Twenty-Four Woofers In Baltic Birch Plywood Is Just One Of Many Unique Features
Under the cover of darkness one hot evening in September, 2000, Canada's most notorious demo vehicle slipped quietly into the "special projects area" of Mobile Dynamics Installation School in Toronto. This one-of-a-kind cargo van owned by Korbon Trading was being gutted to make way for the metamorphosis that would stun appreciative onlookers everywhere, including at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January 2003. What was to be the death of the country's most impressive demo vehicle would ultimately lead to the rebirth of another superior example that will surely take years to surpass.
The next day, students participating in the mobile electronics class began to assist master builder Chris Bouzalas in the teardown. Within hours, a large stack of legacy Rockford equipment stood silent as students claimed mementos of what was obviously an amazing example of one of North America's finest demonstration vehicles.
Five months later, it appeared that not much had happened to the naked '95 Chevy Van. The interior was vacant except for a 16 square foot section of wall that was a portrait of specialized wiring for security and several control and fail-safe circuits for the vertically rising one piece rear door. Nearby was a stack of machined aluminum that vaguely resembled Klingon battle swords, a matching set of cut and polished acrylic pieces, a stack of subwoofer cabinets constructed of Baltic birch plywood and an "engine" of amplifiers complete with exhaust ports.
The van left Mobile Dynamics for its airbrushed exterior facelift at the paint shop, and then on to Chris's personal hideaway for the next 13 months. The only people allowed access to the van during this time were Boss Mike Pezdirz, Big Boss Ken Simpson and a few other confidants.
When newly purchased in 1995, this full size van lasted about a day before it was cut in half and exactly 20 inches of length were added to the body and frame. With acres of sheet metal, the urge to plaster on every form of product promotion imagery to create a rolling billboard can be overwhelming. Yet Korbon chose to go with one of the most subtle and breathtaking airbrush artistry statements seen in a long time. A stunning airbrushed mural was hand painted on the side and rear door of the van at great expense, in keeping with the experience inside.
This original $15,000 paint job was sanded off, and a new $15,000 "eggplant" paint job consisting of Mercedes black and several other colors was meticulously applied. Now a flip-flop iridescent set of flames changes color with viewing angle and ambient lighting. Every door handle has been shaved off, leaving a very clean exterior. Access is through solenoids activated by the alarm system's remote control, and in an effort to be prepared for an alarm system failure, a special alternative access method was devised as one of the many "fail safe" systems.
The rear door of a van looks pretty boring, so it only made sense to do something radical. The door was converted into a single piece, and instead of predictably swinging open; the whole assembly rises straight up! This massive rear door sports an airbrushed dragon under about a thousand layers of hand rubbed clear lacquer. When this showcase hatch rises to its vertical apex, the graphic will be on display for all to appreciate. The inside of the rear door, when viewed from the front or sides of the van reveals a Dragster logo suspended in an illuminated box. From any vantage point, this vehicle will attract visual attention just as effectively as a bank heist in broad daylight.