DUB Magazine Issue 68

T H E

O R I G I N A L

A U T O M O T I V E

L I F E S T Y L E S

M A G A Z I N E

LUXURY & EXOTICS | TRUCKS & SUVS | LOWRIDERS | MOTORCYCLES

ROAD TEST

2011 FORD MUSTANG GT

PIONEER+FIVE AXIS

LEXUS IS F

DANA WHITE | TAPOUT POUT | SWIFT CAR CLUB ON LOCATION DUB SHOWS IN ENGLISHTOWN+HOUSTON | LEXANI FESTIVAL | SPOCOM SUPERSHOW SEP / OCT 2010

T H E

O R I G I N A L

A U T O M O T I V E

L I F E S T Y L E S

M A G A Z I N E

LUXURY & EXOTICS | TRUCKS & SUVS | LOWRIDERS | MOTORCYCLES

ROAD TEST

2011 FORD MUSTANG ANG GT

SEP / OCT 2010

THE

ORIG

INAL

OM AUT

OTIV

E E LIF

ES STYL

MAG

AZIN

E

ROAD

TEST

2011 FOARNDG GT MUST

IVE AXIS

PIONEER+F

LEXUS IS F

ND

I M R E T S A M HE UFC’S

T R

TOUGH FER

DA

RACU R A B & 0 3 4 ARI F

CLUB R A IFT C W S | PERSHOW U T S M U O C O O P STIVAL | S | TAP E F I L N A X E E L G OUSTON | H S AN + N S I W O T R H C S IN ENGLIS W O H S B U ON D ON LOCATI

Aquí y allá al mismo tiempo. 40 MPG*.

Lime squeeze metálico, verde brillante de un lado a otro, chillón de barrio a barrio. Tu llavero, muchas llaves, llaves por montón, yo en mi Fiesta oprimo el botón. Cruise y rodando por mi mundo con SYNC®, instrucciones paso a paso. No te desesperes, Pérez, y sé paciente, que nadie como el Fiesta es tan eficiente en su clase para dar hasta 40 MPG en carretera y rodar por el boulevard**. Si quieres conocer mi mundo, entra a readypatumundo.com/xavi.

SYNC® es opcional. Manejar distraído puede causar la pérdida de control del vehículo. Utiliza teléfonos móviles y otros accesorios, incluso con los comandos de voz, sólo cuando sea seguro hacerlo. Alertas de tráfico en tiempo real disponibles en mercados selectos. Push-Button Start es opcional.* Estimación de mpg según EPA: 29 en ciudad/40 en carretera, 33 combinadas en el Fiesta SFE con transmisión automática; se muestra el Fiesta SES, 29 en ciudad/38 en carretera, 33 mpg combinadas con transmisión automática. **Clase definida como Automóviles Compactos vs. competidores del 2010.

ENVIA XAVI 2 AL 77982

ManĂŠjalo

DUB MAGAZINE ISSUE 68 SEP/OCT 2010 CONTENTS

52 62

74 82

52

CRISS ANGEL

62

DANA WHITE

74

TAPOUT

82

SWIFT CAR CLUB

KING OF MAGIC’S CAR & CHOPPER COLLECTION THE WILL TO WIN

THE GLORY LIVES ON

FOLLOW THE LEADER

107 KAO AUTO STYLING IF SHOP WALLS COULD TALK

116

HOT WHEEL CITY BIG BOY TOYS

107 116

DUB MAGAZINE ISSUE 68 SEP/OCT 2010 CONTENTS

18

22

24

46 101

EDITOR’S NOTES 68

DUB PUBLISHING, INC. LOS ANGELES : WORLDWIDE Myles Kovacs | Publisher | myles@dubmagazine.com Haythem Haddad | Editor/Creative Director | haythem@dubmagazine.com John Ramos | Promotions Director | john@dubmagazine.com Rich Calbay | Managing Editor | rich@dubmagazine.com Cynthia Tran-Kovacs | Accounts Manager | cynthia@dubmagazine.com Pierce Flynn | VP of Business Development | pierce@dubmagazine.com DESIGN DEPARTMENT Steve Cuevas | Graphic Designer | steve@dubmagazine.com Jonathan Rodrigues | Art Director | jonrod@dubmagazine.com Adrian Guillemet | Video Editor | adrian@dubmagazine.com ADVERTISING : (626) 336-3821 Rich Calbay | rich@dubmagazine.com Myles Kovacs | myles@dubmagazine.com Adel Boutros | Advertising Associate | adel@dubmagazine.com Tony Madrigal | Advertising Associate | tony@dubmagazine.com

Two trips to Sin City in two weeks? Bring it!

That was us, as we agreed to head out to what’s better known as the nation’s “adult playground” to catch up with the kings of Las Vegas and the new whips they’re pushing.

First Vegas mission: to shoot the mysterious Criss Angel and his elusive collection of the desert’s most prized vehicles. A self-proclaimed speed junkie, Criss has added the ultimate vehicular form of speed to his fleet with his 1,001-horsepowered Bugatti Veyron. It’s the perfect fix for an adrenaline-chaser like Criss. Compare that to his fully chromed one-of-a-kind Skeleton Chopper, and you’ll see why we think Criss may just have the ultimate collection of rides.

Second Vegas mission: talk shop with the face of the UFC, Mr. Dana White. We got an inside look into the inner workings of his genius mind, the art of chasing a dream and some of the secrets of the UFC’s meteoric success. He also gave us some inspiration by showcasing a few of his toys such as his F430, and killer ‘Cuda.

Speaking of the UFC, we also revisited the TapouT crew to see how Mask’s influence is still alive and driving the company to success.

Punkass, Skrape and TapouT President Marc Kreiner took time to describe how Mask’s vision is being realized in all the company’s new challenges and endeavors. All is good in their automotive game as they showcase three of their latest classics.

In between Vegas trips, we caught up with Swift, one of Cali’s biggest custom car clubs. Having steadily pushed the limits of automotive customization since 1995 and dominating the So. Cal show scene, we check in with the Swift boys to find out about their international chapters in Japan and Spain. Sit shotgun as we give you an insider’s look into the lifestyle, the dedication and the commitment it takes to succeed.

DUB MAGAZINE & EVENTS STAFF Kristie Bertucci | Features Editor / Copy Editor | kristie@dubmagazine.com Kiani Tran-Boutros | Human Resources/Accounting Director | kiani@dubmagazine.com Jeanette Palmerin | Office Administrator | jeanette@dubmagazine.com Mike Shaughnessy | mike@dubmagazine.com Sean Dowd | sean@dubmagazine.com Walter Segovia | walter@dubmagazine.com Ryan Dobkin Manuel Oros Edwin Quiroz Eli Paul Chavez Armando Rodriquez TRANSPORTATION OPERATORS Andrew “Old Skol” Canales Daniel Serna CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Patrick Daly / Michael Vincent / Chyna Patterson Brian McGee / RCH Designs / Heather Smith / Matt Campbell CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Nick Halili / Sean Tucker Kristopher Ku / Deanne DeLuna / Eric Valdes (Technical)

Enjoy Issue 68!

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DUB REPORT 68

Company Information DUB Magazine® is now published 6 times per year. Subscriptions are now $20.00 for 6 issues.

DUB® is the Original Automotive Lifestyles Magazine™ and is published by DUB Publishing, Inc. in the City of Industry, CA. DUB® Magazine was established in the year 2000.

To place an ad in DUB Magazine, please contact the Ad Sales department at (626) 336-3821 The 8th annual DUB Show Tour Custom Auto Show & Concert features the nation’s best custom cars and also features an all-star line-up of performers.

For more information, visitwww.dubshowtour.com DUB® is also a design, marketing and promotions team, responsible for the development and marketing of many licensed automotive goods, collectibles, and apparel, as well as our sponsor’s key products.

Contact: marketing@dubmagazine.com

Get the word out and get free stuff!

For more info, email: john@dubmagazine.com Bring on the Letters!

We’re now accepting letters to DUB Magazine. Send your rants or raves to intake@dubmagazine.com.

Your letter may end up in an issue of DUB!

National & International Newsstand Distribution: Curtis Circulation Company Promotional Printing: Smart Levels: (800) 465-1746 www.smartlevels.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission. This book is purchased with the understanding that the information presented is from many varied sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher, as to accuracy or completeness.

Fail to plan...plan to fail.

Planning for the 2011 DUB Show season is well underway. We’re examining everything - different cities and venues to revising the competition classes to bring you, the die-hard DUB show attendee, an even better experience next year. We know that without the support of all our sponsors, vendors, car competitors, promoters and attendees that we would not be able to bring you a better show year after year. The only way we do this is from your feedback.

Give us your input on what should be added, taken out or changed for 2011 at john@dubmagazine.com The 2010 tour might be coming to an end, but our coverage of past shows isn’t! Scope out what E-Town, NJ and Houston, TX showed up with and be on the lookout for coverage on the rest of the shows in coming issues.

Don’t forget to represent your city and hit us up with how you’d like next year’s Tour to go down!

©Copyright 2010 DUB Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED • PRINTED IN THE USA

Event Contacts

Sponsorship & Event Planning Myles Kovacs: (626) 336-3821 myles@dubmagazine.com Car Show Planning/Media Information John Ramos: (626) 336-3821 john@dubmagazine.com Vendor Booths: (626) 336-3821 John Ramos john@dubmagazine.com Jeanette Palmerin jeanette@dubmagazine.com

* All locations are subject to change. Make sureyou check withdubshowtour.comoften to stay informed on the tour’s happenings. Also, friend us up on Myspace.com/duband Facebook.com/dubmagazine.com

Eli Paul Chavez eli@dubmagazine.com All Other Inquiries info@dubmagazine: (626) 336-3821

Keep the letters coming! Hit us up via email at intake@dubmagazine.com or through snail mail at: DUB PO Box 91754 City of Industry, CA 91745-1819 Attn: INTAKE

CELEBRITY FIGHT NIGHT

MRS. BOSS DOGG

Man, I’d give anything to have the funds to be able to bid on such one-of-a-kind gift packages es that are offered at Celebrity Fight Night! I’d even settle for having enough cash to just be able to afford a ticket to the event. At least all the funds go to charity, so while the rich get to have fun and play, it’s all for a good cause.

Jermaine Q. Via e-mail Celebrity Fight Night auction packages are definitely beyond amazing and extremely expensive. We’d also give anything to be able to afford a nice package for all our DUB staff, Jermaine. Butt we’re with you on how great it is that all the proceeds go on to help charities. If we were very wealthy, we’d be bidding on all kinds of packages, but at least we were able to do our part and provide the organization with cars to auction off these past two years.

CHAMPIONS AND WARIERS

While her husband definitely sports the finest old schools around and is one of the rap game’s best, I’m with Shante Broadus and the style of rides she likes: “flashy, fast cars.” I’m sure some of her husband’s profits went into both the BMW X6M and Porsche Panamera. Like she said, “You can’t be mad at wifey.” You go girl!

Deborah Z. Via e-mail Shante Broadus is a very lucky woman, who is successful in her own right, too, Deborah. We’re sure she spent some of her own hard-earned cash on her lavish rides. But you’re right, we can’t be “mad at wifey” either!

SPRAY PAINT BOOGIE I’m a graffiti artist by nature and have to give mad props to Chor Boogie for puttin’ in the effort to make spray paint a respectable medium in the art world. I know what I do might be illegal, but it’s still art. I have nothing but respect for the guy and his pieces. His feature actually inspired me to play around with using spray paint on canvas.

Zack “Penz”

I’m a diehard Lakers fan and have been for years. I’m not gonna lie, but I wasn’t too happy about Ron Artest coming to The Lakers this year because of his wild antics. It seemed as if he wouldn’t mesh well with the chemistry The Lakers already had, but I’m the first to admit I’m wrong. He’s a talented player and really proved himself this past season. Both your article and his role in helping The Lakers become the champs again really changed my mind about the guy…I’m just not so sure about his rapping career.

Nice name, Penz! Graffiti is an art form when done right and not maliciously to destroy private and public property, which is why we’re down for what Chor Boogie represents. We hope that he’ll take the spray paint medium far in the art world, so that it won’t always be associated with negative connotations.

#1 Laker Fan Doug L. Ron Artest is one interesting character, but he gets the job done, which is all that counts, Doug. We like how he adds a bit of favor to The Lakers and comes through when needed. As far as his rapping career, you never know what will happen if Ron puts his mind to it.

IF WE PUBLISH YOUR LETTER! ER! AGAZINE.COM WRITE TO :INTAKE@DUBMAGAZINE.COM NDER ANDSIZE AND *PLASE SPECIFY YOUR GENDER ANDSIZE. SIZE.

DUB MAG MAG SEP / OCT 2010 10 DUB 16

AIR RUNNERMERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS WWW.AIRRUNNERSYSTEMS.COM

The Air Runner system provides separate four corners height adjustment to improve handling performance and reduce body roll. It comes equipped with shocks, which utilize 4-way adjustability to allow for precise suspension adjustments. Basic ride height adjustment is 4-5 inches. The system comes with all necessary components for installation.

