S"#g Break Natiо) 2003 Infiniti G35 Story and Photography by Klifton Keplinger T here are several stories detailing Scott Buwalda’s career and his founding of Hybrid Audio Technologies in 2005, but as the new owner of the car you see here, I think the following background story is important. Before Hybrid Audio Technologies was an idea and before Black Betty — the 1995 Nissan Silvia Spec GT-R vehicle featured in this program a year ago — was black, there was a white Nissan called the Expert 240SX. I first reached out to Scott in 1999 to ask his advice for my S13 240SX, shortly after he won the IASCA Expert Championship in 22 » PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND 1998 with his own Nissan 240SX. But I first knew of him, and the car, from his 1997 Auto Sound and Security article. By 2000, we had begun communicating on a regular basis while a group of us were working on the original MECA SQL rules. During 2001, Scott started a new build for his 240SX and I was among the volunteers who traveled countless weekends to help work on the car. The Expert 240SX was underway and we put together a marketing campaign, complete with a website for the vehicle, something unprecedented at the time. As the 2002 season approached, the car had transformed into a masterpiece and immediately started its domination by winning the IASCA Expert division at Spring Break Nationals 16. Then it came away from Steel Valley Regionals with the highest score recorded to date at a regional or finals event (481 points) and a first place in Advanced IdBL (146.0 dB). In October, we traveled to the IASCA Finals in Charlotte, expecting a triumphant close to the season. The red carpet was out and Scott’s rivals all congratulated him on the championship before the awards S"#g Break Natiо) OWNER: Klifton Keplinger LOCATION: Indiana, USA ceremony had started. And then trophies were announced. No placement, no championship, fifth. Unbelievably, fifth. After such a successful season, it was a heart-wrenching conclusion. A few months later, while returning a trailer to Scott, and in an attempt to hear what went wrong, I snuck into his garage and listened to the Expert 240SX. When I turned the system on, Pink Floyd’s “Pulse” sprang to life across the dash. I’m here to tell you, after judging many vehicles, it deserved far better than fifth that year. I’d never heard Black Betty, but the Expert 240SX could easily stand up to anything being dished out today. It had the life of the G35 (itself a four-time Expert Champion) and a technical prowess able to shame any modern vehicle. I became disillusioned after these events and left car audio for nearly a decade. Alternatively, fueled by frustration and persistence, Scott continued as 24 » PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND a man possessed. Not long after I last listened to the Expert 240SX, it was stripped to make way for its next iteration as a blue RHD Silvia spec GT-R. The events from this point forward are welldocumented. Scott’s obsession to unequivocally overcome that fifth in 2002 produced Black Betty (a vehicle never to be superseded), 10 IASCA Expert Championships, a world-renowned competition team and the company known as Hybrid Audio Technologies. However, that Expert 240SX would have been just fine if given another shot. Scott may have earned more championships with less heartbreak, but Black Betty and Hybrid Audio Technologies would never have existed as they do today. It is his persistence that made these things happen, and it fills me with honor to carry on his torch with the G35 and continue the legacy he created. ENGINE MODIFICATIONS Jim Wolf air filter and intake Z33 charge pipe Z1 Motorsports plenum intake manifold spacer JDM battery cover, JDM engine cover EXHAUST GReddy exhaust and tips Z1 Motorsports (header, up-pipe, down-pipe, y-pipe, cat) CHASSIS / SUSPENSION BC Racing Suspension coil-overs Circuit Sports (rear traction rods, rear camber arms, rear toe arms, front camber adjustment arms) WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES Forgeline ZX3R wheels — 19x9.5 (f), 19x10.5 (r) Hankook Ventus V12 Evo tires — 275/35 R19 (f), 305/30 R19 (r) Wilwood Big Brake Kit (14.1-in. twopiece drilled and slotted rotors with six-piston calipers (f), 13.1-in. twopiece drilled and slotted rotors with four-piston calipers (r), braided lines) Super Blue brake fluid EXTERIOR Painted OEM (bumpers, side skirts) Custom machined front grille JDM-spec black housing lights with dual projector HID assembly 2005-spec trunk lid INTERIOR JDM dashboard cluster for doubleDIN radio Single dye-lot vinyl of consistent color and grain as OEM upholstery JDM-spec Nissan Skyline V35 steering wheel and airbag JDM front corner markers AUDIO / MOBILE ELECTRONICS McIntosh MX5000 head unit Hybrid Audio Technologies (Legatia L8SE 8.85-in. wide-bandwidth midrange/midbass, Legatia L3SE 3.7-in. wide-bandwidth midrange/ full-range, Imagine I6SW 6.5-in. wubwoofer (x4), Bit-Zero (started life as an Audison Bit-One)) JL Audio 750/1 amplifiers (x6) Alarm DEI Viper with remote start, windows up/down, door locks, trunk release V-Power 12/16 V racing battery Stinger wiring Custom fuse box SPONSORS Hybrid Audio Technologies, JL Audio