There are some loud cars that have a mega-decibel audio system, and there are some loud cars with finishes in livery that make eyeballs pop.
This JDM Honda Accord is both. It packs no less than five sets of speakers (six if you include the 12-inch sub), five power-packed amps, and an eye-catching customised decal job. The list of mods is so extensive that it looks like it emptied the shelves of an automotive hypermarket.
To think that the project comes from the garage called “Silent” scores it points for humour, too. The car is one of three Silent show cars, the other two being the Nissan S15 200SX Silvia and the R35 GT-R.
Performance mods are relatively subtle, being limited to the essential bits like the cold air intake and twin exhaust. Coilovers and anti-roll bars help keep the show on the road, while its loud cosmetics (modified front lip and very lively set of graphics) grab onlookers’ attention.
But these are just sideshows when you lay your eyes, and ears, on the ICE set-up. It is designed to play for its occupants in the cabin – and everyone else.
This ICE set-up has a full complement of speakers in its voluminous boot. So when the hatch is popped open and the volume is turned way up, it becomes a mobile disco.
And what is a disco without lights? So into the boot went a myriad of fluorescent lamps and LED nodes, and strips of all colours and shapes. When everything is turned on, it is Zouk-on-wheels, with the decibel output to match the looks.
The brain in the set-up is Pioneer’s top-of-the-line DEH-P6050UB head unit. Packed with features such as a 24-bit Delta Sigma D/A converter, 7-band digital equaliser, Bass Boost and no less than three RCA pre-outs, this compact wonder plays MP3, WMA and AAC files. And it is also equipped with USB 2.0 full-speed direct connection, and iPod direct connection for even more choices.
Elsewhere, the set-up is loaded with goods from Soundstream. This U.S.-born company has been among the leaders in the worldwide ICE industry for many years, and is preferred by professionals and enthusiasts alike.
This set-up comprises no less than five sets of XTC.6 components speaker systems and one SW12 subwoofer. And supplying the much-needed power are two Tarantula 2.560, two Lil’ Wonder II 4.480 and one Lil’ Wonder II 2.260 amplifiers.
These “juice boxes” supply a total power output that is estimated at over 1,200 watts – more than enough to wake up the whole neighbourhood – and the neighbourhood’s neighbourhood.
Everything is neatly and stylishly installed in the boot, save for the head unit and two sets of the XTC.6. And despite the obvious constraints, there is enough space for some shopping bags.
The ICE installation is estimated to cost around $20,000 and the rest of the mods bump up the bill by another 10 big ones. Whatever the cost – and whatever you think of this mod car – you cannot deny the fact that it grabs attention and attracts comments like bees to honey.
THE LIST
+ HEAD UNIT
Pioneer DEH-P6050UB high-powered receiver
+ SPEAKERS
Soundstream XTC.6 x 5
+ SUBWOOFER
Soundstream SW12
+ AMPLIFIERS
Soundstream Tarantula TRX2.560 x 2
Soundstream Lil’ Wonder II 4.480 x 2
Soundstream Lil’ Wonder II 2.260
+ ACCESSORIES
Soundstream 2-farad capacitor
Perfoma electronic crossovers
VIBE fuse box
SILENT soundproofing