ACCUAIR e-LEVEL AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEMS WWW.ACCUAIRSUSPENSION.COM

The e-LevelTM Electronic Leveling System is the heart of any AccuAir suspension package and provides unparalleled technology and features.

This second generation controller offers the ability to save three unique vehicle heights into memory at the touch of a button, using TruPositionTM Height Sensors installed in each corner of your suspension. In addition to managing the height of your air springs, the e-LevelTM system also manages your air compressor(s). A 0-200 psi sealed tank pressure sensor lets the ECU know the constant status of the air tank. This eliminates the use of a mechanical pressure switch and lets the e- LevelTM system manage your compressor(s) more efficiently.

UNIVERSAL AIR SUSPENSION WWW.UNIVERSALAIRSUSPENSION.COM

Universal Air Suspension’s Complete Air Suspension System is their newest track-tested and street-proven addition to their offerings. With more than 500 different applications, ranging from Toyota Prius to Lamborghini Murciélago and everything in between, Universal Air Suspension has been building custom aftermarket air suspensions for the past 10 years.

AIR-ZENITH 200PSI DUAL-OB2 PRO KIT WWW.AIR-ZENITH.COM

Air-Zenith’s 200PSI Dual-OB2 Professional-Grade On-Board Air Compressor Kit comes with highest quality components designed for high performance air suspension vehicles. This Pro kit achieves the fastest air recovery time in the world: a 5-gallon air tank from 165PSI to 200PSI in just 40 seconds, making it an air compressor that’s ready for the toughest streets or pavements. The kit comes with your choice of a black, white, silver or chrome nish fi and is backed by a two-year warranty.

DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 12 DUB 18

MORE HORSEPOWER On a Stock 2006 Chrysler 300C 5.7L #69-2526TP

Huge Power Gains and Better Engine Sound

Easy to Install with No Cutting or Drilling

Won’t Void Factory Warranty

Washable and Reusable

Made in the USA

Cadillac Escalade Chevy Silverado 1500 Chevy Tahoe Chrysler 300 Chrysler 300C Dodge Charger

2005-06 1999-04 2005-06 2005-07 2005-07 2006-07

6.0L 5.3L 5.3L 3.5L 5.7L 3.5L

#57-3050 #57-3021-1 #57-3050 #57-1543 #57-1542 #57-1543

+12 hp +9 hp +12 hp +12 hp +21 hp +12 hp

Dodge Magnum Dodge Ram 1500 Dodge Ram 1500 Ford F-150 Ford F-150 Ford Mustang

2005-07 2003-07 2002-07 2004-07 1997-03 2005-07

5.7L 5.7L 4.7L 5.4L 4.6L 4.0L

#57-1542 #57-1533 #57-1529 #57-2556 #57-2541 #57-2566

+21 hp +11 hp +9 hp +15 hp +13 hp +8 hp

Ford Mustang GT Honda Accord Hummer H2 Infiniti G35 Coupe Lincoln Navigator Nissan Titan

1996-04 1994-97 2003-07 2003-06 2003-04 2004-07

4.6L 2.2L 6.0L 3.5L 5.4L 5.6L

#57-2519-3 #69-1208TS #57-3037 #69-7080-1TS #57-2551 #57-6012

+10 hp +6 hp +11 hp +10 hp +15 hp +11 hp

Horsepower gains based on specific or similar vehicle dynamometer tests. Results will vary. For more information, look up vehicle and/or testing protocols at knfilters.com

knfilters.com/dub

1-800-437-1304 ext. 2053

©2010 K&N Engineering, Inc.

AVENUE WHEELS

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NAME: A603 SIZES: 18”, 20”, 22”, 24”, 26” FINISHES: GLOSS BLACK MACHINED, CHROME, FULL SATIN BLACK

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STATUS WHEELS

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NAME: R947 SIZES: 18”, 20” FINISHES: BLACK WITH MACHINED FACE

NAME: S816 KNIGHT 5 SIZES: 20”, 22” FINISHES: BLACK WITH MACHINED FACE

STRADA WHEEL

20 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010 14 DUB

BLACK DI FORZA

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VERDE CUSTOM WHEELS

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NAME: CORONA SIZES: 17”, 18”, 20”, 22”, 24”, 26”, 28” FINISHES: CHROME

NAME: V31 - ALLUSION SIZES: 22”, 24” FINISHES: CHROME, GLOSS BLACK, MATTE BLACK

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RENAULT DEZIR CONCEPT Renault is showing a new concept car for this year’s Paris Auto Show. Titled the “DeZir,” the concept car is the first major project under new design VP n Laurens van den Acker and according to Renault it represents the vision of “simple,” “sensuous” and “warm.” The ‘Z’ in the name DeZir is a direct ect es reference to Renault’s zero-emission Z.E. signature, and several features ctric of its design are suggestive of two qualities readily associated with electric mobility, namely advanced technology and lightweight. The two-seaterr coupé concept features an energy storage by way of the same size 24 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack placed in the Nissan Leaf.

Propulsion is provided by a 110-kilowatt electric motor spinning thee nds rear wheels and pushing the 1,830-pound concept to 60 mph in 5 seconds according to the spec sheet. Kevlar body panels are wrapped around a steell h tube frame chassis with double wishbones at all four corners. Although Renault isn’t sold in the US, we can still drool over this cool concept.

DRIVEGAIN IPHONE APPHELPS DRIVERS SAVE FUEL, REDUCE EMISSIONS DriveGain has a new iPhone app that will save drivers up to $205 a year in fuel costs by following some simple visual and spoken cues, as stated on their website. It uses the iPhone’s built-in GPS system to calculate the vehicle’s speed and rate of acceleration and deceleration, allowing the app to calculate fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, fuel cost per mile and much more. Right now, the app is only available for manual transmission cars, but will soon have one for automatics, too, and sells for $6.99. The apps database has more than 16,900 different cars to choose from. It can be used on the iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4, as well as on the iPod Touch and iPad.

AUDI R8 E-TRON WINS SILVRETTA E-AUTO RALLY MONTAFON 2010 Audi’s e-Tron was victorious at the Silvretta E-Auto Rally in Austria this past July, with the concept coming in first out of 23 other electric vehicles. The competition pits the latest and greatest electric vehicles out there against each other and the e-Tron won the race by a margin of less than a second. The race took place over a period of three days and included ten time-trial stages.

16 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010 22

NBA 2K11 PUBLISHER: 2K SPORTS DEVELOPER: VISUAL CONCEPTS/KUSH GAMESPLATFORM: XBOX 360, PLAYSTATION 2, PLAYSTATION 3, PSP, WII, PC | WWW.2KSPORTS.COM/GAMES/NBA2K11

Featuring the great and long-time Chicago Bull Michael Jordan on the cover, NBA 2K11 will go above and beyond any of its predecessors. Not only is the legendary player on the box art, but also expect to see Jordan on the court as well since developers have created a new player model for him to use. “It’s an honor to be featured on the cover of NBA 2K11,” said Jordan, current majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. “I have no doubt that NBA 2K11 will be a big hit with gamers and basketball fans alike. I’m looking forward to getting back out onto the court, virtually. Let’s hope they get my dunk from the foul line right.” In terms of gameplay, expect continued improvements to the graphics, signature styles and game modes seen in previous iterations.

DEF JAM RAPSTAR PUBLISHER: KONAMI DEVELOPER: 4MM GAMES/TERMINAL REALITY/DEF JAM INTERACTIVE PLATFORM: XBOX 360, PLAYSTATION 3, WII | WWW.DEFJAMRAPSTAR.COM

Think you got what it takes to flow like hip-hop’s best MCs? Well Def Jam Rapstar will allow you to test your rhyme skills in the ultimate MC video game experience. Encompassing and capturing all that hip-hop culture has to offer, the game features loads of hip-hop’s greatest songs, where you are the MC. You can also use a console camera to upload your video that showcases your skills to the fully integrated Def Jam Rapstar community at www.defjamrapstar.com. Def Jam Rapstar also offers you the ability to freestyle over tracks by some of the hottest hip-hop producers and upload your freestyle performances for the world to decide how good you really are.

MAFIA II PUBLISHER: 2K GAMES DEVELOPER: 2K CZECH PLATFORM: XBOX 360, PLAYSTATION 3, PC | WWW.MAFIA2GAME.COM

The sequel to the award-winning Mafia provides gamers with the ultimate mobster experience, where guns, clothing, cars and music are meticulously created to replicate an American city in the ’40s and ’50s. With a very cinematic, Hollywood-style narrative, players will become immersed in the storyline that follows Vito, a beaten down Italian American trying to escape the life of poverty that consumed his childhood. Gamers follow Vito and his childhood friend Joe as they learn the ropes on the streets and follow their dreams of becoming “made men.” Filled with action-packed gameplay with tons of car chases, hand-to-hand combat and intense gunplay, Mafia II continues the epic gangster story that the first installment began.

SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 DUB MAG MAG SEP 12 DUB 24

F1 2010

PUBLISHER: CODEMASTERS DEVELOPER: CODEMASTERS PLATFORM: XBOX 360, PLAYSTATION 3, PC | WWW.FORMULA1-GAME.COM

F1 2010 will take you above and beyond the confines of an ordinary racing game. From the minute you first press play, you’re immersed in the life, career and intense world of a Formula One race driver—both on and off the circuit.

Be the Driver, Live the Life: Working closely with actual Formula One drivers and the organization itself, Codemasters developers, who worked on the game, wanted to capture every little detail to provide players with the ultimate driving experience of the world’s most exciting motorsport.

“In previous racing games, not just F1, you almost feel as if you are playing as the car rather than the driver, but in F1 2010 we want you to feel like a hero F1 driver,” says Stephen Hood, Chief Game Designer for Codemasters Birmingham. “We have this mantra of “Be the Driver, Live the Life.” “Be the Driver” is everything you would expect from an F1 game: practice, qualifying, race, championship, career, time trials and a multiplayer experience, but all from the driver’s perspective. You will interact directly with your Race Engineer to talk about car setup, what’s happening on track, the changing weather, where your teammate is placed—all of the things that you hear on a pit radio throughout a race weekend.”

Expect to see all the drivers and teams you’d normally see during the regular F1 season, including F1 Drivers’ World Champs like Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher. Looked upon as international celebs, developers wanted players to race in their shoes, which is where the Paddock area comes into play. This area acts as a feedback mechanism to gauge how well you’re playing. So as you become more famous in the F1 racing world, and as you win more races, the more people will be hanging around you, and the more interested the media will be

SEP / OCT 2010

DUB MAG 27

real-life F1 racer. Whatever way you choose to play, a big part of the game involves competing against your teammate to become the No. 1 driver on your two-person squad. Your performance will also help shape the future development of your car since performing well in races earn valuable vehicle performance upgrades. If you do really well, you’ll also begin attracting the attention of other teams who may offer you a contract to race for them.

Innovative Technology: The game’s fully dynamic weather system affects strategy, performance and delivers truly stunning visuals. It’s mentioned to be the most advanced weather system in any racing game. “The weather system is linked into the tracks geography and is changeable not only through a race weekend, but also within an individual session meaning that you will get those sudden changes in conditions that can make races so dramatic,” Hood explains. “We have this system called Active Track Technology, which means that the track actually knows how much water there is on the track. This means there will be some areas wetter than others, and you will see a drying line develop as the rain eases up and the tire displace water off the racing line. The Active Track Technology also works in the dry telling the game how much grid, rubber, dust or marbles there are on particular sections of track.” With the two interlinked systems, players will literally have to make split second decisions that can either make or break your race weekend or season!

Insider Tip: “The main thing is to practice and learn the tracks,” Hood says. “You will find that the more laps you do the more consistent you will become and the more competitive you will be. Don’t rush into every corner. Slow in, fast out...that’s key to building confidence around any new circuit!”

throughout your racing career in the game.

The game features two kinds of press: the traditional formal media you’d see asking drivers questions at the official post-race press conference, and then there are those impromptu media who hang around the Paddock.

After the game’s opening set-up, you’ll only encounter the formal media if you finish in the top three of any F1 race. But you’ll encounter the impromptu media no matter how good or bad you perform. These media types are the ones who’ll ask the harder Q’s, such as why you did particularly well or badly in a given session and quiz you about a potential move to a rival team. The answers you give in these interviews will have an effect on your career and the way you are seen in the world of F1.

Gameplay Gamers can choose to play alone or take part in the online multiplayer mode, which supports up to 12 players. They can also select how challenging they want the racing to be based on their experience level. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert,F1 2010 has different levels of customization, which makes the game accessible to a variety of players. Experienced players are more likely to do full-length race weekends, where they can adjust their cars many times according to track and weather conditions. More casual players will want shorter races that are much more pick-up and play. For those players who want to get out and race right away rather than tune their cars, they can simply have their Race Engineer do it all for them. Players can also choose to add driver aids, such as Brake Assist, ABS, Traction Control and a Racing Line to make the races a bit easier, while testing out their driving skills.

