With NFL linemen getting bigger with every passing season the SUV market in one sense will never shrink. Known as "The Ferg," number #72 is Jason Ferguson, the New York Jets' defensive tackle (DT) who was a starter last year when the team finished up the season at 9 and 7.
At a hefty six-three and 300 pounds, a compact just isn't going to cut it for this prominent DT. It's no fashion statement when Ferg purchases an SUV - it's a necessity. His latest, a 2001 GMC Yukon XL fits the bill. His previous ride was a Lincoln Navigator. After four years with the team, he deserved a bigger truck.
Back in '97 when he was a rookie, the Ferg hooked up with Unique Autosports in Uniondale, New York. Will Castro and Alex Rullan run a hip shop that not only specializes in car audio, but can get a customer just about anything they want for their ride - even the vehicle itself.
That was the case with Jason Ferguson. Will sold the 2001 Yukon XL to Ferg and then proceeded to customize it. The store specializes in custom wheels and other automotive accessories, as well as just the audio part.
A set of special circumstances led to the birth of Unique. When the Olympics took place in Atlanta, GA the area's real estate market took off. Erick closed up shop in Georgia and teamed up with Will at Unique when he saw Will's history. But now UA is planning on opening shops in South Beach in Miami, FL and also in Atlanta once again.
Business is good. Ferg has referred UA to his teammates on the NY Jets: #58 James Farrior, #42 Marcus Coleman, #31 Aaron Glenn, #21 Victor Green, #94 John Abraham, #92 Sean Ellis, #20 Richie Anderson, #28 Curtis Martin, #30 Chris Hayes, #87 Laveranues Coles, #86 Windrell Hayes, among others. Erick's connections have brought in clients from the music world as well, such as Busta Ryhmes, Redman, DJ Clue, and Angie Martinez of New York's number one radio station, Hot 97. Once word of mouth travelled other celebs like Eminem, Wyclef Jean, to name a couple, dropped by for car audio upgrades. Altogether the shop has a music/sports client list that an agent would kill for.
After getting the Yukon for Ferg, Will sat down with his customer to see exactly what he wanted in this system. The one in the Navigator was pretty cool, but the biggest attention-getter was the paint. Entirely re-painted in flip-flop or chameleon paint, the truck was gold, yellow or purple depending on how you looked at it.
This time around Ferg was going to pass on the paint (at least for now) and go to the stereo and some other visual goodies. On the outside, the truck was outfitted with massive Anterra Type 301 rims, 22-inches in size. Sounds like DUB Club to me. Of course, they're chromed and finally wrapped with Toyo tires.
Jumping to the interior, the factory system was entirely cast away in favor of the newest from Alpine, MB Quart, PPI and Kicker. The dash now holds a pair of source units from Alpine. On top is an IVA-C800. This unit is one of Alpine's most sophisticated with a slide out 6.5-inch screen, a tuner, CD player and navigation display capability.
Just below the IVA-C800 is another Alpine unit, the DVA-5205. This is the heart of the truck's entertainment system or the DVD player. Control of the sound and such happens through the IVA-C800.
Not really wanting to construct custom kickpanels, the factory door locations were used to hold MB Quart QM218.61Q components. The 6.5-inch mid fits nicely in the factory opening with the trademark MB Quart metal dome tweeter nearby. A second set of QM218.61Q components were also added in the same way to the rear doors.
To satisfy the entertainment needs of the front seat folks, there's the screen from the Alpine IVA-C800, but the folks in the second row of the theater need a screen too. For them an ICON 7-inch screen folds down from the headliner. The third row of seats isn't in the truck; that's because room was needed for the bass box and Ferg's football gear.