Showtime Audio: Custom Car Shop

Pimps and brutal winters aside, Chi-Town is known for the Bulls' NBA reign. MJ's squad blazed through the nineties on the backs of a triangle offense and Zen master that dominated the competition. Fast forward ten years, replace rings with trophies, hoops with hydraulics and you'll find a Midwestern goliath that also scores major points in the world of custom cars. Widely known for their success at nationwide car show competitioins, Illinois powerhouse Showtime Audio Inc. owns a trophy case that'll make Jordan envious. "We would build show cars, go to the shows and do real well there and get referrals," says 32-year-old owner Jerry Villa. "Other people in the shows would see that we'd win a lot of trophies, and they would want us to build them a car."

Around the corner from downtown Chicago's manufacturing district is the shop's 10,000-square-foot base. "We do it all, basically, from day-to-day radio, speakers and iPod interfaces to high-end show cars," says Villa. "We always have at least one or two custom cars being worked on at a time."

Villa attributes his team's tireless intensity to a simple love of cars. As a Los Angeles native by way of Chicago, the 12-year vet has been customizing interiors for his friends since his days as the head of a lowrider crew he ran out of his parent's grage. A "perfectionist to a fault," Villa understands that subtle intricacies play an important role in progressive customization. "The smallest things make the biggest difference," says Villa. "That's where we try to set ourselves apart. We're always pushing the limits of what can and can't be done." This championed automotive squad knows no limits as they get set to defend the newest Chicago dynasty.

NAME — Showtime Audio Inc.
WEBSITE — Showtimeaudio.net
LOCATION — 1317 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
OWNER — Jerry Villa
YEARS IN BUSINESS — 5
SPECIALTIES — Custom Show Cars, Hummers
CELEB CLIENTELE — Twista [Rapper], Criss Angel "Mindfreak" [Magician]
STANDOUT CUSTOM JOB —2004 Blue Hummer H2, Best of Show winner at Dub Show '04, '05 and '06. The car was built in 30 days and has blue ostrich leather seats, blue suede roof, blue candy paint, matching chrome spinners with a blue background, lowered, custom exhaust and satellite TV
TURNAROUND TIME — Between one week and three months for small to large jobs


RIDES magazine July/August 2007