Regular LRE readers are familiar with Advantage Audio & Alarm (in Brea, California), as well as owner Ron Valentine and installation manager Jamie Fifield. However, if this is your first issue of Euro, suffice to say they are well respected in the SoCal custom compact scene, and no strangers to our pages. So, when we first saw Ron and Jamie's Promo yellow Mazda Protege MP5 sport wagons, dubbed "Lemon Drops," we knew that they would be perfect for our first-ever two-car cover. "We chose the [MP] 5s because they are the newest, coolest class of car out today," Ron noted. "Also because they're unique, a great platform," Jamie added.
The wagons were built (primarily by Ron and Jamie after business hours) in just more than three months. "We had to have them ready for the SEMA show which we made," reports Ron. (See the February/March 2002 LRE, "What's New At SEMA"). Since then, the wagons have drawn crowds at the Winter CES Show, International Auto Salon and more. As you can see in the photos, the wagons aren't "identical twins," however; Ron and Jamie have slightly different tastes. Yet one thing's for sure, this pair of Proteges has "zoom-zoom" to spare. *
Vitals:
Owner: Jamie Fifield
Vehicle: 2002 Mazda Protege MP5
City/State: Anaheim, California
Club: California Cruizers
Owner: Ron Valentine
Vehicle: 2002 Mazda Protege MP5
City/State: Brea, California
Club: Team Advantage.
Suspension:
Both vehicles have a prototype air strut/bag suspension from Chassis Tech in Mesa, Arizona, with 10 switches for all of the moves, installed by Advantage with help from M.I.C. in Placentia, California.
Performance:
Both vehicles have stock Mazda engines with custom Racing Beat air intakes with K&N filters, custom battery compartments with two Odyssey 1200s, polished engine parts, heat shield and yellow wiring looms.
Interior:
Both vehicles have black and yellow Katzkin leather seats and door inserts, plus custom interior panels and fiberglass dashes painted factory yellow.
Paint and Body Mods:
Both vehicles have factory Promo yellow paint, slightly shaved inside fenderwells for wheel clearance, custom Inalfa sliding ragtops installed by Sunroof Performers in South Gate, California, billet grille inserts from Precision Design in Santa Fe Springs, California, and checkered flag window graphics by Mike's Tint Shop in Anaheim, California.
Rims and Rubber:
Ron runs on Falken P215/35-ZR18 GR8 radials with 18-inch KMC Porn Star chrome alloys, while Jamie rolls on Falken P215/35-ZR18 GR8 radials with 18-inch KMC Suicide chrome alloys.
Audio/Video:
Ron's running a Pioneer DEH 4400 head unit and Jamie jams to a Pioneer DEH-P7300 head unit. Both vehicles have Crossfire amps and crossovers, Crossfire tweeters, mids, woofers and subwoofers, TRC five-disc DVD changers and six TRC video monitors, all housed in custom fiberglass dash panels, door panels and rear speaker boxes.