Players can either choose to build their own race character or play as a

28 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

WWW.PIONEERDJUSA.COM What about the DJ scene? How has that changed over the years?

Ken: It’s interesting, really. There’s new technology, toys, and gadgets that has made the whole DJ experience accessible to everyone. We played vinyl as long as we could but, unfortunately, the records we wanted to play were not being pressed on vinyl anymore. So we made the switch to CDs and now we skipped the whole Serrato step and went to playing on Pioneer’s CDJ-2000s, which allows you to use a flash drive or SD card without the need of a computer. We went to having to carry around a laptop to now just carrying a little flash drive with our music on our keychain.

It’s almost identical to how a CDJ-1000 plays a CD. When you put a CD in, it loads the whole song in it’s memory and the CDJ-2000 reads the flash drive the same way. It’s better since you can store cue points, save your set lists and do lots more, all without having to carry discs around and worry about them getting lost or damaged. We’ve ruined lots of CDs with beer and drinks and are notorious for losing them, too.

Scott: I like the convenience factor. You don’t have to lug around this laptop with you everywhere. Even if you lose a flash drive, it’s not going to be as expensive as losing a laptop. Plus, using a computer while DJ’ing isn’t exactly easy when you have two people on at the same time. It’s difficult to DJ like that ’cause I have to listen to what Ken’s playing, while still formulating what I’m going to be playing 10 minutes before he’s done with his set. When using a computer, that’s your main outlet for your music, so I can’t get on it and strategize my set while he’s still using it.

We love Pioneer and their mixers, and the new CDJ-2000s are amazing.

They have a real vinyl feel to them and they are pre-loaded with tons of tricks and effects that allow you to do a lot of creative things in your set.

PHOTO: MAURA LANAHAN

WWW.THECRYSTALMETHOD.COM

K

en Jordan and Scott Kirkland, better known as The Crystal Method, have seen it all in the electronic/dance music scene. Starting out in the early-’90s L.A. rave scene and inspired by the underground club culture, the duo have now garnered iconic status within the DJ world. They continue to inspire the fans at massive music festivals, intimate concerts and with every new release they’ve had since their debut album, Vegas.

Despite their hectic touring schedule, Ken and Scott talks to DUB about the band, their thoughts on the digital DJ and the future of their internationally renowned status.

How did your music moniker, The Crystal Method, come about?

Ken: It was sort of handed to us actually. We were working with a rapper on some tracks and were in our transition phase of doing producer work and coming up with our band name. So, one day, we were all going to meet up after working in the studio and we asked the rapper how’d he get to the place where we all agreed to meet up. He said something about having this girl Crystal take him and then ended it by saying something like, “Oh yeah, the Crystal method.” Scott and I thought it was a cool-sounding, edgy name and put it on our demo tapes. The name stuck after that.

Having been in the music industry for a while now, how would you guys say the music industry, especially the dance genre, has evolved and/or changed over the years? What’s Crystal Method’s place in it would you say?

Scott: Well, we’re sort of looked upon as godfathers of something [laughs].

We can understand that cause it’s the nature with every genre of music to have certain acts at the forefront of its beginning. Even though we’re not the first ones to make electronic music in the States, we’re the first ones that really made an impact in the electronic scene nationally. We’re very fortunate to have sold some records and built such a dynamic fanbase.

We did that by touring our asses off and playing every city and party we could early on. We both knew the current set of radio stations would not play our music, so we really had to get out and tour to break ground. One of the things we hear a lot is the fact that our records have introduced fans to electronic music and that it has broadened their musical horizons of the genre. That’s always a very cool thing.

Ken: We are kind of a gateway drug to other electronic music [laughs].

36 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

It seems like electronic/dance music has become popular in the States again even though it’s been continuously popular internationally. Why do you think that is?

Ken: It comes and goes in waves in the states. Dance music and its underground siblings will always have a following in the States, but the real mainstream popularity comes and goes all the time. Right now, it does seem to be popular again. When our first album Vegas came out, the music was popular, too, and it stayed at that level until the early 2000s. We’ve always been levelheaded about the success of our music because we always know that the mainstream fans will come and go, and we really only make our music for our true fans that will always love our music no matter what.

We have to stay true to ourselves to make good music.

What are you thoughts on the current rave scene, especially with all the recent tragic incidents that have been happening like the teenage girl overdosing at the Electric Daisy Festival in June and the deaths at the Love Parade? Do you think the rave scene will die out because of it and go back to being underground?

Scott: It’s unfortunate that both incidents happened and we should mourn them, but we also need to look at ways at correcting what went wrong to make sure they don’t happen again. But people shouldn’t blame the music.

There are many events that are worse that don’t get as much press. There are way bigger stories or situations that would be more newsworthy, but because EDC is easy to get great coverage on since it’s such a spectacular event, everybody makes a big deal out of it. I remember hearing about a fan that fell off a balcony at a baseball game trying to catch a fly ball, but that’s not going to stop people from attending baseball games is it? No, people have to take responsibility for what they do. There are drugs at all kinds of other shows or, really, any type of event so people putting the blame on the culture and music isn’t right.

As internationally acclaimed DJs, can you describe what the life entails?

Ken: The travel is more tiring than people realize. Flying can really cause fatigue, especially when you have to travel two days to get to a city you’ll only be in for one day, then travel two days to get home. Jet lag is killer. But everything else is great. Being put up in nice accommodations and having stretch limos take you to the gigs is always awesome.

Scott: In general, it’s really fun and a blast. You just have to find ways of taking care of yourself so that you don’t let the traveling get to you. Yeah, it might be frustrating getting there, but once you step on stage and start playing for thousands of people, you forget about everything else.

Do you still get nervous when you guys play to massive crowds?

Scott: You definitely get a little nervous, especially at big festivals. You just have to try and focus to not let it get to you. You have to have some confidence that you won’t f*ck up and just have fun with it. Once you let go and connect with the audience, you’ll become relaxed and it’ll become fun.

There’s nothing like some shots of vodka or tequila to also calm the nerves!

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AL BORDA’S

SKIN INDUSTRIES

As the first to coin the term “sports fashion,” Al Borda has taken his Skin Industry clothing line and transformed it into a lifestyle. Many love its iconic logo and graphics and its accessibility to all is what keeps the brand competitive and successful amidst the many who have now entered the market. Defined as “more thank your average T-shirt company,” Borda is staying true to Skin’s OG roots, while bringing some new products to its upcoming line.

What’s new at Skin Industries?

Al: Big things are happening right now! In the past we’ve had licensees that had been in charge of manufacturing our designs, shipping them and collecting the money on them. In turn, they would pay me a fee for using my name and designs on the T-shirts. So, now we’re taking everything back and doing it ourselves. It’s got to a point where they aren’t going to help the business grow anymore, and I need to make that happen. We now have a warehouse set up and our own production people, so starting in 2011 all the Skin tees, headwear and fleece will be done directly by my own people and company.

A lot of companies have been hit hard with this tough economy. How have you been able to still grow despite many facing tough times and tightening their wallets?

Al: Yeah, I know. We haven’t really seen any decline in business whatsoever—knock on wood. Our business is still profitable, and I think the reason why is because the person who is buying a Skin Industries T-shirt is your average, blue-collar worker. My clientele, for the most part, are in recession-proof jobs and are not financial bankers or people working on Wall Street. They are just regular people who can still afford to buy themselves a tee. Guys who are selling their stuff for $75 or more are feeling the crunch.

You can now walk into a Costco and see what brands are doing well and which ones aren’t. When you end up in Costco, you know something bad happened.

Since first starting out, there are now many sports fashion brands on the market. Where does Skin stand amidst them all?

Al: Well, Skin is really the he only sports fashion brand out ut there at created since I was the one that the term. That word never existed until I came up with it. When we he business, first started out in the ss company. we were a motocross There was no one focused on here might that back then. There hletes in the have been 24 athletes sport at the timee in 1998, and I had all of them, but two, riding for me and rand. wearing my brand. out six Then about d I didn’t years ago, I decided just want to be labeled as a motocross usiness was clothing brand ’cause I believed my business nd wanted so much more. I came up with sports fashion and d first. to be a lifestyle brand, which is another word that I used first. It was around, but no one really took it and used it for their own company. I wanted to incorporate more things into the company and not just focus on one sport. So if we came across somebody who liked us and we liked them, then we would connect no matter where they came from or what sport they played.

Realistically, we’re not an MMA brand, either, and people think that. I have one MMA fighter, one skateboarder, one BMX guy and one Moto-X guy on payroll to represent our stuff. Realistically, it’s easy for me to say I’m a lifestyle brand since I have at least one person in so many different things.

You can look at any other company and they have three or four guys in only one sport and that sort of categorizes what they are.

I believe my brand is sports fashion, and it’s always evolving. Whatever direction I take my company in sets the trends for sports fashion and all these other companies that follow. We’re pretty heavy in the NFL, baseball, and other sports. When I go out to sell my T-shirts to people, I want to go out and sell it to the cop, firefighter, to your everyday guy because those are SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 DUB DUB MAG MAG 29 43 SEP

How do you keep coming up with your graphics to keep evolving the line?

Al: I’m still trying to figure that out right now. I’m doing something a bit risky and am actually changing the feel that people have associated with Skin for the last 12 years. When we started off doing Skin, I lived in Carlsbad, CA. I was by the beach and surfed and skateboarded. I then moved to Temecula, and we became this “bro/ho company.” I was never one of those people who lived that lifestyle, but that was the theme of the area at the time and people started to associate my business with it. These people aren’t bad people, but it’s not what Skin is originally about. Skin is about doing what you like, not fitting into somebody else’s program to be that cool guy.

I’m changing my artwork up a bit and going for a more surf and skate feel. I’m trying not to be very logo driven, but more color driven. We’ll have shirts in new colors coming for our Spring 2011 line. But don’t think we’re abandoning our graphic logo that people know us for.

Fans can get sneak peaks on our new website and sign up for newsletters, as well as vote on tees they’d like to see printed. The two that get the most votes we’ll make. We really want to get the consumer to run the show for us. We’ll also be bringing back original designs that we did years ago. We’ll pick a tee and then make it the same way we did back when it originally came out. Then every month we’ll have a limited run of that shirt.

Would you say that you’re still very hands-on when it comes to your company in terms of choosing graphics, materials, etc, or would you say you just oversee it all now?

the people that have been with Skin for 12 years. Those are the people who buy it and relate to my business. I mean, I grew up poor in South San Diego, on food stamps and welfare and big block cheese. I was so poor that I got free lunches and breakfast at school. You have to stick with your roots to really be successful.

You toyed with the idea of having a Skin Couture line. What happened to that?

Al: Well, we started with the idea of Skin Couture to go after that Affliction/ Christian Audigier/Ed Hardy customer. The guy that wanted a fitted tee that was distressed, had more embellishments on it and was more expensive.

We literally just took the regular Skin tee and used the same artwork we had ad on our regular shirts that sell for $22 and just added some foil, embroideryy and very little embellishments and priced it higher. It started off well and got a great response at shows we took it to, but I just pulled the plug on the deal. I’m pulling away from my roots by doing that.

The people who will be buying these shirts will not know anything about Skin and will walk into some glamour rock shop, see it next to Affliction and buy it. They’ll then head to Vegas and act like a high roller, r, but that’s not the Skin guy. All the designs that we did make for it are actually coming out in our Spring 2011 T-shirt line. The product was never er really shipped out either. We got orders on it and everything. We even did some street testing and found out people were saying it’s too much money oney for them to spend on a tee right now. When I’m looking at a guy telling g me he likes it but can’t afford it, I knew I couldn’t stray away from my roots ts to keep up with trends. Even though he couldn’t buy the expensive shirt,, I still need him to buy the $22 tees. To tell you the truth, I get jazzed when I see everyday people wearing my stuff and want real people to still support ort me, which is why I’m choosing to keep it real.

So what are your thoughts on the whole glam-rock shirts trend then? en?

Al: I think it’s done now and overplayed. God bless these guys that make these shirts. But when you make one of these extravagant, expensive ive shirts, the guy that wears it can’t exactly wear it over and over again. People ple will remember that shirt since it’s like a disco ball or something. The life fe of these shirts are very limited because you won’t be able to continuee wearing it over and over again without someone noticing that you’re repeating ating the same shirt. And the fact that it’s so expensive doesn’t help. Of course ourse you’re going to want to wear a $150 shirt again since you spent so much h money on it. In the end, it’s really just about show for a lot of the guys thatt wear them.

DUB MAG MAG SEP / OCT 2010 30 DUB 44

Al: I’m too hands on. I do everything. Obviously, I have people who help me but nothing gets done without me knowing about it, approving it or doing it now. All these new designs I’m doing personally. It’s a small team still. I do all the creative myself, as well as the accounting and oversee the marketing.

What’s next for the brand?

