If you've followed DJ Funkmaster Flex's journey from radio icon to automotive celebrity, then you know how much he favors muscle cars. We've featured some of his cars in CA&E in the past and they've always had a prominent sound system. That's because, being a music guy, it's more than entertainment to him. Car audio's practically part of his work on the music side. It's no wonder he's worked with companies in the industry, including now Kicker. Of course, building cars is part of his work in his automotive career, be it on TV with Car Wars, with his Funkmaster Flex Car & Bike Show tour or as a spokesman for Kicker.
The Torino is a good example of how you can make almost anything work. Some old-school car guys would never be able to stomach taking a great old car and customizing it with a new fangled audio system and electronics that "updates" the overall ride. To them, that's practically sacrilegious. But done the right way, that is, by conforming to the aesthetic sensibility behind the design, you can create something that modernizes without ruining the original. That's pretty much what Flex did with his '71 Torino. He took it to friend and shop owner Louis Derasmo who executed custom work that allowed for a full-fledged system that can pound, but also aesthetically pleases.
At the bottom of the dash, a Pioneer deck discreetly takes the place of the factory source. Derasmo had to carve into the metal a bit to make it fit and then molded it flush with the face of the dash. A cable connects it with a Zune hidden in the glovebox.
To power the new system, the installers upgraded the alternator and hid a couple additional batteries behind the panels near the rear fenders.
The exterior is basically the same as the original, though the shop smoothed some moldings from the front for a cleaner look and repainted it in the original color. New 18x8 in the front and 18x9 in the rear Billet Specialties wheels are wrapped in BFGoodrich tires.
Shop:
Valanca Auto Concept Bronx, N.Y.
Owner:
Louis DerasmoLead Installer: Ian