Kevin Silva's C5 Corvette

As part of our 20th anniversary retrospective, we're showcasing some of our favorite vehicles of the past two decades. You'll be able to vote on your favorite car later. Here's the latest installment.

A C5 Corvette may be one of the fastest cars to come off of a factory line, but like any other car, the stock stereo leaves something to be desired. For this reason, Kevin Silva turned to Chris Merrill, owner of Audio Illusionz in Redding, CA, to make the car truly unique. Rather than loading the car with wattage and oomph that would seem uncharacteristic of the vehicle's sleek style, he went for a mission-specific install that impresses with its simplicity.

The center instrument panel area was rebuilt to downsize the existing radio opening to a DIN-size for the source unit. Useless items like the ashtray and cigar lighter were also excised to allow for a more ergonomic positioning of the entertainment system controls. The centerpiece is the Panasonic CY-VMD9000U 7-inch LCD motorized screen, with DVD video player/CD/AM/FM, taking top position in the stack so that its motorized screen would easily flip up into a comfortable viewing position.

One of the most impressive things about the interior is the integrated install of an XBOX game console. When he faced initial problems installing the CD-Rom drive in the dash (i.e. the ribbon cable was too short to reach the dash and couldn't be easily lengthened), the team consulted Microsoft for advice. When the conglomerate's technicians said it couldn't be done, Merrill and company grew even more determined. Using a fair amount of ingenuity, they dismantled the unit, installed the hard drive in the dash. The motorized disc tray found its home in the rear console, facing forward and within easy reach of the driver. The plugs for the controllers were relocated to the dash and just under the trunk latch in the rear of the car (for use at shows). All in all, the install exemplifies the kind of creativity and determination that makes for the most memorable of vehicle builds.