TOO Loud!

I like car shows, but discovered that they are not all equal. Driving home from an outing one day, I saw a poster on a light pole promoting a car show that was not too far away. Cars, Motorcycles, and “sound” the poster said. I saw, “Cars” and “Bikes”, but did not really focus on that “Sound” category.  I should have!

And it only had an AM radio

There was a1965 mustang, three motorcycles, and 10,000 speakers (A guess . .)

It seemed that the “Sound” category was all about how many speakers you can cram into a vehicle, and how loud you could play Rap music. For example, take a Ford Superduty F350 4X4 pickup truck, fill the front door panels with speakers, same with the back doors, use the entire rear seat area for the amps and controllers, add a hydraulic lift on the bed and fill it with speakers, finally fold out the bed sides and fill them with more speakers. There were four of these rigs. Or take a vehicle that no one likes, such as a Chevy astro-van  or an old Dodge caravan and fill it with speakers. Four door cars are not popular with customizers, but are perfect for “Sound” customs. You can fill all four doors with speakers, open all four doors and blast your music.

No one will notice the dents and rust . . .

You might think they would organize this so that each vehicle would get a chance to “perform” and someone would judge which system sounded best. No, they set all the vehicles in a big circle and everyone tried to out “Loud” everyone else. Now even this might not have been so bad if somehow the music was coordinated, but everyone had a different rap song that best showcased their system, and it was pumping. Ok, you get the picture. I kept thinking I wanted to hand someone a copy of Jimi Hendricks “Purple Haze” and see how these speaker systems really worked. Play that LOUD!

There were some custom cars, but most were in the “Gangsta” style. Big, long and bright with huge wheels and extreme low-profile tires. Most had hubcaps that did not spin when the cars were moving, but contained motors that spun them when the car was stationary. Although not my style, I tried to have an open mind, and appreciate some of the quality work done on some of these vehicles. There was some really beautiful detail work, but some were more about the drama than the quality.

I wonder how “Wild Thing” by the Trogs would have sounded?

No room for cargo in that truck.

Yup, a Chevy Astro-Van

I think it used to be a Buick . . .