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I was there for four days, and I used every single hour of those four days by not sleeping, and I still didn’t get to see everything that SEMA or Sin City had to offer. In my exhaustion and energy drink-induced haze, I saw a lot of things, and some of them, I even remember.
Corsa (www.corsaperf.com) was showcasing their new exhaust for the Dodge Magnum. The Robs and I got to take a ride out on the proving ground so we could hear what that bad boy sounded like. The Magnum, fitted with the 6.1 liter Hemi, has the new displacement on demand feature. The exhaust sounded deep, throaty, and mean in both the 4- and 8-cylinder modes without any drone.
I’ve always been a European car enthusiast. I got to talk forced induction with Mr. Oscar Jackson of Oscar Jackson Engineering (www.oscarjacksonengineering.com) and CAR SOUND & PERFORMANCE fame, and get made fun of by him for my Volkswagen ownership.
I saw more 22-inch-plus wheels than I ever imagined existed — 19s are the largest I’ve ever dared to cram in my wheel wells, but if I had the clout (and bank account/athletic shoe contract) to push a tinted-to-death Range Rover, I’d outfit it with all the Strut (www.strutwear.com) accessories I could find for it, including their deep-dish black wheels with a polished lip. Strut products are all handcrafted. They’re like a diamond solitaire set in platinum: eye-catching but classy. If you like platinum, but prefer it on your teeth, and have a fondness for pimp cups, perhaps Iced Out Emz (www.icedoutemz.com) are more your thing. If the layman can’t tell exactly what degree of huge you’re rolling on, you can display it with these flashy badges.
BorgWarner (www.turbodriven.com) had some dismantled turbos showing off their extended compressor wheel technology. Sure, I’ve seen the inside of a turbocharger before, but they look different after they’ve exploded through a car’s hood.
Vizualogic (www.vizualogic.com), makers of color- and fabric-matched headrest-mounted DVD player/monitor combos, showed just how many applications they offer within the confines of its booth. They also had a Cadillac with their new back up camera, which made for very comfortable and very stealthy, um, people watching.
Ford (www.ford.com), apparently unaware of exactly what they were doing, handed the keys of a Mustang strapped to a dyno to Rob Hephner for a simulated quarter mile run. Rob didn’t take home any titles that day, but he did demonstrate to the spectators just how tricky the 3rd to 4th gear shift can be. (Not the first time that the lead-footed bastard missed the shift - Ed.)
The crowd also loved Tire Rack’s (www.tirerack.com) Police Interceptor Crown Vic out on the proving ground. With its cherries blazing and siren blasting, it flexed its muscles and displayed an uncanny ability to do burnouts and donuts. It more than earned the standing ovation it got from the bleachers, although, I was a bit disappointed that it stopped short of blowing a tire.
As for the rest of the happenings inside the Las Vegas convention center, the show floor had its fair share of two up-and-comers in the tuner world, the Chevy Cobalt and the HHR. American muscle had a huge presence with new Mustangs and Dodge Chargers scattered everywhere.
Of course, there were the installs. Few cars were built with anything in its original location. A stock door card was hard to come by, as most of the interiors were custom fabricated around the system. In some cases, even the exteriors were built around the system. Case in point, the Stinger (www.stingerelectronics.com) Saturn with an LCD in the hood as big as the TV in my living room.
The two types of products that were most prominent were portable navigation units and OEM integration products. Pharos (www.pharosgps.com) showed us a handheld GPS unit the size of a cell phone. Not a cell phone circa 1995, think more along the lines of the one that you have in your pocket today. One of the OEM integration products that stood out was the Neucleus (www.americaninternational.com) iPod controller. It controls an iPod through the factory head unit, while keeping the CD changer, and adding aux inputs.
After the show each day, all of us here at CAR SOUND & PERFORMANCE showed the same enthusiasm for partying that we have for car parts. Yes, we had a rental car, and yes, we got insurance on it, thankfully. As for the particulars and the parties, I’m sure you’re familiar with the maxim about what happens in Vegas... <<
Kicker Big Air Bash
by Rob Hephner
Killer vehicles, slammin’ live performances, and flying motorcycles — what else could a hot-blooded American need in Las Vegas during the SEMA show? How about a celebrity “fiddy” race, hang time with a few of the celebs themselves, and, of course, back flips on motorcycles? Sometimes I just hate my job...
In their fourth year of the Big Air Bash, Kicker has evolved the happening into quite a structured event. This year’s event started off with a car show and party. From there, the audience was invited over to a race area where celebrities, including Ryan Sheckler, Travis Pastrana, and Brian Deegan competed against one another on equally built 50cc pit bikes. While the event was mostly for the comedy, the action was intense and all of the proceeds went to the winner’s charity of choice.
Before the evening’s festivities, I actually had some time to sit down with a few of the sponsored athletes and was able to ask them how they like life “Living Loud!”
First up was Ryan Sheckler. This 15-year old skate phenom is the youngest individual to ever win a gold medal at the highly competitive X-Games for his talents on the skateboard. While talking to Ryan, the thing that he impressed the most was that he was just a normal kid, and, for the most part, he is — that is, if you put aside the $10-million dollars he just received for his appearance in Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland video game. Honestly, the guy is really cool — he didn’t come off as anything more or less than any other 15-year-old that I’ve met except for the fact that he walks around as if the world is on his shoulders. He likes heavy metal music, likes to skate (duh), and is really into his new Land Rover which he had only had back in his possession for two weeks by the Big Air Bash IV. Completely decked out by Wired For Sound, when Ryan celebrates his 16th birthday on December 30, he will be Livin’ Loud and rolling proud.
Next, I got to speak with Brian Deegan — this guy is all cool, in more ways than one. If you’ve ever seen the Crusty Demons series of videos featuring the wildest things ever done on a motorcycle, this guy stands out in a way that no one, I think, will ever compare. The first question I had to ask him was what bones he had broken over the years. He rattled off so many that I couldn’t keep up, but when he hit the fact the he ruptured his spleen and a kidney and broke a few ribs on his last stunt and thought he might die, you realize your talking to a crazy guy. And crazy in a good way - he’s not nuts, just committed to doing things the right way. His very laid back, almost shy, manor is a stark contrast to the demon this guy is on a bike. The real shocker is that he’s a totally devoted family man. The best statement he made was that now his life is about his kids Hailie, Marissa, and Haiden and that now he thinks it’s lame to be a punk. Watch MTV next year for a reality-based show featuring Brian - he’s colorful, and is a downright real person.
Last up was Travis Pastrana. I didn’t get the same amount of time with Travis, and it as interesting to see how sometimes the pressures of sponsorship commitment can force you to run a little ragged. Travis, of course, is a consummate motorcycle racer and has awards and accolades as long as my arm. When asked what he finds the most fun to do, he smiled and said, “I get to do what everyone else has to play video games to do, I have a blast.”
Honest and cool, Travis truly embodies Livin’ Loud and recently moved into Rally Cars as a sponsored racer. (Now, if you think Brian Deegan is nuts, you should se these guys!)
Kicker Car Stereo presented the Big Air Bash IV, along with partners KMC Wheels, Monster Energy, LoveSac, Viosport, and OGIO. It was also possible because of support by Cornerstone Productions, Billabong, Sirius, Xtreme Motor Co., Iron Cross Automotive, and Agel Gelceutical Supplements.
I’m looking forward to the 2006 SEMA show to see what Kicker can pull out of their hats next.
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