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I was looking for a Demo Car, but wanted something that was just that little bit different. Completely bored with the usual choice of available vehicles, I wanted to pick something that was a little out of the ordinary, but yet easy enough to rip to pieces and rebuild where required. As this was also to be my own car, it had to have a bit of "go" under the bonnet. This car was first spotted on display at the Stoneleigh car show in the spring of 2000, and I just had to buy it there and then! Since then it has spent much of its life in the workshop undergoing various transformations and retrimming.
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Bring on the Dancing Horses
To save from being asked the same old boring questions, the answers are:
210 Bhp Twin Entry Turbo / 0 - 60 mph in 4.9 Seconds / Top Speed 154 Mph
Total Project Cost Approx £28,000 / Colour - Alfa Romeo Azure Pearlescent |
Where`s the Space for the Subs?
This was the first thing everybody said when they first saw the car. In fact, most people laughed when they heard that I intended to put two 12" Subwoofers behind the seats.
The first step in any project such as this, is to remove all of the interior, so that you can see what you are working with.
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Sealed Boxes
A mould of the rear bulkhead was taken and then M.D.F. was glassed into place, to give the desired shape. The cubic capacity of this box matches exactly the specifications of the Kenwood 12" Sub that we had chosen to fit. This was then repeated, and a box was made to fit behind each of the front seats.
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Flat Panel
Because we wanted to maximise the use of the little space that we had, the Boxes were designed to fit as close to the seats as possible. An M.D.F. board was added to the face, to give a little bit of a contrasting shape to an otherwise very flat panel.
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Centre Console
A centre console was fabricated to house the VDO Dayton Navigation system and for a Pioneer portable DVD player to be mounted on top.
The Face of the Boxes was picked out in ICE Blue Alcantara which was the closest shade we could find to the paintwork. The roof lining was also retrimmed in Alcantara.
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Portable DVD Player ?
Why a portable DVD Player and not an In Car one?
Well, do not forget that this was a demonstration vehicle to show what can be achieved, and back in 2000, when In Car DVD`s were approaching four figures each, it was decided that due to its competitive price, a portable unit would have a greater appeal to a wider range of customers.
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Bland !
These must be the most boring doors in existance, and they were just screaming out to be re-designed. They needed a bit of colour, and something a little more than a single 130mm speaker and tweeter.
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They will fit - honest!
It was decided to utilise two sets of Kenwood PSR Component speakers in each door, and to put their cross-overs on show. The major downside with this modification would also mean that the lower half of the dashboard would have to be shaped to allow the clearance for the larger speakers.
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A Little Better?
A bit of fibreglass, a bit of resin, a few beers, a bit of Leather, an Alcantara panel, and the door is totally transformed.
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Tweeters
The keen eyed amongst you may also notice that a second Tweeter has been mounted in the mirror plate.
But . . . . We didn`t stop there !!!
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Gutted !
Well wouldn`t you be, if you did this to your Car?
The Complete Dashboard internals, clocks, and centre console were removed in order
for them to be redesigned, coloured and trimmed
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Loaded
The motorised in dash monitor is a Kenwood KVC-1000 which is operated by "touch screen",
and also incorporates a built in TV Tuner. Above this is a Kenwood KGC-9044 Equalizer. Mounted to the Centre Console is the Remote for the VDO Dayton GPS Navigation System. The Dash has been retrimmed in Alcantara.
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Tron !
Inspired by the Film that made us all crazy for Neon lighting.
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Under the Bonnet
With the spare wheel removed, there is quite a lot of room under the bonnet, and this seemed a good place to put the amplifiers, especially as the Battery was also mounted in the front.
An M.D.F. box was constructed to fill the hole, so that we knew how much room we had to play with.
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Amplifier`s
As luck would have it, there was just enough room for two Kenwood Amps. A KAC-PS501 to power the two sets of speakers in the front doors, and a KAC-PS401 to power the two Sub`s.
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Blue
The Amplifiers were Anodised in Blue to match the one Farad Capacitor supplied by Tsunami, who also suppplied the blue cables used.
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The Window
A sheet of M.D.F. was shaped to fit inside the front, and two windows were cut out, one to show off the Amplifier`s, and the other one to show off the fuse box and voltage meter, (both Tsunami)
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Glass
A bit of M.D.F., a bit of Alcantara, some Glass, a deft piece of router work by Lindsay, a bit of
trimming by Dave, a lot of swearing by Iain, and it soon starts to take shape.
The next step is to "Box in" all of the surrounding panels, like we have done to the fuse box on the Right.
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We Have The Power
The Tsunami Voltage panel shown is designed to be fitted to the top of the Capacitor, and gives an instant reading of the voltage of the system.
Care was taken when designing the front panel, to ensure that maintenance of the car can still
be carried out easily, and that things like the washer bottle can still be filled without any fuss.
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Sincere Thanks to the following :
Car Craft 2001 - March 10/11
Bingley Hall, Stafford.
Doncaster Custom Show 2001 - April 7/8
Doncaster Racecourse, Yorkshire.
Stoneleigh 2001 - May 6/7
Kenilworth Showground, Warwickshire.
Newark 2001 - May 16/17
County Showground, Newark.
Bristol Motor & Classic Car Show 2001
June 10 - Durnham Park, Bristol.
Braintree 2001 - July 14/15
Towerlands Equestrian Centre, Braintree, Essex.
Detling 2002 - March
Kent County Showground.
Car Craft 2002 - March
Bingley Hall, Stafford.
Doncaster Custom Show 2002 - April
Doncaster Racecourse, Yorkshire.
Stoneleigh 2002 - May
Kenilworth Showground, Warwickshire.
Bristol Motor & Classic Car Show 2002 - June
Durdham Park, Bristol.
Newark 2002 - June
County Showground, Newark.
This has been without a doubt one of the best promotional vehicles we have ever had. It was a very sad farewell when we sold the car in the Summer of 2002, as space was required for the next project.
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