To the average person, customizing a 2001 CLK 55 AMG Mercedes Benz is like drawing a moustache on the Mona Lisa. Luckily, James Betz is not the average person. When he entrusted his car to the wizards at Stereorama in Clearwater, Florida, he did so with the hopes of adding a luxury audio system to compliment his already luxurious car. Jeff Head and Bill Holzhauer helped him do just that.
Adding video monitors to a car generally means adding flash. But too much glitz in a car like this could damage the sleek original look. The installation crew opted for simple monitor installation in the headrests and, for just the right amount of a pizzazz, a 5-inch screen in each of the headrests that is only viewable while the car is in "Park."
The always controversial decision to forego the installation of a rear stage made it necessary to use three 6.5" midbass drivers per door to draw the sub-bass to the front of the car. Doing so required the refabrication of the door panels, which, once again, had to be done with an eye toward preserving the interior's natural lines. Beautiful 3-layer acrylic trimming and sweet grilles finish off the design, helping to make the car an example of how even in a high-end vehicle, you don't have to settle for factory sound.
Here are some of the other vehicles we've featured in our 20th anniversary retrospective:
Wayne Watkins' 2003 Acura RSX
Michael Galligan's 1999 Honda Civic SI