Exotics and supercars are nice to look at and certainly fun to drive, but ownership has its limits. That is, even an older exotic model can cost $100,000-out of most people's price range. There are options, however. For a fraction of the "real deal" price, you can have a replica. Replica cars are typically based on budget bodies, such as a VW chassis or a Pontiac Fiero. You may turn up your nose, but high-quality replica cars are an exclusive club. Many of the high-quality vehicles are limited productions, often a 100 or fewer vehicles produced each year for a short production run. Our Ferrari 308-replica project is one of only 247 built from 1987 through 1988, based on the Pontiac Fiero and built by Mera. These cars were ordered brand new from Pontiac dealers similar to how you'd order a conversion van. While there are other Ferrari 308 kit cars available, the Mera 308 was the first and best of all 308 replicas.
Even though this car isn't a true "exotic," it certainly shares some aspects with practically every exotic and supercar available, lack of space being the biggest. In order to install a subwoofer system, special install techniques are required. While fiberglass resin and mat could be used to build a space-saver-style enclosure, not everyone has the resources or experience to do this type of work and in enclosed spaces, where a majority of the work is actually performed in the car. Experience is a must. We set out to design a simple single sub single amp system to fit behind the seats in the Mera 308. This process is fairly simple, integrates well with the car and is 100 percent removable. The crew at Red Dirt Rodz of Stillwater, OK, helped us out with the work while we snapped the pics.
The small sealed enclosure was built with five sides, using the rear firewall for the back of the enclosure. One truly different aspect of this install is the use of Dynamat. We not only used the Dynamat to insulate the firewall, it was also used to seal the enclosure. Dynamat's Xtreme line uses a very flexible and sticky adhesive; it literally sticks to anything and everything. These properties, combined with the aluminum backing, make for an excellent sealant. The other five sides are made from MDF and the frame is secured to the firewall via L-brackets and sheetmetal screws. The cover is held in place by the 10" Powerbass 2XL-10 subwoofer.
With the enclosure in place, we began work on the cosmetics. Using 1/4" ABS plastic, a custom cover was shaped to fit the car and enclosure and wrapped with carbon-fiber grain vinyl to match the rest of the interior. We also made a matching amp trim cover for the Powerbass ASA400.4 amp.
The end result is a high-quality sub system that provides the required bottom end and a look that matches the custom interior. The best part of it all is that just about anybody with a jigsaw, a drill and some patience can accomplish this.