Al: I’m starting to go heavily into underwear for both men and women, as well as hitting it hard in loungewear for women. I’m trying to go after Victoria Secret’s PINK line. I’m making bootie shorts, pajama tops, pants and everything. It’ll be made especially for those Skin fans who love loungewear, but want to be different from other chicks only wearing PINK. I’m also working on items like denim and outerwear, and hopefully after that, get into doing footwear. Next year is either going to be a big or small depending on how well all our new ventures go. year for us dep

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LEXUS X FIVE AXIS

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Perfecting Excellence:

To vividly showcase the launch of their audiophilegrade Stage 4 product line at the 2010 CES show in Vegas, Pioneer Electronics turned to the Five Axis team and Lexus for help. With a stellar working relationship from past install projects, the result was the ultimate in-car listening experience packed into a specially tuned Lexus IS F that also underwent an impressive performance upgrade, all thanks to the guys at Five Axis.

“As we prepared to launch our very high-end line of Stage 4 audio products, which encompass a totally different standard of performance built with high-quality materials and feature a lot of exclusive technologies that enable us to bring the ultimate listening experience into the vehicle, we needed a car that also exemplifies all these qualities,” says Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for the car electronics division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “Because the Lexus IS F is so unique and so high performance, it really was a perfect fit for us given the exclusivity and high performance of our Stage 4 products.”

“The most discerning music lovers and car audio enthusiasts with an obsession for ultimate sound reproduction will truly appreciate the passion, research and development that Pioneer’s DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 20 DUB 48

team dedicated to this system,” Cardenas continues. Exemplifying Pioneer’s audio heritage, their Stage 4 line-up is created using advanced materials and innovative technologies to achieve its superior audio quality.

Stage 4 audio components consist of the new DEX-P99RS, a single CD tuner/digital media player, four new high-performance amplifiers, the new 2010 PRS series of component speaker systems and the PRS series subwoofer.

The Goods:

At the heart of the Stage 4 system, is the DEX-P99RS, which blends technology and art, providing an audiophile in-car listening experience like no other. As a digital media player that does it all, the DEX-P99RS features a top-of-the-line 32-Bit digital signal processor (DSP), dual (left and right) 31-band equalization, digital time alignment for all pre-amp outputs and a 4-way digital crossover network.

“Time alignment allows you to delay the arrival of sound from each of the speakers, so it all reaches the listener’s ears at the same time,” Cardenas explains. “The biggest reason for this is that in a car we sit off center from the speakers, which are normally located in the doors, unlike at home, where we can position ourselves directly in

the center between the two left and right stereo speakers. Due to this, time alignment becomes very critical when you’re focused on reproducing the music that the original artist intended with all of its width, height and depth.”

Four high-performance amplifiers are the muscles of the Stage 4 system: two PRS-A900 4-channel models provides 50-Watts X 4 of power, while the PRS-D4200F pumps out 75-Watts X 4, in addition to the two mono channel models, which are the PRS-D1200SPL producing 500-Watts X 1, and the PRS-D1200M adding a 400-Watts X 1.

These amps are designed specifically for highly accurate musical reproduction.

Its PRS series speaker systems (the 6.75-inch TS-C172PRS and the 5.25-inch TS-C132PRS) and PRS series subwoofer (the 10-inch TS-W252PRS) utilize advanced materials for the construction of its cones and are designed to produce rich, natural, yet extremely dynamic sound.

To complement the 4-way digital network capabilities of the DEX-P99RS head unit, the TS-S062PRS midrange speaker is designed to seamlessly integrate with the Stage 4 component speaker packages. “The stand alone midrange is critical for a system like this to clearly bring out the midrange frequency spectrum that the human ear normally hears,” Cardenas says. “The midrange itself is exceptionally important to have in a system, but it’s often very difficult to add and install a stand alone speaker to reproduce the midrange frequencies. Since Stage 4 is built for custom installations, we felt it was critical to offer this dedicated speaker as part of the line up.”

The Install:

In order to get the most out of the Stage 4 system, Pioneer enlisted the Five Axis team to install the entire family of

components into the Lexus IS F. Their expertise and knowledge provided the Lexus IS F the ultimate listening experience in a complete highend package.

The installation of Pioneer’s Stage 4 products completed the IS F’s multitude of visual and performance customizations. The first stage was when Lexus approached Five Axis with the idea of building the ultimate IS F for the 2007 SEMA show, which had Five Axis’ Founder Troy Sumitomo and his team creating a show-quality SEP SEP//OCT OCT2010 2010 DUB DUBMAG MAG 21 49

vehicle that pushed the envelope with aggressive styling aspects for its exterior. The second phase focused on engine enhancements that boosted the IS F’s performance, which was showcased at SEMA the following year of its debut.

“The IS F had it all: wide body enhancements, performance aspects, including large brakes and engine mods—everything you could think of that makes it a truly one-off vehicle, except the audio,” Sumitomo says.

“Since it already had all the high-end traits to it, Pioneer’s Stage 4 audio system was the last thing that was needed to really complete the car. All of what the IS F stood for in design and performance was parallel to Pioneer’s products, which made the two brands fit together so perfectly. In the end, the car and the audio system was congruent of each other in design and function.”

Already very familiar with the schematics of the original placement of the IS F’s stock audio system, Five Axis felt right at home with the Stage

4 installation, overcoming obstacles that would have given other builders problems.

“Audio is a really black art,” Sumitomo explains. “You really need to understand how sound works and every vehicle’s interior is different, especially the acoustics. The biggest challenge was the midrange and tweeter placement because the location of the components are critical to creating a proper sound stage. In order to do so, you have to try to find a good location that’s aesthetically pleasing, as well as functionally doing its job sound wise.”

As one of the most reputable project car builders in the nation Five Axis was able to complete the install in just two months time without compromise of the car’s high-end status and reinforcing Pioneer’s mission—an audio system of exceptional quality worthy of the Stage 4 rank. “Everything we do at Five Axis is done by always respecting the products’ reputation and what it stands for,” Sumitomo says. “This is one of our most notable builds overall because it

captures a lot of attention in the way it looks, its performance attributes and, now, how we were able to capture Stage 4’s superior quality, while still following the car’s original design. It has all the things that make it the ultimate show car.”

About five Axis:

With a passion for wrenching on cars fused with an interest in automotive design, Sumitomo founded Five Axis in 1995. As a graduate of The Art College of Design in Pasadena, CA with a BS in Automotive Design, Sumitomo’s named the company after the technology of a five axis mill and has built a reputation as a leader in automotive design projects and builds.

With a mission to service both the design and automotive community, Five Axis primarily focus their business in corporate builds rather than servicing the public. Besides the IS F, other prominent builds include the Pioneer Scion xB DJ and xB DJ 2.0, Scion Fuse Concept, Toyota FT-HS Concept and Hot Wheels Deora II.

TECH SPECS: FIVE AXIS PROJECT IS F EXTERIOR • Five Axis 6” Widebody Conversion • SEM Products “Hot Rod Black” Satin Paint • Satin Bronze Accents

BRAKES • Brembo GT Brake System • F: 380x32mm 2-Piece Floating Disc with 6-piston Monobloc Caliper • R: 345x28mm 2-piece Floating Disc with 2-piston Caliper

AUDIO SYSTEM • Pioneer Reference Series • 1 - DEX-P99RS Reference Series CD Tuner • 2 - PRS-A900 Reference Series 4Ch ENGINE 400W Amplifiers • Bored to 100 mm and stroked to 91.5 mm to • 2 - PRS-D1200SPL Reference Series 1200W yield 5.8 liters INTERIOR Mono Amplifiers • Forged JE Pistons • Uniquely Appointed Five Axis Interior Trim and Color • 1 Pair- TS-C172PRS Reference Series 6-3/4” • 12.8:1 compression ratio • Chilewich floor mats Component Speakers and Tweeters • Titanium intake and stainless steel exhaust valves • Five Axis sculpted front and rear seats • 1 Pair - TS-S062PRS Reference Series 2/5/8” • Nitrided crankshaft upholstered in Alcantara with Garrett Basket Component Midrange Speakers • Dyers connecting rods weave leather and stainless steel woven inserts • 2 - TS-W252PRS Reference Series 10” • Material specifications by Zing Design Component Subwoofers EXHAUST • Upholstery by Turinmodel Inc. • Pear Audio Cables, Connectors, and Speaker Wires • Custom fabricated, low restriction system with dual finishers WHEELS • FIVE:AD S5:F Wheels • F: 20x8.5, +25 / R: 20x10.5, +33 • Satin Bronze Finish TIRES • Yokohama Advan Sport • F: 245/30R20 / R: 295/25R20 SUSPENSION • Tein Adjustable Coil-over Suspension

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50 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

THE KING OF MAGIC’S CAR & CHOPPER COLLECTION WORDS: KRISTIE BERTUCCI PHOTOS: MICHAEL VINCENT (WWW.MICHAELVINCENT.COM)

52 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

Feature

C

riss Angel needs no introduction. The iconic magician has transcended how we look at magic and keeps pushing his extraordinary talent above and beyond our wildest imagination. With death defying feats constantly his goal, Criss Angel keeps pushing himself and his magic to what seems like unattainable limits to an ordinary person, carving out his place in entertainment and magic history. And we can’t forget about his amazing car collection that also magically captivates us!

You’re already on season six of “MINDFREAK.” What’s in store for this season?

Criss: In this new season of “MINDFREAK”, we really do push things to a new level. I really wanted to do things that other magicians have

never attempted or even thought of, never mind, succeeded at. You may have already seen me jump a Hybrid T-Rex from Campgnia over part of the Grand Canyon with a crazy illusion twist at the end and walk up the entire side of the Luxor without any safety equipment at all in full view of the public. But stay tuned and in upcoming episodes, you will see me attempt to levitate over 1000-feet above the ground (and then vanish); attempt to escape from a locked crate hanging over 4,000-feet above the Grand Canyon floor; and attempt a world record by making 100 people vanish—instantly—in front of hundreds of spectators. Of course, in addition to the crazy, death-defying demonstrations, I’ll also be trying to blow your minds with my most amazing MINDFREAKS ever.

How do you go about coming up with your acts, especially in terms of always pushing them to outdo what you’ve done before and be even more extreme?

Criss: There are so many demonstrations I have dreamed about my entire life. However, for many years, I have lacked the financial resources to perform many of them or the technology just wasn’t developed enough. But, with the success of each season, I am fortunate to have more and more support, including financial, from A & E, to attempt even the most challenging of my demonstrations.

Are you ever afraid while doing your tricks and second guess your ability to perform them?

Criss: I’m never afraid because if you don’t fear death, there is nothing to fear at all. But I am SEP SEP//OCT OCT2010 2010 DUB DUBMAG MAG 25 53

Under the hood of Criss’ ’69 Camaro lies a chromed-out, showworthy, dual carb 454 big block. Being able to pound out 800 horses to the rear wheels, Criss has to rely on a set of wheelie bars to keep him from flipping over.

realistic and recognize the danger of what I am attempting and have sometimes questioned during a performance whether I have pushed the envelope too far. For example, one of the worst experiences was when I blew out my eardrum trying to—and failing to—escape from a locked cage underwater at the Silverton Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Things went horribly wrong and, for a moment, I vowed to never attempt an underwater escape again. But despite that experience, this season I felt the need to address my fear and attempt my most dangerous underwater escape ever—when I’ll get chained and manacled and feet buried in cement and then lowered into Lake Havasu in front of more than 10,000 fans. I know…I’m crazy.

What has been your most challenging or extreme trick thus far in your career?

Criss: It is very difficult to single out one demonstration. They are all challenging in their own way. They each require such enormous focus and dedication that whatever I am performing at the moment becomes the most important and challenging demonstration in the world to me. For example, when I am attempting to escape from a crate 4,000-feet above the floor of the Grand Canyon next week, at that moment, it will be the most challenging demonstration of my career to me.

How do you deal with or handle criticism from other magicians and the public in general?

Criss: I ignore negativity; it doesn’t lead to anything positive. Sadly, people who spend their time criticizing others are often unhappy DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 26 DUB 54

with themselves and their own lack of accomplishment. They would be far better off focusing on trying to reach their own goals. Stay positive and believe in yourself.

How long do you think you’ll continue on with MINDFREAK? Criss: I am just trying to make sure I get through this season alive!

You also currently star in Believe from Cirque.

How did that show come about and how long do you plan on having it run for?

Criss: Believe is something I developed for many, many years, so it was a dream come true when I was able to launch the show almost two years ago. I signed a 10-year deal, so we have a long way to go.

You have been given many awards and accolades within the magician community throughout the years. Which one has been the biggest achievement in your eyes and why?

Criss: As honored as I’ve been with awards such as Magician of the Century, I’ve been most humbled by being awarded several times by the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the artist that has done more for kids than any other celebrity.

Needless to say, those awards dwarf any personal accolades.

Think you’ll ever pursue movies or acting?

Criss: I have loved doing shows like “CSI” and “Las Vegas” and have several new projects currently being developed. I just have to find the time!

