2001 BMW X5

Yep, here's another buried treasure that floated to the top of the feature files like a mine accidentally detonated from the bottom of the sea. An appropriate image considering Spyro Makris Jr. BMW's ability to boom. The list of kudos this '01 X5 has won is impressive, with first-place finishes at a handful of shows. And who can blame the judges for being swayed by the level of fabrication and design in the Beemer?

We'll start with the business end of the audio and video arsenal: the interior. Being a BMW, you can bet the materials and layout started out as top-notch. The front row and dash remain mostly stock, with a few upgrades, such as the ACS pedal set with a dead pedal, a custom hide-away monitor secreted in a center console compartment, a strip of white fiberglass serving as a backdrop to the Kenwood KVT-910DVD head unit in the dash, and a white-suede headliner and sun visors. A Valentine 1 radar keeps its eyeballs pealed.

But that's just an appetizer to the multi-course audio and video banquet inside this BMW. Lift the rear hatch and a buffet of musical and visual entertainment enablers greet you. Set into a giant, white "V" of fiberglass are four Kicker L7 12-inch subwoofers, two per side of the giant "V"-shaped enclosure, and two Crossfire VR1000FD amplifiers for the subs, and one Crossfire VR404 amp for the highs and lows (the amps cascade along the valley of the 'glass enclosure). Along the tailgate are three Fahrenheit T-7016HR 7-inch monitors alternating with a pair of 4-inch Memphis Audio speakers. That rises from the enclosure to reveal a duo of 7-inch monitors set right next to each other and facing the onlooker. Looking from the rear toward the front shows five 7-inch monitors arrayed on the back of the headrests and the ceiling. Plus, there is yet another 7-inch screen on the leading edge of the lifted hatch. And if that weren't enough, there are a couple of Fahrenheit T-1042CMS screens shining through the tinted rear-side windows. An Optima YellowTop battery fortifies the juice, while an in-car battery charger with a custom powerpoint keeps that going, as well.

While we're poking around the innards of the BMW, we might as well stick our noses underneath the hood. There are some interesting things happening there, due to the ACS oil cap, Dinan Stage 1, 2, 3 software, Dinan high-flow throttle body, a Dinan cold-air intake, Kelleners carbon-fiber fuel-rail cover, and Kelleners carbon-fiber ignition module cover. An Eisenheim 4.6 race exhaust with 3-inch pipes and a resonator serve up a hot dish of rumbly resonance. Ducking underneath the vehicle shows an H&R sport lowering spring setup and Dinan front strut towers. Brembo Gran Turismo brakes (15-inch rotors with eight-piston front calipers and four-piston rear) stop the Kahn RSC 22-inch wheels and Pirelli Scorpion Zero 295/30R22 tires.