Resonant Racer

Paul Meyers

06/01/2007

At the push of a button, the rumble from a naturally aspirated 4.7-liter narrow V-12 engine surges through every carbon-fiber body panel of the Ferrari F50. However, number 34 of 349 is a rare breed, one that provides an audio accompaniment to the 513 horses whickering behind the driver’s seat. With a small 600-watt Alpine PDX digital amplifier ($750) powering two MB Quart 4-inch speakers with tweeters ($850) and an ultra-slim Pioneer 10-inch carbon-fiber subwoofer ($180), the sound system is surprisingly capable of curbing Ferrari’s famous whine, without negatively affecting its performance with added weight. According to Elie Rothstein, owner of Al & Ed’s Autosound in West Hollywood, Calif., the entire sound system weighs less than 20 pounds.

With a little help from a 30-gigabyte iPod (top), 4-inch MB Quart speakers and tweeters (middle), and a 10-inch Pioneer subwoofer (bottom), the internally-mounted 600-watt Alpine PDX amplifier is capable of creating over 100 decibels in this one of a kind Ferrari F50. (Click images to enlarge)

A black and red 30-gigabyte video iPod ($280) nests in the center console, and matches the interior finish. Serving as front stage speakers, the MB Quarts and tweeters fit into the bottom of the right and left A-pillar and the Pioneer subwoofer is custom molded on the rear shelf, centered between the two seats. "It took a lot of time and strategic placement to make the system discrete, yet acoustically sound," says Rothstein. "Working on a Ferrari F50 is not your typical audio modification; we had to make something out of nothing." The entire installation costs $10,000 and can be incorporated into any automobile on the market.

"Some people think I am crazy for doing this," says Brian Witzer, owner of the F50, "but I love driving this car and I love music. Now I can enjoy the two together and the car is built to my preference."

Al & Ed’s Autosound, www.al-eds.com
Alpine Electronics of America, www.alpine-usa.com
MB Quart, www.mbquart.com
Pioneer Electronics, www.pioneerelectronics.com