When I asked Dindo how the integration of GM, Rytek, and Focal happened he explained that in 1991 when he was building a lot of home speakers, he noticed a Focal distributor that was selling car speakers. That was before any Focal speaker found its way to America. So he bought a bunch of those up and began installing them. But as time went by he laid off of the scene for a while, then got back into it - he didn't see Focal again. He began installing in show cars once more with other reputable brands, but it didn't have that same quality that the Focal units possessed. He called the company to find out what was going on with their products, and ended up talking to their owner to work out a deal. Dindo supported Focal before they even knew him, but now he was established, building show cars; it was a mutually beneficial situation. So, for the past three years now Focal has been using Rytek's (i.e. Dindo's cars) for all of the CES shows. He has blended these three companies to form a hot combination. With GM's automobiles, Rytek's performance and know-how, and Focal's audio components, he has once again merged function, style, and performance to build an amazing street, track, and show circuit car.
Dindo choose this particular type of vehicle because he has a lot of experience building "F-body" cars. It is a body style he is extremely knowledgeable about. GM knew this so they approached him and invited him to build one. Dindo saw this as a familiar but challenging experience. It was being built for GM as a corporate show vehicle. The masses would have to appreciate it, but it would have to appeal to the extreme market as well. Consider the color of the car; it's something unique to this vehicle. It is called Shimrin Kandy-Pagan Gold over FBC-01. When I first asked him what color it was, he told me to go to the local bar and pick up a Fosters beer. It was the same color!
It appeared to me that GM had given Dindo a lot of creative freedom to do what he wanted. Indeed GM did put a lot of faith in him and whole-heartedly gave Dindo the green light on creative expression as long as it was in the best interest of General Motors and the consumers that will ultimately buy the car. (This car is actually the main Firebird campaign car and will be in all the major shows including Detroit, San Francisco, L.A., etc.) That is one of the main reasons this car is very stunning and bold but does not have fiberglass and wood everywhere. It maintains a lot of its stock sleek lines, but with a new twist, a lot more function, and incorporates a bold statement.
Everyone at the show was impressed with the Pontiac Trans Am. Clean execution, knowledge of the project you are working on, unique insight, and originality are the key factors for producing a work like this. With 550 horsepower, race seats, the top down, your favorite CD spinning away producing chassis shaking tones through the 12-inch beasts behind your seat, you would have to agree that all the work certainly paid off.