What other projects are you currently working on?

Criss: In addition to this new season of “MINDFREAK” and my live show at the Luxor, I’ve been very active with a bunch of new projects. For Fall, I am releasing a new magic kit line that I spent almost two years designing. It will be available in 40,000 stores throughout the country. I’ve also partnered with Affliction to create a new clothing line called MF13. And I’m also working on several new TV and film projects, as well as many other projects.

What type of legacy would you like to leave behind?

Criss: I have been so blessed. I don’t want to be so presumptuous to talk about my legacy. Besides, I have many years to go I hope!

But one thing I’d like to remembered for is that I used my God-given talents to inspire others to overcome their own challenges and to truly believe and understand anything is possible.

You arguably have had the biggest and most impressive collection of cars, bikes, exotics we’ve ever featured in DUB. What’s up with your fascination with cars, bikes and speed?

Criss: I’ve been fascinated with speed and power since I was a little kid. And now I also appreciate the incredible craftsmanship that goes into each of these vehicles. They are works of art to me.

What’s your favorite ride out of your collection?

Criss: That’s like asking which is your favorite child! I appreciate them all.

How often to you get to drive them all since you’re so busy?

Criss: Not often enough unfortunately. But during my next break, I am going to take a few days and just ride as much as possible.

Who builds your cars/bikes?

Criss: I work with several builders. But my friends at Big Bear Choppers are amazing. You have to check out the Skeleton chopper they built. I brought the skeleton concept to Kevin Alsop, Owner BBC. He’d send pictures through each stage of the build. We talked throughout the build. It truly is a work of art. I’m not going to ride this bike. It’s a conversation piece! Big Bear Choppers is the best bike company I have worked with....pure quality and value!

Criss’ Skeleton Chopper features:

a 100cc S&S Cycle motor; 6-speed BAKER transmission; Big Bear Choppers primary, Web wheels, forward controls, and two custom ½-gallon fuel tanks in a lung design; stainless steel bones cast; 43-degree rake; and is fully chromed.

Pushing out 1,001 horsepower, the Bugatti Veyron offers speed-crazed Criss the adrenaline rush he lives for.

DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 28 DUB 56

NOT GOING TO RIDE THIS “ I’M BIKE. IT’S A WORK OF ART!

“

What have you added to your garage since the last time we talked and why did you get them?

Criss: Among other things, some incredible choppers, several of which will be featured on this season of “MINDFREAK.” One of them is modeled after an actual human skeleton. It’s stunning!

Criss’ Lamborghini LP640 is his next favorite toy.

Criss’ custom-built and blacked-out T-Rex features a special order custom suspension setup that was built to his exact specifications. It was used in one of his stunts in “MINDFREAK’s” season six opener, “The Canyon Death Jump.”

Which do you prefer and why: your bikes or your cars?

Criss: It really depends on my mood. If I’m looking to escape the craziness of my life, nothing is much better than getting on one of my bikes and just ride and ride. It’s my yoga, I guess.

What’s the craziest or most memorable car story of yours?

Criss: Probably the fact that I survived driving my Hyundai for more than 200,000 miles as my only car for years.

Why did you decide to get the Bugati Veyron, and how fast have you pushed it?

Criss: Who wouldn’t want to get a Bugati Veyron if it was possible for them. I love the lines/look of it. It’s the ultimate! [It’s high speed] and considering I’ve done 190mph on my bike—I can’t go fast enough—just need a ticket free open road.

Where do you take it out to really experience its power?

Criss: I take all my sports cars to the open desert or to a track in Vegas like Spring Mountain Racing in Parump, so I can run them fast and safe.

How does it compare to your Lamborghini?

Criss: No Comparison. It’s like comparing apples and oranges.

Having the world’s fastest street car out there, what’s left for you to get in terms of fast cars?

Criss: Another one!

What’s your dream ride?

Criss: Well, I have to admit the Bugatti is right at the top of the list!

DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 30 DUB 58

Criss Angel: www.CrissAngel.com twitter.com/crissangel www.myspace.com/crissangel www.facebook.com/CrissAngelBelieve www.facebook.com/CrissAngel Big Bear Choppers: www.bigbearchoppers.com

T-Rex: www.campagnamotors.com Findlay Customs: www.findlaycustoms.com Royal Shine Detailing: www.royalshinedetailing.com

ALWAYS A “BIGTHERE’S DEBATE BETWEEN LAMBORGHINI AND FERRARI. NO DEBATE FOR ME.

“

Feature WORDS: NICK HALILI PHOTOS: MATT CAMPBELL (WWW.KILLASNAPSHOT.COM)

The Will to Win 62 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

“Do you let your competitors just walk all over you and do whatever they want? Or do you wake up, get up out of bed, and try to kick their f*cking asses? When you punch in, you’re ready to go to f*cking war, and when you punch out, you hope you took another big chunk outta their f*ckin ass that day.” This is UFC President Dana White’s mindset when he gets to the office every morning. Like some of the worlds’ greatest mixed martial arts fighters on his roster, White is an absolutely ferocious competitor. Only his opponents aren’t Jiu-Jitsu black belts, Olympic wrestlers or champion Muay Thai fighters wanting to knock him out or choke him unconscious. They are pro boxing, the NFL, Major League Baseball, and, especially, any company that dares to challenge him on his home turf of mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

Back in January 2001, White and his business partners, casino magnates Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, took an organization on the brink of collapse and made it made into one of the fastest growing sports in the world. With “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show on national TV, dozens of annual, live events in packed arenas all around the world and coverage on ESPN, the UFC has become a part of the sports landscape of the 21st century. But White’s aspirations are not just to be talked about along with its fellow major sports. It is to surpass them all and become the No. 1 sport in the entire world.

The one thing he emphasized is that he plays not only for success— he plays to win. When DUB Magazine spent the day with Dana at

UFC Headquarters and at the Fertitta-owned Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, he discussed his still intense passion for MMA, his love of cars and his plans to take the UFC to an even higher level.

What makes mixed martial arts such a compelling sport to you and fans?

Dana: I believe that fighting was the first sport on Earth. I believe that two men popped up on Earth, somebody said something, somebody threw a punch and whoever was standing around ran over to go watch it. I have no proof whatsoever, but I guarantee you that f*cking happened. Before a guy picked up a stick and said, “Hey, throw me that thing!” and f*cking hit it, or some guy threw a f*cking

rock through a circle, somebody got punched in the face and people sat around and watched it.

How did you first get exposed to mixed martial arts and the UFC? Dana: I’d been involved in boxing my whole life. One night, Frank (Fertitta) and I were at the Hard Rock. We saw a guy named John Lewis who used to fight in the UFC; he’s a Jiu-Jitsu guy. We set up a private lesson [with Lewis] and started taking Jiu-Jitsu. I can’t remember if it was the blue or red pill in The Matrix, but that’s what it was like. When I did my first Jiu-Jitsu class, I was blown away. I was like, “How am I walking around for 30 years and not knowing this?”

This was 1998. (Writer’s note: It was the red pill).

Ferrari F430 Spider

- Novitec Rosso front bumper - Novitec Rosso 20-inch NF3 wheels - Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 - Hand-painted red Ferrari badging - Smoked lights - JL Audio HD900/5 amp - (2) JL Audio 10-inch subs - Focal 165 K2P components - Focal 130 KP components - Custom sub box and door panels - Kenwood KDCX693 head unit - Escort 9500ci built-in radar - Sound dampened interior SEP / OCT 2010

DUB MAG 63

1971 Plymouth Barracuda 440

C you d Can describe ib h how thi this experience i evolved l d iinto t you and d th the Fertittas buying the UFC? Dana: I started to meet some of the fighters. Then, I started managing Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Through that, I got into this huge contract battle with the old owner of the UFC over Tito’s contract. And that’s when I found out that the UFC was in trouble and would probably go out of business. At the time, Frank, Lorenzo and I were talking about getting into the boxing [promotion] business. I called them and said, “I think we can buy these guys.” A month later, we owned the company.

What was something you wanted to do with mixed martial arts from the outset that was different from pro boxing?

Dana: When I was a kid, my dad and all my uncles used to watch boxing. All the big fights would be on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”

I remember sitting there watching the fights, and I started to love it.

Once everything went to a Pay-Per-View model [in the 1990s], boxing promoters didn’t put sh*t on free TV anymore. Kids that were 10 years old in 1991, for those 10 years, didn’t see boxing on television regularly. You just knocked off an entire generation from being involved in your sport. My main goal was, no matter what it costs, no matter what it takes, we need to get fights on free TV. And now, [starting] with the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” we have a generation that has grown up with the UFC. We’re in 175 different

- Edelbrock Pro-Flo 2 EFI system - Headman hedders - Griffin radiator - 727 TorqueFlight transmission - Auto Meter gauges - B&M shifter - Currie Enterprises rear end - 18-inch Foose Challenger wheels

- Pirelli PZero Rosso tires - XV Motorsports sub-frame and rear system - MagnaFlow exhaust system - Wilwood Engineering brake system - Seats by Legendary Auto Interiors - House of Kolor paint - ididit steering column

countries on television where kids are growing up right now watching fights with their dads. That’s how you build a business.

What other mistakes from boxing did you want to avoid after taking over the UFC? Dana: The sport not being run by one organization; the sport being fragmented. There are so many sanctioning organizations [in boxing], and they would only sanction guys they could deal with. So you could never pull off a lot of the big fights. Or the fights would happen long after they should have. I said if we can go in there and lock up the space, we get all the best fighters in the world and we can [then] make any fight we want to make.

You sometimes have a very direct, non-politically correct way of doing business. Can you describe this style in your own words?

Dana: It’s honest. We watch sports and politics and the guy is up there reading some canned statement that his attorney wrote, and you know he’s f*cking lying. You know what he’s saying is bullsh*t, or he’s being PC. I don’t have to be that. This is the fight business.

I don’t run Microsoft or GE. My style is aggressive toward my competitors, but isn’t that what it’s supposed to be like?

The Project Streetfighter ‘Cuda was built on Muscle Car TV and is currently maintained by Findlay Customs.

64 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

How do you respond to fans that do not like your aggressive style, especially when it comes to rival organizations like Strikeforce?

Dana: I know one of the big criticisms about me is how I attack these other promoters. I don’t attack anybody. But if you come out and say you’re going to compete with us, then we’re going to f*cking compete until somebody wins and somebody loses. That’s what competing means. I never said anything about Strikeforce, and then Showtime gets involved. They start going after talent I have and, basically, start trying to compete with us.

The 999R was put together by Motocorsa in Portland, OR and was given to Dana by Lorenzo and Frank Fertita as a gift. Total cost with upgrades was roughly $60,000

Do you think the UFC will eventually expand to the point that you will have to compromise and be more PC? Dana: It’s not that I don’t have to be; I don’t want to be. I don’t want to wear a suit to every f*cking meeting. I don’t want to not swear.

We’re all grown-ups here. Like you’ve never heard “f*ck” before?

Let’s not be fake and phony—I won’t do it.

What do you think is the most crucial element to your success and to being successful in general?

Dana: Growing up, your mom and your dad say, “If you don’t go to college, you’re never going to amount to anything.” I don’t believe in any of that. If you go to college, I have nothing but respect for that.

You should be as smart as you can possibly be and learn everything.

But, on the flipside, not everyone is a college person. The reality is, I think you have to find whatever it is you love to do. Sh*t that you would get out of bed every morning and do for free. Don’t think about the money; money is a tool to have fun. If you look at it any other way, you’re f*cked up. Don’t go chasing money—chase your f*cking dream.

MV Augusta F4-1000S

2005 Ducati 999R UFC Edition Dana’s daily driver is his Range Rover complete with an Asanti Wheel and Grille package.

66 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

- Design by Michael Czysz of MotoCzysz - Paint by Kolorwerx - Performance Parts include: Termignoni full race exhaust, magnesium clutch housing, magnesium head covers, STM slipper clutch & slave cylinder, SpeedyMoto clutch cover & triple clamps, Magura radial master cylinders for front brake and clutch, BST Carbon Fiber wheels, BrakeTech Axis ductile-iron rotors, AFAM #520 chain conversion, Evoluzione license-plate relocater, titanium bolts, Ducati Performance rear-sets

The UFC’s success has given you the opportunity to have a little fun by way of your ever-growing auto collection. Can you talk about some of your favorite rides?

Dana: I love old muscle cars. I have a Barracuda that they built for me on “MuscleCar” on Spike TV. I have two Ferraris. There’s always the big debate between Lamborghini and Ferrari. No debate for me.

I like the way they look better. I don’t do paddle shifters. All these cars that I buy, I make sure they’re stick shift. But the car that I drive everyday is my Range Rover—it’s fast. You feel like you’re driving a sports car, but people can actually ride with you.

Which one of these cars is the most fun to drive?

Dana: My Ferrari is my favorite. I like to drive fast. When I have time, and I rarely do, I’ll take it outside of Las Vegas and just open that thing up and go as fast as I can go. I had it to, like, a-buck-forty. It feels like you’re going 65!

