Hummer
William Tran's Hummer is a 1998 civilian "wagon" model. Don't get the wrong idea, however. With a 6.5 liter turbo diesel engine, complemented by an upgraded computer, a turbo timer and a Borla exhaust, this is not the usual family car. Tran spared no expense turning this military vehicle into an extravagant and even luxurious daily driver. A Kenwood MiniDisc changer with a Kenwood C907 CD changer just slightly below it grace the dash. The system's main unit is a Kenwood VZ907/A907. This amazing machine has a 5.8-inch touch screen, dual video inputs, video output, AM/FM, CD player and 40 watts for four channels. For amps Tran went with McIntosh. Dynaudio got the call for the front stage while Kicker brings up the rear in the form of a pair of subwoofers. Alpine's top-of-the-line alarm system, the SEC8081, is on duty 24/7. Next up? A Dolby Digital 5.1 system from Alpine for theater on wheels. Sound competitors can breathe easy; Tran has no plans to hit the circuit.
Lincoln Mark VIII
When the staff at Xtreme Audio and Security in Anaheim, CA decided to enter Sony's annual "Rock the River" competition they chose a 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII to show off their talents. Michael Chang, Thai Tran and Raul Alonso finished the job in 21 days, and the car won best installation, finishing 2nd overall. With a tricked out amp rack, kick panels and dash, it's no wonder. A Sony CD player was mounted in a re-fabricated dashboard. A DVD player is mounted behind the dash. The unit was taken apart and a CD loading mechanism was installed. The player can accept and eject DVDs like any CD player. The signal from the head unit passes through the XDP-210EQ which turns the analog signal into digital. A quartet of Sony XM-7527s on a motorized rack power the system, and they're matched by four XS-1050G subwoofers. In the kick panels it's the Sony XS-HF78 component speaker. A Clifford Arrow III protects this work of stereo art.
Lexus GS300
Competitor Lee Bun wanted to separate himself from the crowd. After entering sound-offs with a Honda Accord, which he found in overabundance, he decided on a change. The Lexus GS300 was just what he was looking for. After purchasing the vehicle he took it to The Toy Store in Gainesville, Georgia where installer Johnny McDonald took up the challenge of getting it competition ready. McDonald installed the Eclipse 7301 head unit, the 2301 EQ/DSP and the 5083 8-disc changer. For the front stage Bun chose Image Dynamics CXS 52 components for the kick panels. In the back a pair of ID subwoofers provide the low-end. Also inside the trunk is an Audiovox VCR connected to the Eclipse display in the dash. Supplying power to the speakers are two Xtant amplifiers mounted on a tray with a roller mechanism on each side. It slides out from below the rear window to show off the 404m and 121m. Bun plans to compete in the 301-600 watt Amateur.