Kicker's Warhorse WX10000.1 amplifier is 3 feet long and4 1/2 feet wide. If it were an apartment in Manhattan, it would cost $1,400 a month. The company's new demo vehicle showcases the powerful Warhorse amplifier, led by their 10,000-watt behemoth. This van's got two WX10000.1's. Face-melting SPL's don't pose a problem.
Where does a 10,000-pound elephant sit? As the old joke goes, wherever he wants. It's a little harder to find space for 6x9 feet of amp. Led by install manager Sean Murphy, the Kicker team of Randy Botts, David Adams, Tim Smith, John Meyers, and Josh Fletcher clearly had limited vehicle choices. Your normal passenger car would never be able to contain all the gear they had in mind. Enter that SPL competitor favorite, the utility van. Depending on your point of view, the completely empty vehicle made things either more difficult or easier for the team. It had door panels and an original factory radio in the dash, but that was about it. What it did give the guys was plenty of interior space to stash these monster amps and the intended four 18-inch subwoofers that they'd power.
On top of its demo car SPL calling, the '06 van would also need to serve as a daily driver. Therefore, the team designed it to have two separate systems: "one for daily driving and one for demo use," Murphy explains, "since the vehicle is far too loud to listen to while traveling." In its unarmed state, a single ZX550.3 powers the front door speakers and a single CVX10 in a custom center console. But when you're ready for knock-your-teeth-out volume, an arming switch brings the Warhorse amps on line.