Tony Stewart’s hearse is a “Unique Whip”
WOODBURY, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 22, 2006–
NASCAR Nextel champ Tony Stewart got a first look at his 1984 Cadillac Hearse recently, moments after a major overhaul was completed at the hands of the 12-volt-industry’s most prominent installers. The group, which convened for the first time ever on an installation job, included Gary Biggs from Harman, Steve Brown of Alpine, Dave “Fishman” Rivera of Metra Electronics and Keith “Reme” Rowland of Unique Autosports. This “dream team” was led by Will Castro, owner of Unique Autosports and host of “Unique Whips” on the SPEED Channel.
The installation, planned for broadcast on “Unique Whips” in late May, will focus on the rebuilding of Stewart’s Hearse from the wheels up, with a focus on the vehicle’s extraordinary audio system. The team spent seven days and nights transforming it into what they call “The Smoke Deville,” in tribute to Stewart’s knack for “smoking” his NASCAR competitors. The Hearse project not only marked the first time these three installers have worked together, but also the first time three manufacturers have come together on one stage to build such a project. More than 600 hours of film footage was gathered.
“In addition to new door panels, we built a completely new dash for the Hearse that highlights Alpine Electronics and JBL’s GTi 608 speakers. And the Hearse now includes a motorized 32-inch flat screen TV, four JBL(R) 12-inch GTi subs, two JBL 2200.1 amps and four JBL 300.4 amps,” Gary Biggs of Harman said. “At times it was very tough to stay focused and on track; at other times it was easy to have a great time; and at some points it seemed as though all hell was going to break loose! But we got the job completed in seven days, and everyone was amazed at the transformation and the sound, especially Tony.”
The Hearse project is one of several that spotlights JBL, Infinity(R) and Harman Kardon(R) mobile audio products as part of a 2006 marketing partnership between Unique Autosports and the three Harman brands.
The two-hour Hearse episode will air during the “Unique Whips” season finale. “Unique Whips,” a 60-minute unscripted TV series, gives viewers a look inside the Unique Autosports world of celebrity-car customizing. With more than four million viewers per episode, “Unique Whips” has surpassed other popular car-enthusiast programs with a fresh new angle: focusing on the audio and video equipment being installed in the luxury cars of today’s leading celebrities. The vehicles are turned into one-of-a-kind pieces of art, while Castro’s A-list clientele nods approval.
The Harman Consumer Group (HCG) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a wide range of high-fidelity loudspeakers, audio and video components, and multimedia systems for use in homes and automobiles, and with computers. The group’s brands include JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, Revel, Audioaccess and Lexicon.
HCG is a division of Harman International Industries, Incorporated. Harman International (www.harman.com) is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, high-fidelity audio products and electronic systems for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. The company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HAR.” -HARMAN INTERNATIONAL-
JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon and Harman International are registered trademarks of Harman International Industries, Incorporated.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I loved the hearse conversion but, one thing that is never mentioned about any hearse in the media is which conversion company built it. Tony Stewart’s “Smoke DeVille” appears to be a Sayers & Scoville Victoria. S&S and Eureaka are two hearse/coach builders which I consider to be the nicest of the bunch due to little details throughout. Alberter and Miller Meteor are my least faves. Either way, great job. Loved it.