This 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T will make a splash at car shows from Brooklyn to Bangladesh.

Story Jack Chinelli Photography Jim Breitung

When customizing the popular 300C or Magnum, it has to stand out - not an easy task, considering a blind man at a custom car show could bump into one every 20 feet. Here’s a hint from Sound Decision: To create a unique ride get on the hype as early as possible, and chase waterfalls like a rebellious TLC fan (it’ll all make sense in a minute).

When Sean Phillips brought his 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T to a custom car shop, Sound Decisions of Montgomery, Illinois, the aftermarket game for Dodge’s saving grace had just begun. Master installers Sean Young and Brian Mobley got their hands on the 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T right as it came out of production, and Sound Decision turned it into a technological marvel.

Buried deep in the Magnum is a Dell laptop that acts as the brains of the audio/visual operation. To make room for the seamlessly integrated 12-inch Xenarc monitor in the dash, HVAC controls were relocated to the glove box. So how do you control 5.1 surround sound, four doors, hatch, windows, and airbag suspension? You do it correct, through a graphic user interface, designed and programmed by IASCA (International Auto Sound Challenge Association) world champion Mike Stevens. Digital meters in the software let you know how much water is left in the reservoirs. Oh yeah, did we mention this Mag’ has waterfalls (inspired by Dave “Fishman” Rivera—an installer known for his outrageous use of H20 in custom work)?

“Coming into the project, the owner knew he wanted to play off the waterfall that was in his Durango, which we did a few years back,” says Young. Sound Decision first used water back in 2000 for a ’97 BMW 3 Series by constructing a “bubble wall” (a curved acrylic Plexiglas bubble filled with water and a perforated air hose to create swanky ambience a la Trump Hotel). “That Durango was not that extravagant; we wanted to blow that away.”

Miles of wiring and enough electricity to power Poughkeepsie would make you think holding 23 gallons of water in three separate reservoirs was a psychotic maneuver. Well it is, and that’s what sets this Magnum apart. Count seven waterfalls—one in each door, one in each rear quarter glass and Niagara Falls behind the rear seats. Home-theatre projectors mounted in the overhead console cast the names and logos of sponsors onto the falling water. na try to go into a situation where these cars can be made by the thousands and sold.

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