Even though the outcome is spectacular, it involved HARD work because there’s no body kit available for the Prius and they had to start with a modified Volvo XC90. They also removed the back doors and installed custom made knife doors for the front, installed a carbon fiber venturi, air suspension, 20-inch wheels and over-sized front brakes.

They didn’t work just on the tech part and the interior got improved, too. It has a central console with a custom dashboard and a 4,400-watt stereo system. However that’s not all because this hardcore Prius also features 15 LCD panels and a tablet PC for Wireless Internet.

“The goal … was to give the viewer a great show and, second, to show that a Toyota isn’t a boring and anonymous car,” Claes Gustafson told Wired. According to him, the whole idea was “to show that every car can be styled.”

It looks stunning and has a price that competes with that: $184,275. Is it worth it?

My biggest concern if all these things can be supported by those 4 batteries.

Via Jalopnik

Take one pretty hot standard Subaru, add some spices in the form of a widebody kit, an engine tune up as well as an abundance of audio/visual products and the result is a mind blowing Japanese sports sedan..

The project was started a while back with the aim of creating a-one-of-a-kind vehicle for the Castrol Extreme Auto Show. Some of you will remember that gorgeous Nissan 350Z that was built and the Subaru is going to go the same route. The idea was to go all out and convert the car into something that wouldn’t just turn heads. It would snap necks and blow eardrums instead.

The car underwent many many changes and no part of it was left untouched. Firstly the engine was taken to NXGen in Randburg for some work. The standard engine with around 200Kw is definitely not to be sneezed at and only a minor conversion was needed. On went a Bosal performance exhaust, larger diameter exhaust system and most importantly an ECUTEK engine management upgrade. The result is a bit more power, more torque and sharper engine responses. Now with the extra speed, the car needed some extra stopping power. Ferodo provided brake disks and performance pads and the original Brembo callipers were kept. Some top of the range suspension upgrades from Eibach were thrown in.

The interior of the car is nothing short of amazing. There are Rockford Fosgate logos everywhere, soft alcantara and nappa leather on the doors. The main attraction will be the massive Panasonic touch screen head unit which will provide audio and visual control. To make matters more amazing, a Microsoft Xbox was fitted inside! In the boot lies what appears to be a mini branch of Hi Fi Corp. Subwoofers, capacitors and neon are all nicely arranged and balanced. Interestingly enough, the audio layout is set out so the spare tyre can be readily accessed in the event of a puncture. With all the extra drain on the battery from the electronics, a more powerful battery was installed.

On the outside the Subaru is visually an odd car. You either love or hate it and as for those gold wheels and that spoiler… Now imagine something like a fully imported Japanese-Spec widebody kit on this car. Chargespeed sponsored this awesome looking fibreglass and carbon fibre kit. It consists of 25 parts and includes new bumpers skirts and a spoiler. The kit was fitted by Sportech in Modderfontein. To end of a great package some new rims were sought. For a car like this, only the best wheels were sought. A nice set of Antera rims were custom designed and built exclusively for the Castrol Extreme Auto Makeover and are wrapped in low profile Bridgestone rubber.

The car looks really wicked and there are so many mods that it’s impossible to mention them all. If you want to see the car, best you get down to the Dome at Northgate for the Extreme Auto Show!

Its competition time!

Stand a chance to win this awesome Sony CDX-M9900 Mp3 Cd Front loader, boasting a powerfull 50w x 4, 4v pre-out and a 32000 color display! This model is no longer in production and we’v just managed to grab one to give away. Valued at over R3200!

Click here to enter

With his new found passion for Peugeot Shane did what any Zoopedup man does, modify. First he slapped on 17″ Racing Hart Concepts mags to give the car more street cred. Exterior extras also included a mesh grill up front and a Power Flow Tailpipe. Since red was the in thing for his PUG he also installed under car neons (in red) and had the whole interior done in red suede to complement his new sound installation. Which consisted of one 12 Kenwood 1500w DVC sub connected to a 1100W Monoblock also from the Kenwood stable. To head up the install he selected a JVC front loader connected with 200W Kenwood splits to sort out the high ranges.

Now with the sound sorted Shane again turned his attention to his rides style. He designed a badgless grill (and manufactured it), flushed out and vented the hood. It was finished off in a “Black Magic, kind of a pearl black paint. He then had the windows tinted, black Angel Eyes head lights installed to go with the black hood and finished it off with some smoked tail lights. Dual twin exhausts were fabricated for the M3 look which always looks so mean. Cosmetics where enhanced with side skirts for a lower, wider look to go with the newly installed Simoni Racing dropped suspension kit. Since the WRC206 inspired it all Shane finished off the running gear with newly sprayed white rims. All the bumpers were colour coded including various parts in the engine bay as well as all the trim inside the car.

Unfortunately the engine is the most difficult thing to modify on these cars due to ECU safety feature, even piggy-backs are unfortunately out of the question. After some debate Shane decided to go with an Ecotek Valve and Ecotek engine treatment for better fuel economy and performance, mild but noticeable. Finally, he upped the power with a Power Flow exhaust system and a Wild Cat Branch (running into the CAT). Then rounding off the engine mods by pulling off the cone filter and purchased a K&N Flatbed Filter and custom induction kit.

Future plans now include the installation of a B13 Rotary and a rear wheel conversion in July followed by a full respray.

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Pics by Ollie & Tankgrl

Branded as the ’25 to Life’ range, the amplifiers incorporate a distinct design that clearly separates them from Rockford’s normal range. The main three amplifiers in the anniversary range incorporate a ‘heatsink-type’ design for their external case, which is covered in a gunmetal grey paint finish.

All the input and output sockets for each amplifier’s wiring is incorporated along one side of the amp, which not only makes the amplifiers look really clean, but it will surely help car audio installers create some seriously neat installations.

As we all expect of Rockford’s products, the amplifiers are built using only the finest materials and have insane but very reliable power output ratings. This of course also adds up to a rather steep price tag: The cheapest in the range is the ‘Punch 45’ (70w RMS 2 channel) with a RRP: of $500. Next is the ‘Punch 75’ (120w RMS 2 channel) for $600, followed by the ‘Punch 150’ (180w 2 channel) for $800.

The real grand daddy of the lot, though, is the ‘Power 1000’. Just the name sounds expensive, and it is: If you want an amplifier that is seriously going to impress your friends, be the envy of every car audio addict you ever meet, and power your car audio install with 1400w RMS over 5 channels, you’ll have to cough up a staggering $1 600! (almost R10 000!). Yikes!

[http://www.rockfordfosgate.com]

Richard Hagan

‘Random Rich’

RandomRich@carblog.co.za

• Optimized for Maximum SPL Ported Enclosures
• PHAT 2” Multi-layer Foam Surround
• 360 oz. Magnet
• Stamped and Balanced Aluminum Cone
• 6mm Thick Cast Flame Basket
• Multi-Connect Lug-Lock Terminals
• Mounting Depth: 8”
• Hole Cutout: 13 3/4”
• Outer Diameter: 15 3/8”