A Hyundai Tiburon with a really loud MTX Audio system may seem sort of out of place at the Playboy mansion, where you imagine guests are rollin' a Rolls Royce or Mercedes Benz. But considering all the work and product that went into the vehicle, it's probably as expensive (if not more) as some of the luxury rides that pass through the venerable place.
Having seen only build-up images of the Tiburon we were uncertain as to how the finished product would look or sound. Considering, however, that Mitek main man Jason Planck was heading up the project we knew we could rely on a spectacular result. If you've subscribed to this magazine the last couple of years then you've undoubtedly seen examples of his creativity and skill.Jason, Craig Marsh and Trevor Dobrygoski designed and built the sport compact to look like an aggressive street-racing tuner. Certainly it captured the aesthetics, but with the huge sub system in the back this car isn't going to win many races. A sound competition on the other hand would probably be a different story.
Shark Attack
Before we get to the massive sound system there's a lot to cover in terms of the performance/cosmetic modifications. The addition of the Razzi ground effects, molded into the body, along with the wild paint scheme applied by the folks at Kreative Kustoms are definitely attention grabbers. The paint scheme carries over into the interior as well. The stock seats were replaced with V-Racing seats. Before bolting them in they were re-upholstered with red center inserts and an MTX logo stitched into the backrests. The door panel inserts were also recovered with black fabric and the Tiburon logo embroidered into them. The headliner, armrest, and sun visors were also all re-wrapped in the same black fabric. AutoMeter gauges are built into the vents with custom aluminum surrounds to allow for air flow.
H.A.R.D. provided various dress-up pieces such as oil, radiator, brake fluid and windshield washer filler caps. H.A.R.D. also provided heater knobs, A/C vent bezels, and an ignition bezel. All of these pieces were then glass-bead blasted to match the other aluminum trim and accent pieces fabricated for the car.Additional exterior upgrades include Shark Racing Angel Eyes headlights, Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation 4 wheel disc brake kit, custom window tint, and Hella Optix driving lights, custom molded into the front air dam.
Massive
The source unit for the MTX system is the Pioneer AVH-P6500DVD CD/DVD player. It has a 6.5-inch touchscreen and 5.1 surround sound capability. It is mounted in the stock radio location trimmed in a custom cut piece of aluminum. There are no add-on signal processors as the Pioneer head unit has a built-in equalizer.The focus of the system of course are the subs. Four MXS1204 12" Superwoofers are placed in a custom built enclosure made of MDF, fiberglass and resin that replaces the entire rear seat. A Hyundai logo, CNC'd from aluminum was integrated into the center of the enclosure.
The front stage consists of MTX T6.6 component speakers installed in each door panel. Each set is protected by a custom CNC'd piece of aluminum shaped into a Hyundai logo. There are two tweeters per component set. One is placed in the OEM location and the other is custom molded into the A pillar.
The signal is fed from the source unit to one of three amps found in this system. For the subs they chose to use two MTX MXA8001 brutes, one amp per two subwoofers. The amplifiers are 1 x 800 watts RMS power @ 2 ohms. The entire front stage is taken care of with an MXA4004. This amp is 4 x 50 watts RMS power @ 4 ohms. The amps are mounted to a fiberglass tub that occupies the whole hatch area. The amps "float" above custom milled aluminum grills with acrylic inserts.Sitting inside the vehicle with the system playing is like getting a full-body massage all over at once. Exiting the car, one is left a little discombobulated, but amazed at the power and quality of the sound.
With as much sonic force as this Tiburon puts out you need heavy-duty dampening material. The entire car was stripped and covered with Hushmat throughout. Speaker and power wiring was all covered by StreetWires.
To make sure there's enough power for this hungry system, Jason and the guys upgraded there as well. Two SVR Batteries, the SVR80-12, were mounted in a custom fabricated steel battery tray, placed in the spare tire well. An SVR50 replaces the stock battery under the hood. StreetWires 16/20 volt 1 farad capacitors are used, displayed beneath a custom fabricated fiberglass bridge suspended between the rear shock towers in the hatch area.
Show Video
A show car wouldn't be complete with video. Aside from the flip-out monitor up front there are two Icon-TV 8-inch monitors custom molded into a fiberglass trim piece that attaches to the underside of the rear hatch. But we don't expect too many people are going to notice the video when they hear the pounding music.Look for the car at HIN shows in October in Cleveland, Atlantic City and Miami on December 11th. It'll also be at SEMA in November. Finally, MTX thanks Konig Wheels, Eibach, BFGoodrich, Razzi, AutoMeter, Hella, AEM, V-Racing, Icon-TV, Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation, NOS and Hushmat.
[Sitting inside the vehicle with the system playing is like getting a full-body massage all over at once. Exiting the car one is left a little discombobulated,but Amazed at the Quality and power of the sound.]
TECHBOX
Wheels/Size: Konig TROUBLE Graphite 19" x 8"
Tires/Size: BFGoodrich G-Force T/A KDW 215 35 ZR19
Body: Razzi body kit that has been custom molded onto the OEM body and a Razzi rear spoiler, custom paint by Kreative Kustoms
Performance: NOS nitrous system, AEM cold air intake, DC Sports cat back exhaust
Suspension: Eibach Anti-Roll kit, Eibach Sportline springs
Various Artists
Jazz After Dark
Playboy Jazz
The shoot for the MTX Tiburon took place the day before the Playboy Jazz Festival. They've long promoted America's greatest music. And with the creation of their jazz label the company is backing up their support of jazz with real products. This two-disc compilation CD is one of various recent releases and features well-respected artists of the past and present. With a total of 25 songs performed by everyone from Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald to Tony Bennett, Patti Austin and Diana Krall, you can't possibly go wrong by adding this to your changer or CD player at home. This is some timeless stuff, beautifully mastered. The selection of songs are made up of classics like "My Funny Valentine," "Corcovado" and 'Round Midnight, just to mention a few. The selection is more downtempo, but then it is called "After Dark." That's when this music is meant to be played. Perfect for the smoke-filled piano bar room, your boudoir, or long desert rides with the Playboy bunny in your life. --Dooley Brown