Each year, Chris Yato and Steve Brown of Alpine Electronics create a show vehicle that is just out of this world. And every year at CES the common question heard in the convention hall is, "Did you see the Alpine car yet?" This year, the guys really outdid themselves. As confirmation of that, the Alpine booth was filled with onlookers in absolute awe.
With much individual success in the last few years, Alpine Electronics and Wings West this year teamed up to create something quite overwhelming. The platform used for this year's show vehicle was a 2002 Honda Civic Si. Choosing this vehicle was easy as the two companies wanted to cater to the import enthusiast. The Civic encompasses all of the latest high-tech tuner gear and, coupled with an outlandish installation, is an import enthusiast's dream. Well, did you expect anything less?
Center Drive
Starting on the vehicle was easy; the two simply ripped everything out of the vehicle. Even the windshield was removed to allow for easier fabrication of the dash panels. Yato and Brown wanted to create something a little different. The "wow" factor would be critical when the vehicle was on display so they decided to make the Civic drivable from the center of the vehicle. This would definitely attract attention and also be the optimal seating position for listening purposes. Unfortunately, you can't just wave a magic wand and have instant center drive. Many OEM elements were moved throughout several, painstaking steps.
The steering column and pedals were removed from their original positions and centered in the vehicle. Metal brackets and bracing were fabricated toaccommodate the new position of the steering column and pedals. Using 1/8-inch steel tubing and 1/8-inch steel plates, the column was attached to portions of the original metal dash. The master brake cylinder was also moved to the middle of the vehicle, just behind the brake pedal. The emergency brake and shifter cables were extended to accommodate their new position in the vehicle. For the shifter cables, a custom linkage was made from aluminum rod with Derlin slide bushings to ensure that the rods would not twist during operation. The emergency brake cables now have a custom fabricated S-shaped pulley system to avoid interference with other components in the vehicle. As everything was double- and triple-checked, the two took turns driving the vehicle around the company parking lot. No problems! Although not legal, it can be driven.
The center seat was fabricated from scratch. Square steel tubing in an "L" shape was attached to the floor to act as the primary base to hold the seat in place. Sketches were drawn up to get a visual of what the seat would look like. As the MDF pieces started to come together, the rear portion of the seat, which encompasses four essential pieces, began to look like an angel. The bottom of the seat was made up of three pieces. Both the rear section and bottom of the seat were attached to the steel tubing and fiberglass was applied. Special flanges were incorporated into the bottom portion on each side of the seat and became the actual exit port for the 15" subwoofers. Talk about really feeling the bass!
The Dash
Once the steering column was in place, the two tackled the dash. Panels were fabricated to create a whole new dashboard. Five Alpine TME-M760 6.5-inch widescreen monitors were placed side by side above the steering column. Each monitor has the ability to display one of several sources, including an Alpine DVA-5205 DVD video player, DHA-S680 six-disc DVD/CD changer, NVE-N852A DVD navigation system, a Nintendo Game Cube, and two Vuz camera systems. Source switching was made simple, as switches were placed to the left of the driver's seat on the floor. Alpine SPR-136A components were mounted in their own fabricated housing above the monitors to provide the center imaging for the system.