For comparison’s sake, what was your first car, and your worst car ever?

Dana: My first car was my worst car. It was a rusted-out Datsun B210. This thing had to be late-’70s or early-’80s. It was yellow, and

the muffler had fallen off it. You could hear me coming a mile away.

I didn’t grow up rich, with money or anything like that. I would’ve ridden a Moped if that’s what I had.

Just like the changes in your rides from back in the day, what are the biggest changes between when you first bought the UFC and now?

Dana: Everything is different. When we first started, I literally started in a broom closet. They had old computers and maps in there. That was my office. For the first seven years, I f*cking oversaw everything. A pencil didn’t get sharpened in this place without asking me first. When we first bought this company, we weren’t allowed on Pay-Per-View. Porn was on Pay-Per-View! The UFC was not. Arenas didn’t even want us.

I GUARANTEE YOU, “ WHEN YOU WATCH

Was there a time when you thought you were going to have to sell the company because it did not look like things would work out?

Dana: Going into 2005, we were like thirty-something million in the hole. Lorenzo called and said, “Man, I can’t keep doing this. Get out and see what you can sell this thing for.” He called back the next day and said, “So what’s the word?” I said, “Honestly, four million, maybe six.” We bought it for two [million] and invested thirty-three.

He calls me the next morning and said, “ F*ck it. Let’s keep going.”

It’s decisions like those that turn a business around. It’s about having the balls to stay in the game.

THE UFC, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A COUPLE OF WHAT I CALL ‘HOLY SH*T!’ MOMENTS.

“

“The Ultimate Fighter” reality show was the big turning point for the company. Can you explain how that came about?

Dana: We were aggressively trying to get on television, but everyone was terrified of it. People were too afraid to put the fights on [television]. But like I always say, this was our Trojan Horse. You’re watching MMA without realizing you’re watching MMA because we have it in a reality show format. It worked perfect.

On the other side of that, are you ever concerned about UFC fight cards getting diluted because of the increased number of events?

Dana: No. You know how many cards I’ve had that fans have said, “Oh this card sucks!” and it ends up being one of the best of the year? If it sucks, I’ll be the first one to say it sucks. Not every card is going to have Brock [Lesnar] versus f*cking Cain Velasquez, then right under that Anderson Silva versus GSP, and then a BJ Penn fight.

There’s a lot of up-and-coming guys that are really good fighters, and you don’t know how good or bad a fight is going to be until you watch it.

What do think of fans and critics who worry about over-saturation of the sport in the media?

Dana: Is there too much football on TV? Is there too much baseball?

As long as we keep putting on great fights, people are going to want to watch them. I guarantee you, when you watch the UFC, you’re going to have a couple of what I call “holy sh*t!” moments. That’s why you’re hanging out with your buddies on Saturday night.

You have often said that you think that MMA will be the biggest sport in the world. What do you say to those who doubt this?

Dana: Listen, fighting is the sport that all other sports aspire to.

When a guy dunks a basketball, he gets down and he’s like, “I just kicked your ass.” No you didn’t; you just dunked a ball through a f*cking circle. When a guy goes against a great pitcher and crushes a Findlay Customs / Travis White www.findlaycustoms.com DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP / OCT 2010 40 DUB 68

homerun, he’s like, “I just kicked your ass.” No you didn’t; you just hit a ball with a stick over a f*cking wall. When you go in, you fight and you kick somebody’s ass, you just kicked his f*cking ass.

What’s the next phase in getting the UFC to the next level? Where do you want to take the sport?

Dana: Global is where we’re going. We just hired a guy to run China for us. We are working on opening up India and South Korea next.

It doesn’t matter what color you are, what country you come from or what language you speak—we’re all human beings. Fighting is in our DNA. Our goal is to get this sport everywhere all over the world: people training, people fighting and on television. And it will happen—believe me when I tell you.

Motocorsa www.motocorsa.com

Detailz www.detailzautocare.com

Special thanks to the UFC’s Jennfier Wenk and Chari Cuthbert, as well as Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa

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The Glory Lives On

74 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

T

here is a saying in sports that it’s extremely hard to become the champion,, but it is even harder to stay the champion. That is the dilemma that faces the crew at TapouT, who went from forging an identity as outlaws from an underground sport to becoming the undisputed champions of the rapidly expanding world of mixed martial arts ’s apparel. Of course, the true test of a champion’s heart comes with facing adversity. And there is no greater adversity than what the company faced last spring: the death of the creative soul and co-founder of TapouT, Charles “Mask” Lewis, Jr. Although Mask’s sudden and tragic passing dealt a huge blow to his friends and to p the company, it would not be his style to give up or to veer away from the fun, irreverent attitudee that he originated.

1960 CHEVROLET IMPALA BY Skid Row Motors

WORDS: NICK HALILI PHOTOS: HEATHER SMITH (WWW.HEATHERPHOTOGRAPHY.NET)

• Frame-off restoration, chromed undercarriage and fitted with a 348 motor and 700 R transmission • Universal Air suspension system • Custom-built 22-inch two-piece Cartoon Design wheels and Continental tires • Candy paint and pinstriped by Steve DeMan • Tribute murals by Mister Cartoon • Interior by Top Stitch Upholstery • Sound system by Rockford Fosgate In keeping with Mask’s vision, Dan “Punkass” Caldwell and Timm “SkySkrape” Katz, along with company president Marc Kreiner have continued to do what TapouT has always done: dominate the competition and do it with the mentality that the company, along with the sport of mixed martial arts that it represents, has only reached the very tip of the iceberg in terms of how big it can get. DUB Magazine returned to TapouT’s world headquarters in Grand Terrace, CA to discuss the ups and downs of the past year, as well as what’s next on the horizon for the company.

Can you describe the influence Mask’s vision continues to have with the company?

SkySkrape: Without Charles (Mask), there is no TapouT. There’s always something that Charles has influenced within the company and even in our personal lives.

Punkass: We have to keep living the dream. This is his dream. Not only having Charles part of the marketing, even some of the designs are coming from Charles’ original designs. We all carry him around in our hearts.

Marc: The success we’ve had this past year has really been driven by the employees’ dedication to fulfilling Charles’ dream, vision and passion.

We all got together and made a decision that we were going to fulfill this dream.

Tapout and the UFC have long had a very close relationship. How did it feel for them to honor Mask by inducting him into The UFC Hall of Fame?

SkySkrape: It says so much about what Charles did for not just TapouT, but for the sport [of mixed martial arts].

SEP SEP//OCT OCT2010 2010 DUB DUBMAG MAG 43 75

PUNKASS Is it hard to maintain the edgy attitude you have always had because Mask is so respected and because the company is no longer the underdog and is instead the industry leader?

SkySkrape: Just like the fighters are evolving and the sport is evolving, we’re evolving. But we still keep it edgy.

Punkass: Two guys getting in the cage, putting gloves on, and trying to knock the sh*t out of each other—that’s edgy. We really don’t have to do anything to make it more edgy.

How do you think the fanbase of MMA and of TapouT have both evolved from the early days?

SkyScrape: When we first started, it was male dominated. There were no women, no kids. Now, we see kids who are five years old training MMA. So you have to grow with your fans.

Punkass: They aren’t the same fanbase that they were 10 years ago. [MMA] is kind of like a kid that has to grow up. You can’t hinder that.

That’s kinda what the sport is doing right now.

What do you say to those who criticize TapouT for sponsoring guys who are seen by some fans as outsiders to MMA like Kimbo?

SkySkrape: They talk about Kimbo: “Aw, he’s

DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 44 76 DUB

“

WHEN YOU GET ONE OF THESE OLD CARS, IT MEANS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST WALKING DOWN TO A FERRARI DEALERSHIP AND JUST DROPPING DOWN $200 GRAND.

“

Marc: And Charles’ name is inscribed inside The Octagon on the door.

Punkass: Inside the gate, it says “Charles “Mask” Lewis.” UFC and WEC. Keep him a part of the sport forever.

1964 Lincoln Continental pull back a little. It’s all about growing the sport.

Taking it to places it has never gone before.

As TapouT has grown, you guys have in some ways become as well known as the fighters.

Tell us about some of your new shirts that are based around your own personas.

SkySkrape: Punkass’ shirts are all black. That’s his thing. I got pinks and greens and purples.

Mine are colorful, kinda like a spoofy-type feel, funny. Because we’re so different, it works well.

just a backyard fighter.” Or they talk about Herschel Walker: “Aw, he’s a football player.”

“Why’d you guys sponsor them?” Because they’re serious about it. They don’t want to disrespect the sport. They want to compete.

Punkass: [ Herschel ] doesn’t need to do this.

He donated his whole purse to charity. But he’s a competitor.

Do you ever worry about old school TapouT fans from back in the day thinking you guys have gone soft because of your success?

Punkass: The sport was literally underground [and illegal in many states] at the time. It wasn’t what it is today. We had to be smart enough to know when the sport was progressing and it was becoming legit. We wanted to be part of the progression. We had to know when to

Punkass’ ’64 Impala rides on 21-inch MHT Fuegos, dropped on air ride suspension and murdered like the rest of his rides.

twitter.com/tapoutpunkass TapouT: www.tapout.com twitter.com/Tapoutworldwide Shoreline Motoring: www.shorelinemotoring.com Mister Cartoon: www.mistercartoon.com

Skrape and his daughter Madison Marie keep it straight Huntington Beach in the “Skrapeurban.”

twitter.com/tapoutskrape

I LOVE THE BARN DOORS ON THIS THING. IT JUST DRIVES GOOD, AND I LIKE TO DRIVE MY CARS. I DON’T JUST LIKE TO PUT IT IN THE GARAGE –THAT AIN’T ME

DUB MAG MAG JUL SEP//AUG OCT 2010 2010 78 DUB 52

1970 Chevy Suburban

The “Skrapeurban” drops down via an AccuAir suspension system onto custom-built 22-inch TapouT wheels with Hankook Tires, all wrapped around a SSBC brake system. Power is provided by a GM Performance Parts LSX454 small block with Becool performance radiator.

Punkass and Skrape, you two seem to be complete opposites in some ways. But you also both share a passion for the sport and a love for cars. Punkass, what are your favorite things about your 1964 Lincoln Continental?

Punkass: It has some 21s on it, dropped down on airbags. All jet-black, of course—all my cars are black. Suicide doors and a brand new Corvette motor in it. You can have a nice sports car like my Lambo, but this car will get more looks than that thing. Everybody’s breakin’ their neck on the freeway looking. When you get one of these old cars, it means so much more than just walking down to a Ferrari dealership and just dropping down $200 grand.

Skrape, can you tell our readers a little about the candy apple red 1970 Chevy Suburban you recently restored?

SkySkrape: It’s a three-door Suburban. You don’t see that very often. At nighttime, it looks maroon, but when the headlights hit it, the logos pop. I got this logo on the back.

You know how cars got names? I named it the “Skrapeurban.” Flat-black wheels. I like the wheels to be subtle, the paint to be crazy, and the ride to be dope. I love the barn doors on this thing. It just drives good, and I like to drive my cars. I don’t just like to put it in the garage—that ain’t me.

What upcoming projects should TapouT fans be on the look out out for?

Punkass: We’re opening up TapouT gyms right now. We got gyms in Vegas, Boston and California. Our one in Vegas is, like, 27,000 square feet. Shawn Tompkins, one of the best trainers in the world, is there. Vinny Maghalaes from “The Ultimate Fighter” is our Jiu-Jitsu instructor. We want to give everybody a chance to train. That’s what changes a fan. When you understand the sport better, you become a bigger fan.

SkySkrape: We’re also doing TapouT VTC (Virtual Training Center). You go online. Say you want to learn how Chuck Liddell throws that big overhand right. You ask him a question and he answers. It’s real interactive. That’s in the works. It’s really cool for people out of the country who don’t get to meet these fighters in person and go to their seminars.

Marc: We’re getting ready for Season 3 [of TapouT’s reality show]. We’re getting to the final stages of whether it’s going to go broadcast or cable. We’re looking to have the show out before the year is up. There’ll be some exciting surprises in there.

As big as MMA has become, where do you see it going in the future?

Punkass: We’re still in the beginning, the very first stages. Think about baseball in the 1900s.

Our sport has only been around for about 15 years. Today’s fighter has only been training for like five years. You have a guy like [UFC Welterweight Champion] Georges St-Pierre who maybe just started training when he was about 20 years old. We haven’t seen the fighter who started training since he was five years old in mixed martial arts. Wait ’til that day comes.

The majority of the build was done by Skrape himself and features House of Kolor custom paint and graphics by Demented Customs in New Mexico and accessorized with Lokar Motorsports and LMC Truck parts to complete the restoration.

Where do you see TapouT’s role in the future of the sport?

SkySkrape: We try to bring in new fans. We just support [MMA] with the clothing for the fighters. The fighters are really what it’s always all about. We’ve always said that we’re just the waterboys. We’re always going to do our own thing and make Charles happy in that way.

