Just like its owner, Ryan Sheckler, this Range Rover is all class, and dominating too. Unassuming, yet hard to beat. Kicker-sponsored skateboarder Ryan Sheckler is one of the youngest top-ranked skateboarders in the world, becoming the youngest gold medalist in X Games history, placing first at the Globe World Championships in 2006, and was named Athlete-of-the-Year at the first Dew Action Sports Tour.
He has shown the world that being young doesn't mean you can't be the best, or have the best. And he takes that mentality with everything in life, including his ride.
Although he hasn't been driving long (he turned 17 this past December), Sheckler rolls in a 2003 Range Rover decked out with Kicker gear delivering dominant sound for the best skater around. Kicker dealer Wired for Sound in Temecula, CA, installed the amazing system. "It's really awesome," Sheckler states on his website. "In fact, I can't find the words to describe it!"
Well, we'll try.
With the system designed by Wired for Sound owner Adam Garcia and installer Sean Pierce, the Rover remains practical as a daily driver yet is wild enough for an extreme athlete. "It needed to be somewhat drivable and usable because he's a new driver," Garcia explains, "so we didn't want anything to be in the way of the windows." Rather than block the view and take up rear cargo space with a centered sub enclosure, the installers squeezed four 12" Solo-Baric L7 square subwoofers into two separate enclosures on each side of the cargo area. Made of 3/4" MDF and fiberglass, the boxes serve an additional purpose. "We wanted to change a lot of the interior because it was worn," Garcia reveals. Though not too old, the Rover's original cream interior had taken a beating and the installers decided to replace as much of the interior panels as possible. In the case of the rear panels, the new sub enclosures did the trick.
The subs quench all of Sheckler's rap and heavy-metal cravings, but all that power handling demands a special kind of muscle, so two SX700.4 four-channel amplifiers and two SX1250.1 mono amplifiers were selected for an output of nearly 4,400 unforgiving watts. To get a glimpse of the amps, look through an acrylic window sandblasted with Sheckler's logo on the cargo area floor. The installers had to remove the spare tire and relocate the fuseblocks and factory autoride in order to build the 3/4" MDF amprack.
Right in front of the neon-lit logo, the team flushed in a PlayStation2. This special request of Sheckler's keeps him entertained in between skating sessions. Three monitors in the rear display the video feed while one of the four sets of SS series convertible components provides the high- and mid-frequency audio. Wired for Sound built the pods out of fleece, fiberglass and half-inch MDF. To install them, they just tore out the original panels and clipped the pods in their stead.
We talked about the SS series comps in the rear hatch, but don't forget about the other three sets. Divvied up between the front and rear doors, the speakers sound in rebuilt lower door panels. The installers damped the inner and outer door skins with Dynamat before putting the new door panels back in place. In the front panels, they dropped two additional pairs of SS midbass drivers for that up-front bump. Extreme accuracy for the extreme athlete!
The outside's got to complement the inside, so a Strut grille and side vents were added to the framework. Pirelli rubber wraps the 24" Asanti three-piece chrome rims, all hand built, so that there's no mistaking sophistication. Upgrades to the engine were an obvious necessity to keep pace with the raucous stereo system. Racing Dynamics loaded the Rover up with serious tweaks, including its chip and fuel management system, custom headers and custom exhaust, giving this ride plenty of persuasion under the hood.
You'll find Sheckler riding blacktop and rails, competing at several events in Europe, as well as his annual stops with the X Games and Dew Tour. Check out ryansheckler.com for more information on his whereabouts.
Interview:Ryan ShecklerSince you travel so much, when do you get a chance to drive your Kicker-outfitted Range Rover? Well, let's put it this way: When I know I'm traveling I try to have my Range Rover cleaned before I leave. I either do it, or I head down to my local car wash here in San Clemente and get it done. That way I know that the minute I get home I can get in it, turn up the system and head out to meet my friends, or I head up to my dad's shop to see him and the guys. So I guess the answer is: I drive it every chance I get ... except if it's raining ... then I drive my KICKER-tuned Tacoma truck.
What do you like best about the system? For example are you really into bass-heavy music or ... ? My music taste is all over the board. There are definitely some days that I am HEAVY BASS and then I can switch to metal and look for the mids and highs. I'm kind of a freak like that. It drives my dad crazy when he drives with me. None of my friends complain about it: they just love the sound.
Can you tell us some of your favorite music artists? Yeah, I really like Lil' Wayne, Lil' Jon, Tupac and any other rap that bumps. Also, Metallica, AC/DC and ASG.
Skateboarding obviously comes first, and you enjoy dirt biking as well. Are you more a bike guy or car guy? I'm definitely a car guy. I've been crazy about cars for as long as I can remember. My youngest brother Kane, who's 7, is 10 times worse than me. In fact he just killed me on a question regarding the size of the engine in an M6. Seriously, I love that car and I told him that I might get one and he asked me what size engine it had. He's 7! I told him I didn't know and he went to my dad and asked him. Those two nuts went on the Internet and found that it had a V10. The next day he quizzed me again and I guessed a V12 and with a smile my little bro' scolded me for not knowing and then corrected me. I can see myself having a variety of cars. I like old-school hot rods, luxury and exotics.
Who did you look up to in skateboarding or in other sports when you first got started? I have a lot of great friends in other actions sports who I look up to. I look up to Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen. I also look up to Travis Pastrana, because he is so talented and a certifiable nut!
You're at an age when a lot of young men focus on cars and other things. Since your yearly income exceeds that of most adults, do you go out and buy whatever ride sparks your fancy? Or is there some other hobby that you'd rather spend your money on? Wow, that's a hard question. My parents keep me grounded, which is probably a good thing. No, it's a great thing, because otherwise I might have 10 cars and no money in the bank. I do get to reward myself with the finer things in life, but right now my hobby is saving for a house. That's a big focus of mine right now.
I'd imagine you have to put up with a lot of jealousy: that of other skaters, your peers and maybe even your family. I mean, look at all you've accomplished and you're only 16! Do you notice it and, if so, how do you deal with it? Hell yeah I notice it. At the final stop of the Dew Tour I was signing autographs for what seemed like an endless line at the MySpace tent and some guy shook my hand and said, "I really don't like you, and I just wanted to tell you that."
No kidding. This kid waited for an hour just to tell me that he doesn't like me. I think about it when it happens and I deal with it in my own way. But, I never sit around trying to figure out how to make a hater like me. I really think the pro skaters are OK with my success. They call me often to skate and I call them so it's all good. My family is strong and there is no jealousy ... but they do joke about it. My mom and dad have done everything possible to secure my money in different investments.
So, what do you want to be when you grow up? A liv'n loud Kicker test pilot!