Kevin Costanzo grew up around cars; his dad is a mechanic who specializes in vintage Chevy Impalas. Since the age of 15, Kevin knew exactly the car he wanted: a 67 Ford Fairlane. He loved the car's classic lines, and could picture the modifications he wanted to make. He bought the car even before getting his driver's license, and started working on it the very first day!

Kevin Costanzo's 1967 Ford Fairlane

Kevin started his project with performance modifications, bodywork, and cosmetics. He loaded the engine compartment with plenty of chrome, and added new wheels, tires, bumpers and trim to the exterior. Inside, Kevin redid the upholstery and headliner, dropped in a replacement dash and new visors, and installed gauges from Sunpro. The performance mods include an Edelbrock carburetor and intake manifold, Pertronix ignition, Hedman ceramic-coated headers, a Mustang 4-speed transmission, positraction, and a high-performance Centerforce clutch. A local bodyshop handled the bodywork and exterior paint, and the car was starting to look — and drive — pretty hot.

Above: Aftermarket gauges add style and functionality. Below: Kevin gives us a peek under the hood.

Even with the cosmetics and mechanicals done and the acceleration factor under control, Kevin still felt that something important was missing: the sound system. The Fairlane came stock with an AM radio and single speaker, and for a car with a show-caliber exterior and serious performance modifications, this pathetic audio "system" just wasn?t cutting it. Although Kevin was fanatical about keeping the stock look of the car's interior, he wanted the sound system to smoke.