If you can tune an engine by varying the diameter and length of the exhaust tubes, it stands to reason that sound can be tuned through a set of discarded Formula 1 or other race-engine headers.

That’s the premise behind an Italian company called iXoost that offers external speakers for portable music players designed from exotic-engine exhaust headers, including V12 models. The headers are cleaned up, painted or chromed and then fitted with the appropriate speakers. The sound-ready headers then go on a billet base that is dock-compatible with an iPod.

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The creative team behind the project include Matteo Panini, who came up with the idea while holding a set of headers, and Mirco Pecorari, who designed the dock — which is patterned after a motorcycle crankcase and includes amplifiers for sonic blasts. Pockets in the base are also lined with leather for an Italian supercar feel. And there’s an iXoost app for the iPod and iPhone to intensify the sound output.

According to the company website, three versions are available — 8, 10 and 12-cylinder. The system comes with the appropriate number of tweeter, midrange and subwoofer speaker combinations. Prices range from 5,000 to 6,800 euro, or about $6,500 up to nearly $9,000. Of course, there are options and special requests that could boost the price. But for the engine enthusiast who needs an unusual and attention-grabbing sound system for a supercar garage, this is it!