2005 Dodge Magnum - The Big Focus

To get the gear to fit, the spare tire had to retire prematurely. For a demo car like this, that isn't much of a sacrifice, but if you plan to chuck the spare in your daily driver, invest in some Fix-a-Flat. "The subwoofers were loaded in a sealed enclosure downfiring into a graduated scoop," Figliola explains. "So the woofers were facing the floor and the air was funneled up, making a right turn." According to Figliola, the airflow acrobatics result in something like a horn-loaded bass bin from a nightclub; the input is smaller but the output is larger due to the "horn-like" opening.

"I don't really like what our industry does as a whole, what the majority does," Figliola reveals. "I just see brightly painted fiberglass amorphous shapes everywhere. It gets so boring."

Amazingly enough, the enclosure still left space under the floor to hide the amps. They sit on top of the box and utilize airflow from the bass outlet to prevent overheating. Ai Design also installed fans to help with ventilation.

Meant To Be SeenThough Figliola wanted the speaker components to be out of sight, monitors were meant to be seen. Still, Ai Design mounted them tastefully to complement the overall installation. In addition to the standard headrest locations, the crew carved out a space for two more screens in the trunk lid, just to remind you that this is a demo vehicle after all.

Stroll down the aisles of an auto show and you'll see an over-prevalence of rides that could never translate into daily drivers. With this Magnum, Panasonic and Ai Design make a statement that flashy cars aren't all there are to aspire to. The understated can be just as impressive, if not more so. "We wanted to accentuate the car, not the stereo." Figliola concludes. "And, it just so happens that the stereo is just part of the car instead of it being the car." For everyone who dreams of having a usable vehicle with a full-fledged A/V system, Ai Design couldn't have provided a better example.

A Hot Rod AccentNone of the interior lines changed, but Figliola added a few touches starting with the, as he puts it, "bland and boring" factory dash. For added style, he fabricated a chrome line across the front. Similar chromed strips run throughout the wagon, from the doors to the cargo space floor. The upholstery, done in-house by Jairo Ortiz, echoes the chrome. Metallic grommets stud the front and rear seat inserts, further accented by "what we call a modified Ferrari Daytona stitch pattern," Figliola says. Overhead, the olive green headliner sports a red French stitch. "It really worked with the car because the exterior paint has a lot of green in it," he says.

Subtlety AheadAnother accent gleams upfront in the form of the piano black insert. "It looks simple, but actually a lot of work was put into it," Figliola attests of the overall dash. However, the obvious double-DIN monitor at center was a relatively easy upgrade compared to the discreet center channel. Figliola and Robert Renda, who did most of the electronics and fabrication, put a lot of thought into the center channel design. The resulting polygon shape helps it blend in with the dash. "It really looks as though it came that way," says Figliola.

In their factory locations, the Magnum's front and rear speakers could also trick you into thinking they came straight from the production plant. In addition to coaxes in the dash, components take up residence in the doors. Figliola admits that the door locations aren't ideal since the tweeter lies so far from the midrange. Nonetheless, he went with them due to the ample space and because new enclosures would stick out. Remember, in this Magnum speakers should be heard, not seen. The only visible change to the doors is hardly noticeable at all - metal grilles (camouflaged with paint) replace the OE plastic.

Packing A PunchUnobtrusively integrating new speakers in factory locations doesn't flex an installer's stealth muscle. Most do-it-yourselfers can pull that off with ease. Instead, the area that proclaims that skill set the most is the cargo space. You wouldn't know it by just looking, but Ai Design finagled four 10" subs and four amps under a false floor. A grille covering the bass outlet provides the only visual clue to the amount of equipment beneath.