In late 2006 Nissan launched their compact-yet-roomy Versa in the U.S. and Clarion USA teamed up with Nissan's USA division to create a special vehicle to celebrate the Versa's inaugural arrived on American soil. The project car would demonstrate the Versa's ability to be outfitted with a variety of aftermarket parts and also be transformed into a hip performance ride.
Senior retail marketing manager Kevin Kuenzie led the Clarion-Versa transformation project. Kuenzie's no stranger to the custom car audio scene and has been around the block a time or two since the early 1990s thanks to his good friend and famous installer Peter Johnson.
Kuenzie's design plan for the audio portion of the install was to demonstrate that the car could feature a solid audio system without breaking the bank. He selected a complete, less-than-$1,000 Clarion audio system and teamed up with Homeless Entertainment, located in Las Vegas, for the installation.
Installing a head unit in vehicles from today's car manufacturers can prove to be nothing short of remedial. The trend of automakers linking multiple non-audio-related functions to the radio has made it more difficult for the DIY community to perform what used to be one of the most common and easiest aftermarket swaps. The Versa has one of the most simplistic head unit swaps that you'll find in modern vehicles. The factory double-DIN unit was simply unbolted, unplugged from the dash, and swapped for the Clarion DUZ385SAT double-DIN unit with a CCAUSB cable extension.
The factory speakers were ditched for Clarion SRG1320R 5.25-inch coaxials. During initial listening tests it was determined that the factory front and rear door speaker locations didn't provide optimal listening conditions. "Ghetto Bob" constructed custom fiberglass pods for the Clarion coaxials, allowing him to angle the speakers for a more desirable listening environment. The speaker pods were wrapped in black suede to match the seat's upholstery.
A duo of Clarion Class AB amplifiers were installed at opposite ends of the Versa's hatch. The four-channel APX4241 delivers 100 watts of power to each of the coaxials, while the monoblock APX1301 sends 420 watts to the SW1051 10-inch subwoofer located in the spare tire well.
To catch the eyes of many, a custom two-tone paint job, consists of flat black on the bottom, glossy black on top, and electric green trim dividing the two. Black Tenzo GF7 wheels were added along with a Precision billet grille and Eibach suspension, making the car look more like a street racer than a grocery-getter. To give the Versa some bite behind its bark, an AEM cold-air intake, Magna Flow exhaust, and Nitrous Express kit were added for a serious performance boost.