"Very few people choose to modify a Corolla. I wanted to be different,"Jeff Cantagallo says, revealing his idiosyncrasy. And as we all know, idiosyncrasy doesn't usually mean practicality. Very few aftermarket parts are available for a Toyota Corolla and it's even difficult for him to figure out where he fits in at car competitions. "Most events I compete in the 'wild' class, but it's hard to classify a Corolla," he says, "so I do sometimes find myself competing in luxury, Toyota or general import car classes."
Cantagallo says he went with the 2003 S-model because, "I wanted something that was semi-hooked-up-looking but also economical. I liked the stock body kit on the Rolla. It was a pretty sharp car for a grannymobile." He was well into the modifications by 2004 NOPI Nationals, but he left the Corolla at home, having no delusions that he was ready to compete at this level.
Still, it was an eye-opening experience. "I had no idea to what level some of these competitors took their cars with such crazy mods," he relates. "I knew I needed to step up my game in order to compete at the big shows." Now $30,000 later, he's a member of the Senior Team on the Sudden Impact Car Club in Baltimore, MD. Among the shows he's competed at are Hot Import Nights (NCCA), Funkmaster Flex, the OC Car Show, Street Trenz, NOPI and several local Baltimore events. So what did he do?
Just What He NeededCantagallo started with what he calls his passion: the sound system. Since being introduced to the world of car audio, he's "always had a thing for a vehicle that could produce concert-quality sound." His ride sports a Pioneer AVH-P5700 head unit, which gives him enough inputs and outputs to install his current A/V equipment. He passed on the Pioneer AVIC only because he didn't need "all the gadgets" that come with it, since he only uses the car as a show vehicle. "I'm not in the car long enough to play with all the head unit's features," he reveals.
Certified AmplificationAppreciating that Kicker includes amp-rating certificates with their amps, Cantagallo decided to keep some consistency with the Kicker subwoofers he already had. From the KX series of amps, he chose the 800.2 for the highs and a 600.4 for the lows. He's mounted them in the trunk with a custom bracket, making it appear that they're sans platform, with 9" LiteGlow neons to further the floatation illusion. As a finishing touch, he painted the shrouds to match the Corolla's color scheme.
The Driving ForceFor his speakers, Cantagallo mixed it up, choosing Kenwood KFC-X698 6x9s for the back deck and Diamond Audio M661 6.5" component speakers mounted in the doors (with the tweeters in the stock locations at the top of the door panels) - "a perfect fit for the type of sound quality I was looking for."
But for all his focus on refined acoustics, Cantagallo wanted the flexibility of cranking up the subwoofers when he damn well pleased - and the Kicker 12" L7 2-ohm Solo-Baric subs, wired in series and mounted in a ported enclosure, fit the bill to satisfy his cravings for good bass. "A square subwoofer design equals more cone, more air, more decibels," he says, referring to Kicker's own equation. "You cannot go wrong with that!"