Beyond Bells and Whistles
The wide world of aftermarket tuner accessories is a custom fit for the L.A. Auto Show and Southern California gearheads alike. Packed with flashy examples of custom possibilities, the aftermarket exhibits in Kentia Hall are among the most popular components of the show every year, spanning everything from mobile entertainment to diamond-encrusted chrome spinners and beyond.
Specialty vehicles — from tweaked and modified supercars to tiny electric rides — also abound in Kentia Hall.
“Customizing is a growing trend that’s driving a huge industry, and the L.A. Auto Show reflects this,” said Brendan Flynn, communications director for the show.
It’s fun stuff and serious business — even in a slumping economy — with $28 billion in sales last year, said Chris Kersting, president and CEO of SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Assn.
“Americans just love their cars, love to personalize them, make them look great and improve their performance,” Kersting said. “And it’s especially popular and relevant in Southern California, where the customization craze began in the years right after World War II, created by returning veterans who wanted to make their old cars look better and move faster.”
Appropriately enough, this year’s lineup features a trend toward the green, Flynn said. After all, the show is effectively launching the era of the mainstream electric car.
Kentia Hall houses the new Wheego LiFe, a two-seat subcompact EV that runs about 100 miles on a single charge from a standard 120-volt outlet, while Li-ion Motors — an award-winning purveyor of high-speed, high-performance electric models — also is on hand. Smart Madness is back with more custom accessories, demonstrating the cool potential of those tiny and highly efficient gas-sipping two-seat Smart cars.
Commuter Cars is showing off its rather astounding Tango, an ultra-subcompact that’s as thin as some motorcycles, able to zip through and around traffic like a dream — and reaches 60 mph in four seconds with a top speed of 130 mph.
Kentia Hall is packed with accessories in demand by anyone looking to spruce up their ride. Show regular Wheel Warehouse is back with a massive display featuring all the premium brands they carry — TSW, Forgiato and DUB included — from basic 15-inch rims to super-premium 26-inch wheels. And Yokohama Tires returns with plenty of specialized rubber.
As always, the main attractions are the extreme rides — examples of what happens when you have an unlimited budget and unlimited imagination. Show mainstay Al & Ed’s Autosound returns with its biggest exhibit yet — a total of 20 rides that were massively tweaked by the shop’s creative specialists.
Leading the way is a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster like no other, outfitted in special Verde Ithaca paint with a matte finish, equipped with a pair of 12-inch subwoofers for its 2,000-watt Alpine audio system and riding on 20-inch Giovanna three-piece black wheels.
Since the owner of the Lambo is a cigar smoker, Al & Ed’s incorporated a signature special touch: a motorized stogie holder.
The Murcielago is joined by a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, a black-and-yellow beauty defined by cutting-edge technology such as a Rockford Fosgate audio system with 153 bands of equalization (each of which can be fine-tuned via laptop). It also has a Ticket Avoidance System that warns the driver of impending police radar and repels police laser speed guns.
An Aston Martin DBS — a sexy roadster clad in stunning black paint that’s been infused with red metallic flake — also sports the radar-repelling technology. And that’s just a small bite of the Thanksgiving meal Al & Ed’s has in store.
“This year, Al & Ed’s is hitting the ground running with the biggest and most impressive showcase booth ever, almost the length of a football field,” said John Haynes, product manager for Al & Ed’s. “From Italian exotics like Ferrari and Lamborghini to more daily drivers like our tuner-style Prius, there is something here for everyone … complete interior redesigns, lighting, suspension and wheel/tire combinations.
“This is a great opportunity to see what can be done to any vehicle, whether brand-new or well-worn. There is no better place to showcase our work than the L.A. Auto Show.”
Also presenting dramatic examples of customization is Galpin Auto Sports, featured on MTV’s popular “Pimp My Ride.” Galpin’s going large this year, bringing the company’s tricked-out big rig and a one-of-a-kind 1967 Chevelle SS that’s a tuner’s dream. It’s fitted with a 720-horsepower custom-built 572-cubic-inch engine, four black leather Recaro-style seats finished in gray suede and a customized audio system.
Galpin’s exhibit includes a heavily tweaked 2011 Ford Explorer with an interior entirely swathed in custom black leather and suede — seats, door panels and headliner — and trimmed with silver piping. It’s beautiful on the outside, as well, with 24-inch three-piece Forgiato wheels and flashy custom Lightning Silver paint. And don’t overlook Galpin’s Tony Hawk Mustang, the 2011 Ford Fiesta “Art Car” and a custom-built Jaguar XJ75.
Also showing off its wares at Kentia Hall is Alan Autosports and its sleek, low-slung GT Malan, billed as the world’s most affordable supercar (clocking in around $100K).
And premiering at the show is perhaps the most extreme ride yet — the Black Beauty, a wild superhero transporter from the upcoming movie “Green Hornet.”
Presented by Sony Pictures, the Black Beauty 2.7 is actually one of the stunt models used in the film, with a design inspired by a vintage 1965 Chrysler Imperial and fitted with hood guns, a grill-mounted flamethrower and front and rear bumper rockets — perfect for rush hour on the 405.
Suicide doors complete the aggressive and bold look of the Beauty.
Eat your heart out James Bond.
— Bob Young, Custom Publishing Writer
