I'm sure by now most of you have scrolled through all the pictures in absolute awe. No, this is not a joke! Indeed, we are not kidding! This vehicle is for real. Yes, we realize that Acura did not design the interior or exterior the way it looks in these pictures. And no, this is not an Acura prototype vehicle. This vehicle is the result of two prestigious companies from different worlds, one from import aftermarket and the other from mobile electronics, coming together to create one hell of a ride! This masterpiece is the collaboration between Wings West and Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. They took an already great vehicle in the 2002 Acura RSX, and made it even better.
Before the RSX was even released, import tuners were already salivating over the vehicle and engineering a slew of aftermarket parts for it. This included Wings West who was responsible for the aesthetics and performance upgrades for the RSX project. First on the list was of course, an all-new Wings West wide-body kit, including a two-tier spoiler giving the car an aggressive and unique appearance. Completing the stance of the RSX are Blue Konig three-piece Techwerks 19 x 8 wheels outfitted with Toyo Proxes T-1S Tires (235/35-19 all around), and an Eibach drop suspension kit. The wheel and tire combo seems wide, hence the Wings West kit. Lurking behind the massive wheels are Wilwood 4-piston caliper brakes with cross-drilled/slotted rotors. The final touches to the exterior required ditching the factory hood and replacing it with a lighter (in weight) carbon fiber counterpart that has one hell of a blue hue to it.
Completing the performance upgrades are a Magnaflo exhaust system; AEM cold air intake; Optima gel cell battery; DC Sport oil cap and upper strut bar; dual tank Nitrous Express direct port nitrous; and Momo steering wheel, shift knob, and pedal kit. To make sure not one part of the project was overlooked, even the window tint was taken into consideration when blue window tint was supplied by Sundial Window Tinting.
Batman and Robin
So with an over the top exterior, what do you do for an encore? This is where Alpine Electronics comes into play. You have seen their work gracing these pages in previous issues. For instance, Steve Brown's 1995 BMW M3. The dynamic duo of Chris Yato, who served as lead installer, and Steve Brown were once again on a mission to create an installation where towels are needed to wipe the drool off your lip after you have taken in what you just saw. The challenge was to complement and integrate the already stunning exterior (a la Wings West) with the existing and rather bland interior.
With that in mind and a plan in place, the two went to work. These two are never satisfied with a stock look. The first step was to completely gut the entire interior and create a new one (literally). In fact, the only stock interior parts are the factory carpet, headliner and some switches.
They started by creating a whole new dash out of MDF, fiberglass and body filler. The new "floating" dash was built to be as symmetrical as possible, further enhancing the imaging and staging of the vehicle up front. Housed in the new dash are Autometer gauges that straddle the factory cluster, which now finds its home in the center. Keeping the import enthusiast in mind, the guys installed an Autometer tachometer with a shift light to the left of it directly in front of the driver. On the other end of the dash are other Autometer gauges displaying fuel pressure, nitrous pressure, oil pressure, and voltage. The top of the floating dash holds an Alpine SPX-F13M component speaker set (with an extra tweeter) to accompany the 5.1 Dolby Digital processor. The entire dash was painted in silver and arctic blue pearl.
As you make your way down the custom silver center console, your eyes meet up with Alpine's CDA-7995 head unit sandwiched by two Alpine TME-M760 6.5-inch widescreen monitors. When parked, the top monitor displays info from either DVD video or Microsoft's X-Box game console, while its twin below is dedicated to navigation.
The curves of the dash and center console segue into the door panels. Not satisfied with the existing door panels as a base, Yato and Brown fabricated new door panels from scratch. Each door houses a complete set of Alpine's new SPR-136A Type-R (fitting name for the vehicle) 5-1/2" component speakers, surrounded by multi-colored fiberglass panels. Protecting the speakers, the grille-less speakers are contrasting custom ABS. Two laser-cut acrylic panels, backlit in blue neon, feature Alpine and Wings West logos, enhancing the appearance of the door panel.
Rounding out the passenger area are custom-stitched Cobra seats, with their matching blue, silver, and black leather. The backs of the seats are even painted to match the car for a nice detail touch. The Momo Silverjet steering wheel and shift knob really flow with the design of the other interior pieces to complete the look.
"On most import vehicles, you will find crazy and unique color combinations applied onto a vehicle using vinyl. However, applying vinyl would not cut it for the RSX, so all the graphics were airbrushed onto the Artic Blue Pearl."
Supporting Cast
To not disappoint, the installation in the rear is even better (if you can believe that). The finished product looks great, but what's underneath keeps it all together. To support what Yato and Brown had in mind they did the following: they knew the base needed to be strong, so they used 1-inch square, thin-wall welded steel and attached it to the floor of the vehicle. More of it was used to make the top half that actually holds the components. Sounds easy, but we are not exactly dealing with Lego's here. Many pieces were carefully TIG-welded together to create the base of the structure. This procedure is time consuming but well worth it for its longevity.
The support pillar for the amp rack sits behind the front seats and houses an Alpine DHA-S680 6-disc DVD changer. The pillar is shaped to look like a waterfall flowing into the center console. Behind and above it is a three-tier monstrosity of Alpine amplifiers, each level housing an MRD-M500 AccuClass-D mono amplifier. The floating look continues in the rear as each amplifier is surrounded by custom paint and a neon lit tube. Three more amplifiers are housed underneath the structure in fabricated compartments, two Alpine MRV-F340 four-channel amplifiers and another MRD-M500. The six amplifiers combine to produce a mind blowing 3,000 watts, making the RSX a rolling nightclub.
The brain to Alpine's NVE-N852A DVD navigation system, TUA-T020XM XM tuner, and Microsoft X-Box video game console also reside underneath the three-tier amp rack. Above the staircase of amplifiers and resting on the rear window is a fiberglass structure housing a trio of Alpine TME-M760 monitors. Each one is dedicated to a source (DVD changer, navigation, X-Box).
Flanking the amplifier rack are six-foot long fiberglass panels that house another Alpine Type-R component set for rear fill. Ride the wave of both panels to the rear of the vehicle and you will find an Alpine SWR-1541D 15" subwoofer. All the power combined with the "bling-bling" subwoofers ensures that the RSX can keep up with the crowd at any event. Finishing off the rear hatch area, towards the front of the vehicle, on either side of the amp rack are two custom painted Nitrous Express tanks.
"The challenge was to complement and integrate the already stunning exterior (a la Wings West) with the existing and rather bland interior."
Ocean of Blue
The most noticeable aspect of the RSX is the elaborate paint scheme. On most import vehicles, you will find crazy and unique color combinations applied onto a vehicle using vinyl. However, applying vinyl would not cut it for the RSX, so all the graphics were airbrushed onto the Artic Blue Pearl. Noah of Great Flood in Newport Beach, CA spent countless hours of work creating the paint job on the exterior. The spray guns kept going as the theme continued into the interior giving the RSX an unparalleled overall theme.
For 2002, the vehicle will be traveling throughout the country attending various IASCA, Hot Import Night, and other import enthusiast events. It made its debut at the CES show in Las Vegas. The vehicle created constant traffic jams in the Alpine booth and created quite the buzz as the vehicle to see.
This joint venture between Wings West and Alpine has been paying off in the last several years. With the RSX being their fourth project together, we are waiting to see what the fifth project will bring. As for Yato and Brown, they always seem to shock the mobile electronics industry with the most mind-boggling installations. Just when you think they've done they're best, they raise the standard. We are not even going to ask what's next for Batman and the Boy Wonder? I'm sure, as always, we will all be amazed.