T

he Merriam-Webster Dictionarydefines “swift” as: “moving or capable of moving with great speed.” But in street terminology that translates to: So Cal’s largest car club.

You’ve seen their rides at shows, in the pages of DUB Magazine and countless other car magazines both in the U.S. and abroad, as well as music videos, movies or possibly even in the streets. We caught up with Swift Car Club to give you insight into the club’s history, membership, mentality and its future.

Breaking it down for the L.A. chapter council are: Robert Razo (4 years), Albert Garcia (15 years), Rene Guiterrez (4 years), Robert “Paisa” Gonzalez (13 years) and Chris Ayala (4 years).

It all began in 1995, when a few of the “young ones” decided to break off from other clubs to start their own entity. “It’s a great thing to see something you and a bunch of friends

started out in high school turn into one of the biggest car clubs in the scene,” founding member John Ramos says. “It seems like every city the DUB Show stops in, someone always mentions Swift. That either they love the cars or they’re building a car club up to be like Swift! It’s great to see that the club is inspiring others to build and create cars and form clubs to positively impact the culture.”

Born in Los Angeles, Swift’s “headquarters’” or main council has alwaysbeen its L.A. Chapter.

However, the club has grown to the point that other chapters are now established in Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire, 818 Valley, Bakersfi eld, Fresno, Salinas, Seattle, Texas, Arizona, Las Vegas, and Hawaii. Swift has also recently expanded internationally, with strong chapters in Spain and Japan. The club currently has more than 200 members, according to Robert Gonzalez.

Always Looking to expand the club’s presence, Swift has a thorough process for creating new chapters. To do so, prospective cities need to have a minimum of 10 cars before they contact the main L.A. chapter. But besides the cars, guys need to have the dedication and time to put into building a new Swift chapter in their city because becoming part of Swift means you’re going to have to go beyond the usual call of duty.

Becoming a part of Swift isn’t just about joining a car club—it’s more about becoming a family member and joining a brotherhood with the love for cars as the ultimate bond. Members who join, usually are in it for the long haul, with the average minimum of membership years being three in some cases.

Once a prospective chapter has enough cars and are serious to join the Swift family, they

FOLLOW THE LEADE R WORDS: KRISTOPHER KU PHOTOS: BRIAN McGEE

then need to make sure their cars have at least a minimum of three modifications (Trucks and SUVs must also be on rolling 26” wheels or larger and have a modified suspension). But just having a ride fully customized ride won’t guarantee you membership—Swift wants more from its members.

“The member makes the car; the car doesn’t make the member,” Chris says. “If someone comes to us with a crazy, customized car but if they don’t have a good attitude, they aren’t getting in.” “We want the guys to have the loyalty and dedication to the car culture we live for,” Robert Gonzalez adds.

Once that repertoire with club members is established, prospective members and chapters must then attend four consecutive Sunday meetings before getting voted in officially.

82 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

Once this happens, their probation Swift decal displayed on their car’s side window transpires into the full-fledged Swift logo that graces the front windshields. They are now part of the car club coven, which means having the bragging rights that your ride is from one of the premiere car clubs out there.

As a very diverse car club, Swift consists of every type of car imaginable (and even unimaginable). From imports to muscle cars, exotics to luxuries, Swift is open to it all. “Any car with a Swift logo on it is one of the best cars out there,” Robert Gonzalez describes. “There’s no rivalry between the different chapters or each of the members when competing at shows. It’s just a bit of friendly competition within the family.

We just want to see our members win, no matter

whose car it is.” With at least one car show every week, you can imagine the amount of trophies the club wins annually.

On average, members will spend a minimum of $15k on customization work for their ride and is continually reinvesting in their modifications.

A complete transformation is done at least once every two years. For members, the hotter the customization and, specifically, the better the paint job and scheme, the better your chances of not only winning shows, but also getting the opportunity to potentially showcase their ride in music videos, movies or commercials.

For Swift, winning isn’t everything. The mentality of the club is to be creative, push the limits and set new customizing trends.

“We’ve been chopping cars,” says Swift founding

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2007 DODGE CHARGER

member Albert Garcia, who personally owns one of the first chopped-topped Lexuses. “We’re making the hardtop cars permanent convertibles.

We’ve actually seen some other car club competitors doing the same thing and have had people from all over the country ask us about it.”

When you see others admiring your style, you know you’re doing something right, which is what makes Swift such an attractive club for DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 34 DUB 84

many car enthusiasts to join. Their 15-year rep in the scene coupled with their highly organized membership structure is what will make Swift stand the test of time.

“We’ve seen other clubs doing it for 40-50 years, and that’s the kind of longevity and legacy we’d like to someday have,” Albert describes. “All we can do is get bigger and grow the collection of cars we currently have to include more exotics

and high-end luxury models.”

“We want Swift to be a household name,” Chris interjects. “When you think of a fully-built custom and award-winning luxury ride, we want Swift to immediately come to mind!

And just as their name implies, their reputation is swiftly gathering more and more prospects with every city they touch down upon and every customized ride they claim as family.

2005 FORD EXCURSION

PHOTO: ELLIOT G. HEAVENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHAPTER: Raul Davalos was one of the founding members (13 years) of Swift and was influential within the club to continually push the limits of their automotive creativity. Big Naz (not pictured) was a driving force for the San Diego Chapter and part of the growth movement of Swift Car Club. Rest in Paradise.

DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 36 DUB 86

2006 CHRYSLER 300C

2008 CHRYSLER 300C

SWIFT CAR CLUB | WWW.SWIFTTCC.NET

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So. Cal residents enjoyed a fun-filled day of cars, music, rides and food for the first annual Lexani Lifestyle Festival on July 25, 2010 at Anaheim Angels Stadium. We represented hard with our DUB Live! display that featured everything from old schools to exotics and everything in between!

01 A customized 2004 GSXR 1000 in Cycle Path Mag’s booth. 02 This ’62 Impala was a DUB LIVE! highlight. 03 A Swift Car Club exclusive. 04 FMX was in the house, performing some death-defying rampto-ramp freestyle tricks. 05 Tito Ortiz representin’. 06 Nokturnal Car Club. 07 Asanti Wheels’ Lambo. 08 DUB LIVE! was like a mini DUB Tour stop! 09 Ransom Customs bike collection. 10 Another show-stopping Nokturnal ride

90 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

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BY SEAN TUCKER

A

muscle car performs two functions. Like most cars, it moves people and things between places. Unlike most cars, it makes you think you’re stronger than you are. It makes you tall enough to play power forward. It gives you 20-inch biceps. Stamp the accelerator, feather the clutch, throw the shifter... and it makes everything alright.

Americans instinctively understand this. And, in recent years, America’s “Big Three” automakers have done their best to take advantage of it.

But the results haven’t been the same for each of the three.

Chrysler built itself a badass-looking muscle car in the Dodge Challenger, but one that’s still too heavy, its interior still a little too much like a $15,000-Dodge Caliber, its engines just a little too weak for their huge size, to really pull off the trick. There are well-done Challengers, but most feel more like a sketch of a muscle car than a finished product you’d buy.

Chevy did better with the Camaro. The numbers, on paper, are outstanding. But the look is a little too outlandish, more like a cartoonist’s impression of a muscle car. Those ridiculously high doors seal the deal. Sitting in it, you can’t help but feel that you’re a kid in the bathtub pretending to drive a muscle car.

Only Ford – the only automaker to build its pony car continuously since the moment it was introduced —really gets it. A week in a V8-powered 2011 Mustang GT Premium Coupe proves it. This may be the most authentically American car there is. It looks massive and strong, it screams like a warrior charging, and it longs for an open road. It’s the most soulful muscle car, and in a way, the only authentic one left.

You don’t buy a muscle car just for how it looks. But this is the best-looking Mustang since the first-generation car left the stage in 1973. It has all of the classic touches required of a new standard-bearer for the Mustang line, from the slight aggressive cant to the front fascia to the retro turn signals—the brake lights flash in a sequence, 1-2-3, from the center out. The classic fastback roofline is there. You can’t describe it without burning through a year’s supply of the word “classic.” Yet it’s clearly a modern interpretation of the (nope, not gonna say it again) original. There are curves beneath those sharp angles. A bulging shoulder line (something cribbed from the Challenger, if we’re being honest), gives the impression that the car is actually tensed, ready to explode off the line.

The right color goes a long way toward setting it apart. Our tester shows up in a neon hue Ford calls “Grabber Blue.” When the specs first showed up, we thought the shade would be a bad idea. In person, it’s a showstopper. More than once, when we get out of the car, strangers stop us in parking lots to compliment the paint job. We get thumbs-up signs in traffic.

You don’t buy a muscle car for its luxurious cabin. But you’ll like this one from the inside. The interiors of some muscle cars feel like afterthoughts—like designers ran out of money when they got to the cabin. The exterior evokes a primitive yearning for power, but it’s all disappointment when you open the door. When it comes to the cockpit of the Mustang, not a word of that is true.

You open these heavy doors and settle down into low-slung bucket seats.

Ours are black leather, with accents in the same neon blue that, on the sheet metal, had the neighbors talking. Ice blue accent lighting throughout, and the same color on the gauges, just radiates cool. The color accents are a $395 option, but it’s an option you should select. Rear-seat passengers might not be as pleased. Those seats are tight, and the sweeping fastback roofline leaves them with a tiny porthole instead of a real window. Kids might like it. Adults...well, it’s

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a great car for impressing one passenger. Invite your favorite person and leave the rest to find their own rides. A race-bred steering wheel, thick in your hands with coarse stitches in the leather, feels exactly like you want it to.

You should be buying a manual, because driving a muscle car without that visceral command you get from using your left foot to connect that massive engine to the wheels is pointless. The shifter, a polished-aluminum ball just the right size (cool in your hand with short throws), is brilliant. Some designer spent days getting that little ball right, and they should retire happy knowing they nailed it.

Ford products have the best technology interface in the business in the form of the excellent SYNC infotainment system. The Mustang is no exception. SYNC allows you to control your phone, iPod or other Bluetooth-enabled device through the car with voice commands. It’s part of the $2,340 Technology Package, and we know from experience in other cars that it works brilliantly.

But in the ’Stang, we barely touched it. Who needs to be entertained by something external when driving this thing? The wheel, shifter and pedals are all the entertainment you need. A well-tuned Shaker 500-Watt audio system adds to the experience, though. We’ll cop to using that quite a bit.

You buy a muscle car for the way it feels when you throw it into gear and put your right foot to the floor. Ford engineers know that very well. Dropping the 2011 Ford Mustang GT into gear and watching the tach climb toward redline, while the scenery rushes by is a feeling every American should have (at least once a month) to keep some perspective on what is possible.

Every configuration of the Mustang drives well. We like the V6 so much, we built it into the DUB Edition Mustang. But even we have to admit, there is no other engine in the world quite like the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 Ford put under the hood of our GT Premium.

The 5.0 and the Mustang have a long history together, but the engine has been out of production for years. This isn’t the same mill as the classic.

It’s better. The Coyote uses variable inlet and exhaust valve timing to push out 412 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. Numbers-obsessed car magazines will point out that those figures are lower than what you get in the Camaro’s LS3 V8. But we’d counter with two facts: One, the Mustang is more than 255 pounds lighter, so the power has to move less mass; and two, when pushed, the Mustang’s V8 can buckle the pavement underneath the car, accelerate from 0-60 mph in holy-sh*t-that’s-fast! and make everything that has ever gone wrong in your life recede in the rear view mirror at a satisfying pace.

The 5.0 is not an engine that wants to be driven sedately around the neighborhood. Power peaks at 6,500 rpm and redline comes at 7,000. In other words, to get the most out of it, you have to push it near its limit…and you’ll want to, believe us. This car begs for the open road. No, better yet, it longs for

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it. If you try to take it on a short, leisurely trip to the corner store, it’s likely to find its own way to an uncrowded highway and lay down the miles.

The six-speed manual transmission is one of the best Ford has ever offered. The clutch is surprisingly light and forgiving for such a powerful car, and throws are short and satisfying. And though muscle cars are all about straightline speed, the 2011 Mustang is more nimble than it should be. The 3.73-ratio limited slip axle, a $395 option, helps matters. Engineers spent more time honing the suspension, even borrowing control arms from last year’s GT500 to make this a muscle car that can almost hang with pure sports cars. It’s firm, though, your teeth will rattle over even the smallest speed bumps.

Our tester came with a performance brake package, including Brembos and 19-inch painted aluminum wheels. They look good, and could stop a freight train, but other journalists have told us they’re not necessary; the stock wheels and brakes are quite good as well, and the package adds a lot to the sticker at $1,695.

