head the ultimate daily driver navigating the streets of sin

Copper
head
Words by Dave MacKinnon Photos by Mark Privitera
the ultimate daily driver navigating
the streets of Sin city.
or those of us with a little bit
of petrol flowing in our veins,
it made no sense for General
Motors to ax the Pontiac division, even if it
made sense on paper. One of the coolest
Pontiac products of the last decade was
the G8/GT. The 2008 sample you see here
is owned by Michael Passarge of Las Vegas
NV, and he’s got a bit of a thing for high
end audio, which we’ll get to shortly.
Over the course of the past four years,
Passarge has been massaging this
Ignition Orange Metallic 6.0 Liter GT into
something that meets his needs and
urges far better than what the General
F
One of the
coolest
pontiac
products
of the last
decade was
the G8/GT.
40
Performance Auto & Sound
could offer. The car now rolls on S3 Sport
Design wheels sized at 20 by 8 inches
all the way around. Sticky BF Goodrich
rubber keeps the car firmly planted to the
ground. Speaking of the ground, a set of
Road Magnet springs dropped the G8’s
altitude for a little more attitude. A BMR
Fabrication front strut bar and 14” Brembo
brakes round out the handling upgrades.
A Rotofab intake and Flowmaster exhaust
help the mighty 8 breathe effortlessly.
Opening a door reveals some subtle and
tasteful changes to the interior. The seats
are adorned in new Katskin upholstery in
Tuscany leather with an orange stitch. The
2008 Pontiac G8/gt
The Trunk
has been
meticulously
reworked with
new Trims to
create a very
clean, tidy
and modern
installation.
42
dash and shifter trim were treated to orange
paint details that accent without going overboard. In the center of the dash is a JHP HSV
triple gauge pod that is home to Prosport EVO
oil pressure, oil temp and voltage gauges.
The audio system install started with the
vehicle’s interior being completely removed
for three layers of Damplifier Pro and a layer
of Luxury Liner Pro. The disassembly allowed
the vehicle’s Stinger power, speaker and
interconnect cables to be routed cleanly
through the car.
The system uses the stock head unit which
sends signals to an Arc Audio SRI line level
processor and on to an Arc XEQ for fine tuning. In the trunk are three Arc Audio amplifiers: a four channel KS.300.4 Bi-amped to
the front speakers, a two channel KS300.2
bridged to the subs and the ever-cool 125.2
Mini driving the rears for a total system
power production capability of 1,300 Watts.
The front factory speaker locations are
Performance Auto & Sound
in the doors of the big Pontiac. In those spots
is a set of Arc Audio ARC Series 6.2 6.5-inch
component speakers. The tweeter from the set
was mounted in the factory tweeter location at
the base of the A-pillar. Out back, as set of Arc
Audio ARC Series 602 6.5-inch coaxial speakers
fill out the sound.
Bass frequencies are reproduced by a pair
of Arc Audio ARC12D4 subwoofers that are
mounted in a custom fibreglass enclosure.
The enclosure was constructed out of ten
layers of three ounce fibreglass mat so that it
would be incredibly rigid. The subs fire down
into the spare tire well but are visible through
plexiglass windows.
The trunk has been meticulously reworked
with new trim panels. Perforated mesh combined with black vinyl and silver, black and
orange accents create a very clean, tidy and
modern installation. The floor, back wall and
side panels were all addressed, and the results
are amazing.
2008 Pontiac G8/gt
After four years as a daily driver, this
car is still ding and dent free thanks to
obsessive long-distance parking and an
attentive driving style.
Essentials
Vehicle: 2008 Pontiac G8/GT
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Horsepower: 373
Club Affiliation: Team Hybrid
Owner: Michael Passarge
Engine Displacement: 6.0L
Hiding out of sight in the trunk, in the
stock battery location, is a Stinger battery
and a Stinger 70 Amp power supply. Stinger
0 gauge wiring feeds the amplifiers with 14
and 12-gauge speaker wires sending signals
forward to the speakers.
The installation was handled masterfully by “2011 Installer of the Year” (Mobile
Electronics Association), Jon Webb at
Performance Audio in Las Vegas. As a current ARC Audio dealer, Webb choose this car
to feature and showcase Arc Audio’s new line
of ARC Series Speakers, which was unveiled
at the 2011 SEMA show and displayed in
the ARC Audio booth at the 2012 CES Show
44
in Las Vegas. To top it all off, this car was lucky
enough to get the prototypes.
Passarge points out that this is his daily
driver, and even after four years, the car is still
ding and dent free. He credits this to some
obsessive long-distance parking and attentive
driving while out and about. His iPod is filled
with a diverse selection of music, but he is
proud to say that thanks to the efforts of Webb
and the Arc Audio gear, there is nothing that
doesn’t sound good in this car. No one could
ask for more! PAS
> www.pasmag.com/CopperheadArcAudioG8
Performance Auto & Sound
Engine Modifications:
Air Intake: Rotofab (CAI)
Exhaust System:
Exhaust: Flowmaster 40 Series & resinators
Exterior / Chassis:
Grilles / inserts: Paint Gloss Black
Headlights: Spyber Auto w/ Projection
Lighting: LED side markers, tail light, reverse and
license plate light
Custom Body work: Shark Fin Antenna
SUSPENSION:
Wheels: SE3 Sport Design
Wheel Size: 20 x 8
Tires: BFGoodrich
Front Rotor Size: 14” One Piece Slotted and Drilled
Front Brake Calipers: Brembo 4-Pistons
Rear Rotor Size: 13” One Slotted and Drilled
Springs: Road Magnet Springs
Front Strut Bar: BMR Fabrication
Wheels / Brakes / Suspension:
Dash: Custom painted dash and shifter trim
Upholstery: Katzkins Tuscany Leather with orange
stich
Gauges: Prosport EVO Series
Gauge Pod: JHP HSV (3 cluster)
Audio & Video:
Equalizers: Arc Audio XEQ
Processors: Arc AudioSRI for integration
Sub Amps: Arc Audio KS300.2 (2x)
Midbass Amps: Arc Audio KS300.4
Rear Fill Amps: Arc Audio KS125.2BX2 Mini
Sound Deadening: D’Amplifier Pro & Luxury Liner Pro
Additional install comments / upgrades:
Subwoofers: Arc Audio ARC 12D4 (x2)
Mid Bass: Arc Audio ARC Series 6.2 6.5” Component
Speakers (x2)
Tweeters: Arc Audio ARC Series 6.2 Component
Speakers (x2)
Rear Fill: Arc Audio ARC Series 602 6.5” Coaxial
Speakers(x2)
Extra Batteries: V Performance
Back fuse holder: Stinger
Main power wire: Stinger
Interconnects: Stinger RCA’s
Distribution Blocks: Stinger
SPONSORS:
Arc Audio, Performance Audio, Prosport Performance,
BFGoodrich, Stinger, Spyder Auto, NOS Energy Drink,
Meguires, K40 Electronics, Grafik Impact, US Speedo,
Mobile Solutions, Mishimoto, Team Hybrid, Spring
Mountain Auto Body, Clutch Masters