Airbag

Or, why I have everything mixed up

In 1997, the former "one-hit wonder" band Radiohead, known almost exclusively for their teen-angst anthem "Creep" (1991), released a masterful album that is arguably the greatest rock album of that decade and, perhaps, of all time: OK Computer. Beginning with the opening track, "Airbag", front man Thom Yorke and six-string virtuosos Ed O'Brien and Jonny Greenwood wove an album-format composition that begs to be heard in its entirety and is required material in anyone's vinyl, tape, CD, or eight-track collection. Wait a minute, this isn't SPIN or Alternative Press. I'm supposed to be talking about cars, specifically Dara Sodano's 1997 Civic EX, which is sitting right here in front of me in little snippets of Fujichrome Provia 100 glory. How the hell did I get so far off track?

It could be the fact that I'm listening to the aforementioned Radiohead album (for the umpteenth time) as I write this story. It could be the fact that I've lost Dara's tech sheet because I first scoped this car in late 2001, it was shot early 2003, and I'm smack-dab in the middle of finals week at school. It could be that there are several other stories, none of which are completed, that are also due. But, there's nothing I can do but forge ahead.

Obviously, Sodano's car is set up as a show car; that was, however, an unintentional goal. The car, dubbed "Sweet Kandy Civic," was initially purchased as daily transportation but Sodano was soon bitten by the bug and began spending her paychecks (and her boyfriend Jason's paychecks) to supplement her vehicle. Starting with a basic bolt-on body kit, Sodano's car soon morphed into a rolling custom bodywork show vehicle. Because of the airbag suspension (wait, there's a segue in here after all!) the entire subframe was reinforced and welded for durability during the switch-hitting. The front fenders were treated to a pair of air vents sourced from a Corvette, while the rear quarter panels achieved their extra intake through MR2 side vents. Up front, the requisite projector headlights occupy the stock locations, and out back the classic "Supra taillight conversion" brings up the rear. To accommodate the new lines of the taillights, the trunk lid was also shortened. In the interest of cleaner body lines, Sodano had all the extraneous items shaved: door handles, door guards and molding, gasoline filler door, license plate. The antenna mount was also "pearl dropped" to add more curvature to the overall aesthetic. All the body work and multiple coats of House of Kolor Candy Apple Red with White Ice Pearl was performed by Steve's Auto Paint in Antioch, Calif., while the gold-flame accents were hand-painted by Herb Martinez of Livermore, Calif.

Rolling stock was upgraded to a quadruplet of Racing Hart Z5000s, with all 19-in. surface areas chromed to maximum bling; matching high-performance rubber bands come in the shape of 225/35ZR19 Falken Ziex ZE-502s. Sitting just behind those oversized giants is another gargantuan fiend, the AEM Big Brake Kit, in the front corners while mirror-polished drum hats occupy the rear. The rest of the suspension... Well, I'm not going to make an ass out of myself by pretending to know anything about airbag suspensions; the only thing I know is what Dr. Dre says--"Pancake, front and back, side to side, and all that shit"--in his perennial epic, "Let Me Ride." But wait, I'm starting to revert back to music mode, so I need to bring it back in to car mode. Sodano's Civic also does the requisite body rocking, right alongside Dre's '64 Impala, with nitro cylinders, air cylinders, compressors, regulators, and, like Dre said, "All that shit" sourced from SMC, SPC, and a few other companies that I'm sure lots of people have heard of. If you have a chance to see the undercarriage of Sodano's "Jackknifed Juggernaut" while she's hittin' the switches, you'll probably notice that it, too, has been chromed like chrome was going out of style. Obviously Sodano spent lots of ching-ching to get the bling-bling underneath, so she had it highlighted with a StreetGlow Underglow neon kit.

Inside the car, well that's a whole different song. If it's not covered in red tweed or off-white pearl vinyl, it's been color-matched with the exterior. MOMO goods occupy the steering wheel, shift knob, and pedal areas while an Autopower four-point roll bar adds to chassis rigidity and addresses safety concerns; it is also exterior color-matched. Look closely and you'll see outlets for the Sony PlayStation 2 controllers. From there, you can take your pick from any one of the five monitors mounted in either the side view mirrors, the gauge cluster, rearview mirror, or center console to play Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 or watch "Meeting People is Easy," Radiohead's documentary film about the "OK Computer" tour (damn, I'm good). Other "nICEties and goodeties" installed by Custom Car Alarms of Pleasant Hill, Calif., include an armada of JL Audio satellite speakers and subwoofers and a triple dose of JL Audio amplifiers. The signal feed originates at the Eclipse 7001 head unit and matching CD changer combination and runs through several million feet of Stinger wires before pumping out of the custom plexiglass enclosure in the trunk and the satellite speakers in the cabin. A Clifford alarm protects the entire car from the dregs of society.

All show and no go? Maybe, but I think not. Sodano still drives the car quite a bit, in spite of its pristine show-quality condition (or maybe because of it). But, with that said, this car still has some ass-kicking to do before it gets written off as a trailer queen. Starting with the 1.6-liter powerplant, the bottom end has received a complete internal makeover using Arias pistons, Total Seal rings, and custom connecting rods. On the top, a ported and polished head, complete with three-angle valve job, stainless steel and titanium valves, and a Gude Bullfrog camshaft, sits idly waiting for the boost pressures from the GReddy turbo kit to kick in. If that's not enough to get you scared, consider the fact that a large front-mount Spearco intercooler makes its home in the engine bay and calls a Nitrous Xpress direct-port nitrous kit "Neighbor." Added to the STR fuel rail, cam gear, oversized throttle body, and dual S1 exhaust, this engine probably runs as good as it looks. How fast? I'll tell you this much--before the car was relegated to show duty, it saw some track time and netted a 13.0-sec. time slip on nitrous alone. So, I'm not willing to find out; what would my friends say if I were to lose to a show car on airbags? Maybe we can just ask Mark Young of Complete Autoworks in Concord, Calif.--he and his colleagues are the ones responsible for building the engine.

As Sodano's completed car started hitting the show scene in an "Interstellar Burst," she began receiving tons of accolades, all of which placed her in the top three of each event she entered, some of which included the ultimate award, best of show, and the most recent being the best of show in the Honda/Acura class at the 2002 NOPI Nationals. Who says show cars are dead? Watch out for Dara and her Sweet Kandy Civic, because she's "Back to Save the Universe."