And, then, there is that sound. The Coyote makes a beautiful, righteous growl no other car can make. The sound you have filed away in your imagination labeled under, “What should a good, old-school, American muscle car sound like?” Well, here it is. It’s a hellhound’s growl. It’s the roar of justice. It will have neighborhood men eyeing you with suspicion, and neighborhood women knocking discretely late at night. Ford engineers understood exactly what they had when they heard that sound. Get this: they built a resonance pipe behind the dash to amplify the exhaust note in the cabin. That, in the end, is all you need to know about this car.

The first muscle cars (that is, the first Mustangs) were built for a very democratic purpose: to bring the best American race-bred engines into the price range of the average buyer. The new generation has strayed from that purpose a bit. Our tester’s sticker came in at $38,760, including destination charge. When you can get a first-class European sport sedan for less money, is a muscle car still worth it? If it’s the V8 Mustang GT, we think it is. Its beautiful bodywork with its modern interpretation of classic lines; the gorgeous interior, which oozes sex appeal and power; and that glorious engine, putting an absurd level of power at the command of your right foot. It’ll transport you from place to place. But more importantly, it’ll transport you to another place inside when you let it find that open highway.

All of that for $39k?

It’s a steal.

PHOTOS: BRIAN MCGEE

T

he SpoCom Super Show was held on Sunday, July 18th at the Long Beach Convention center. The trade and consumer sport compact show featured top-tier manufacturers and displayed one of the largest gatherings of awardwinning import vehicles from both car clubs and manufacturers/tuners.

DUB MAG MAG SEP SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 54 DUB 104

A ton of “new and premier import models” were all over the packed Long Beach Convention Center’s fl oor and gathered quite an audience for one of the hottest bikini contests to hit Southern Cali this year.

DUB Magazine was also on deck, showcasing B-Hop’s freshly painted DUB Edition Ford Taurus SHO; fresh

from the paint shop widebody Camaro built by Topo for Forgiato Wheels; a Savini Forged Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster; TS Design’s 1961 Chevy Impala; Dreamworkz custom Chevy Kodiak and Show Boat; and the full-go/full-show Street Image Honda Civic. For more info check out www.spocomusa.com.

WORDS: DEANNE DELUNA PHOTOS: CHYNA PATTERSON

S

ure, some of Vegas’ most exciting and captivating stories happen on the strip, but that’s not necessarily the case for Joel Baker, owner of KAO AutoStyling, Las Vegas’ biggest customizing shop. Having been in the industry since 1989, with experience that dates back all the way to 1984, Baker has had his fair share of interesting stories at his shop besides the usual wrenching on cars.

“For the longest time, our biggest clientele consisted of strippers, hookers, dealers and pimps,” Baker says jokingly. “If you’d come to the shop a few years ago on a Friday, it was like a strip club or a scene from Next Friday. Now that the nightclubs are doing better than the

strip clubs; we’re now getting a lot of the club promoters, casino executives and VIP hosts in the shop. We also get a lot of professional businessmen, attorneys and business owners.”

Being based out of Las Vegas for so long, Baker has a bank of unusual yet entertaining stories that even involves some of his stripper clients dancing naked in the showroom, trying to get discounts on wheels. “I’m actually trying to see how we can go about getting a TV show on the shop, given I have so many interesting customers and live in one of the nation’s most fascinating cities,” he mentions.

With a TV show part of his future plans, Baker’s ability to think outside traditional customization shop norms has helped him

I’M ACTUALLY TRYING TO SEE HOW WE CAN GO ABOUT GETTING A TV SHOW ON THE SHOP, GIVEN I HAVE SO MANY INTERESTING CUSTOMERS AND LIVE IN ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST FASCINATING CITIES.

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“I ALSO USED TO HAVE A DISPLAY OF CARS AT THE PALMS HOTEL, WHERE CELEBS FIRST HEARD OF ME... WORD OF MOUTH SPREAD, AND I STARTED TO GET CALLS FROM VARIOUS HIGH-PROFILE PEOPLE FOR CARS.” become Las Vegas’ most reputable shop. The staff at KAO are certified and well trained.

Most of the employees have been with KAO for several years. Besides having the standard retail shop that does it all, Baker also has a wholesale segment to KAO AutoStyling in addition to a lucrative connection with the area’s dealerships and lots of e-commerce business.

“I first started partnering with dealerships back in 1989, when I was first approached by a Volkswagen dealership that heard of my customizing work,” he explains. “They asked me to fix up one of their cars to sell. After they liked my work, they started offering me jobs to fix up Fords for them since they also owned a Ford dealership.” The original KAO was a little off the beaten path in an industrial park and did not see a lot of walk in retail business. Baker decided to open the retail segment of KAO AutoStyling in 2001. With the current shop location on a major Las Vegas street. Because of the effects that the economy had on Vegas over the last few years, a lot of the smaller shops went out of business, allowing Baker and KAO to grow during the economic troubles of the region. “One thing this has taught me is to never feel too comfortable.”

With all going well in Vegas, KAO will be heading to Arizona after this year’s SEMA Show to open up its second location. “We’ll hopefully move out to California next. If it weren’t for the economy being so bad, I would have been out in L.A. by now.” Baker now hopes to make it to the Golden State by 2011. “Eventually I hope to bring in a business partner, my son, Jarek Studa Baker.”

Besides Vegas’ unusual mix of characters SEP // OCT OCT 2010 2010 DUB MAG MAG SEP 52 DUB 108

that walk in and out of the shop, Baker has also been fortunate enough to expand his celebrity Rolodex. “I also used to have a display of cars at the Palms Hotel & Casino, which is where celebs first heard of me,” he says. “From there, word of mouth spread, and I started to get calls from various high-profile people for cars. They’d tell me what kind of car they want and for the most part let me run free with it in terms of the modifying once a budget was set.” Baker also ships his customized cars all over the world, with orders spilling in from various countries.

While the majority of these clients allow Baker to do what he sees fit to their cars, there are still some who provide specific parameters

for their vehicle. “I once got a request for a new Escalade from a prince in the Middle East, and he wanted the craziest interior ever! He wanted everything burgundy, gold and a peanut butter brown color; all done in leather suede and real fur, which still fascinates me ’til this day!”

Always one to think outside the box, Baker will soon be implanting the KAO AutoStyling Vegas Experience package for out-of-state customers who order cars from him. “I want to fl y our out-ofstate customers down here, put them up in nice hotel, provide them the nightlife experience, all while they pick up their new custom car,” he says.

“Now that would make for some interesting reality TV, as well as boost business!”

“I WANT TO FLY OUR OUT-OF-STATE CUSTOMERS DOWN, PUT THEM UP IN NICE HOTEL, PROVIDE THE NIGHTLIFE EXPERIENCE WHILE THEY PICK UP THEIR NEW CUSTOM CAR. THAT WOULD MAKE FOR SOME INTERESTING TV...”

KAO AUTO STYLING 4130 SPRING MOUNTAIN ROAD LAS VEGAS, NV 89102-8702 (702) 367-3642

2010 CHEVY CAMARO SS 6.2L AEM AIR INTAKE INSTALL Hot off the block, AEM brings to market one of the only cold air intake kits for the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS 6.2L. The intake works with the factory ECU and will not cause the check engine light to turn on. The estimated horsepower gain is 16 horsepower at 4,200 rpm. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a quick snap shot at the install. For detailed installation instructions and info check out their website at www.aemintakes.com

1. Remove factory intake system.

2. Remove factory washer reservoir. a. Pull the fender cover away from the fender lip to gain access to the factory washer reservoir and disconnect the washer pump cable. b. Disconnect the washer fluid hose at the pump nipple, pull hose from retaining tabs and remove three mounting bolts on the washer bottle.

3. AEM windshield washer bottle assembly: a. Remove the factory washer pump from the factory washer bottle and then install the pump onto the new 3-quart plastic washer bottle supplied in your kit. Position the nipple. b. Attach the black mounting nipple onto the lower end of the bracket and mount the washer bottle onto the large bracket.

4. Installation of AEM intake system: a. Install the washer pump extension cable onto the factory cable. b. Install the MAF sensor extension harness onto the factory connector. c. Install straight coupler on the throttle body. Loosely install the two #64 hose clamps onto the coupler. d. Remove the factory MAF sensor from the factory intake and install the MAF sensor onto the intake tube mounting the pad. e. Install the large intake tube with the MAF sensor into the engine bay.

2a.

2b.

3a.

4a.

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4f.

4c.

4e.

4l.

4n.

f. Insert the upper end of the tube loosely into the coupler at the throttle body, connect factory breather pipe on new intake tube, connect factory washer fluid hose to washer pump and connect washer pump extension harness to the washer pump. g. Mount the washer bottle assembly behind the intake tube. h. Route the washer fluid hose and pump harness away from the engine. i. Fasten the washer bracket assembly with the factory nut at the upper shock tower bracket and fully tighten. j. Secure the intake tube bracket to the insulated rubber mount. Be sure the intake tube is not contacting the washer bottle bracket and then fully tighten the bolt. k. Zip tie to retain the washer fluid hose and extension harness. Be sure that the washer hose is not rubbing the edge of the frame rail. l. Install the Dryflow high-performance air filter to the intake tube with a hose clamp. m. Adjust the intake tube so there is about 1â&#x20AC;? of clearance between the tube and the corner of the washer bottle bracket. Now tighten the 2 hose clamps at the throttle body. n. Factory air box system installed

WORDS: KRISTOPHER KU PHOTOS: PATRICK DALY

Y

ou never know where an idea will hit you.

For Hot Wheel City’s owner and founder Nick Abouna, his popped into his head while on a plane from Michigan to New Jersey for a car auction in 1995. After reading an article that detailed how cars would go from riding on hubcaps to alloy wheels by the turn of the century, Nick knew what he had to do.

A car industry veteran since 1989 (he then owned a used car lot), the transition to selling wheels would be a cinch. “I knew this would take off and immediately started doing my research on alloy rims as soon as I got back from that trip,” he explains. Little did he know that a magazine article would forever change his life.

Nick knew once he had a solid and strong name, the rest of his plans would simply fall into place, which is why he chose the popular toy as an inspiration for his newfound company’s name.

“I discovered a company called Capital Tire, as they are called now, and negotiated a little aisle of rims to display and business just kept on growing from there.”

Turns out that the small aisle of wheels became Michigan’s largest wheel shop, which is currently up to seven stores in the Great Lakes State and still growing. “We opened up store No. 7 in Madison Heights this past August, which is a 26,000-sq.-ft. warehouse where we will be expanding our wholesale business and starting our e-Commerce venture,” Nick says proudly. “We have more than 22,000 rims in stock and on the

116 DUB MAG SEP / OCT 2010

WHAT STARTED OUT AS ONE AISLE OF RIMS HAS NOW BECOME MICHIGAN’S LARGEST WHEEL SHOP.

floor between all our stores. There really isn’t anything else quite like us out there. Not only do we have the largest collection of wheels on hand at any given time, but we also provide them at very reasonable prices.”

Their huge selection and lower prices have earned Hot Wheel City the loyalty of more than

100,000 satisfied customers and counting. But things haven’t always been so easy for the retail chain. Like many other wheel shops across the country, Hot Wheel City was affected by the economic downturn in 2008.

“We had to shut down a couple of locations,” Nick explains. “But business has been really good

in 2010. We’ve already sold more than 20,000 pieces of rims so far this year, with numbers rising every month! We’ve also opened up four more locations this year to make up for the ones es we had to close before, and everything seems to be picking up all across the board.”

Nick believes that his mission to beat anybody’s price on wheels was what helped save the once struggling chain from going out of eir business. “We believe everyone should have their rides looking good, no matter the cost or what’ss el happening to the economy, so that they can feel better, even if it’s just by having a nice-looking car. We will turn the most ordinary car into the hottest thing on the streets!” he says.

But dominating Michigan isn’t enough for this visionary. With future plans to expand to Toledo, Ohio next, conquering the rest of he America is his definitive goal. “I want it to be the ar ultimate wheel and accessory shop for every car enthusiast out there. Like what a candy shop iss to kids, Hot Wheel City will be to car lovers!”

Y EEL CIT HOT WH ORE M S K C O ST IMS 2,000 R THAN 2 THEIR F IN ALL O CATIONS. LO SEVEN

HOT WHEEL CITY LOCATIONS 18145 WEST 7 MILE RD., DETROIT, MI 48219 (313) 541 - 1900 | 10AM - 8PM M-S

14711 WEST 8 MILE RD., DETROIT, MI 48235 (313) 864 - 4000 | 10AM - 8PM M-S

1850 28TH ST. SE, STE 300, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49508 (616) 246-7000 | 10AM - 8PM M-S

13540 EAST 8 MILE RD., DETROIT, MI 48205 (313) 245 - 2000 | 10AM - 8PM M-S

10263 LIVERNOIS, DETROIT, MI 48204 (313) 934 - 1900 | 10AM - 8PM M-S

11408 GREENFIELD RD., DETROIT, MI 48227 (313) 273-1400 | 10AM - 8PM M-S

32451 DEQUINDRE RD., MADISON HEIGHTS, MI 48071 (248) 589-8800 | 10AM - 8PM M-S

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