has a custom airbox and sway bars. The rear sway bars are actually adjustable from the interior by flipping a few levers. The exhaust tip is from an NSX and the springs and struts come courtesy of HFP (Honda Factory Performance). I'm glad that my E was parked in a totally different hall than that one.

So what's stopping you?
I did it. For around $1000 you could easily transform an Element into a mean, ruff-n-ready adventure box.......if not atleast in appearance.

Empire.. I'm aware of your black E.. I'm more interested in actual off-road performance enhancements.. Unless there's more to your E then meets the eye?

I'm not telling.............*cough* super laser *cough*:shock:

I wanna see the beefy Element too. Looking like a mini hummer...

Empire has a number of practical rugged features:
- full size spare on the roof in case you get a flat 50 miles down a gravel road.
- a brush guard that actually catches brush when plowing through flood waters
- Revo tires - need I say anything else?
- off road lights - they are like chips, you can't just install one!

I suspect most other practical ways of making an Element more adventure-ready are not very showy. Either that or they would require considerable engineering. From what I've seen on cable TV, many SEMA show cars are last minute creations, with lots of one-off fiberglass body panels, and custom sound systems with lots of boom and flash.


paulj

Another thing is that the Element is a street vehicle which is capable of light offroading. Not many folks are going to consider the Element to ever be a hardcore trail monster. I've taken mine thru some sketchy stump ridden mud rutted paths before but the whole time I was wondering why I was doing it. The Element can do alot and can be a surprising performer in the field but it would need a SH!T load of redesigning, relocationing, and one-off fabricating to run with the big boys. I'm sure it could be done but in the end, is it worth it? Maybe. I'd love to see it happen. But most Auto Show demos are all about street performance, appearance, audio, video, glitz and glam. Hell, even the true off-road worthy vehicles get dolled up with chrome bits and custom paint on the outside and LCD's and banks of subwoofers on the inside. There are relatively very,very few aftermarket upgrades available for the Element. Most are geared toward small performance boosts, appearance, and in car electronics. Most companys just wouldn't put the effort into producing off-road enhancing parts specifically for a vehicle that's not considered or puchased as an off-road choice. Give it some time though. It may just take a few determined owners to prove it can be done for the sponsors to take notice.

Here is the Honda Element at the SEMA show in Las Vegas....

Hey, could you please send me the picture of it. couldn't see it on the post.
klrflip@yahoo.com

Hey, could you please send me the picture of it. couldn't see it on the post.
klrflip@yahoo.com

Yeah me too:
donavanharris@yahoo.com

Do you want the image from SEMA 2004 or 2005? The title of this thread is misleading. The original post is from January 2005, shortly after SEMA 2004. The Element in question was probably the one with the Loftyshelters roof tent.

SEMA 2005 just finished. There is an image of a Nomad Explorer Element on this page:
http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/SEMA_05/expedition/tuesday/index.htm
Also check http://www.nomad-explorer.com/ under 'Nomad Micro'

paulj