Tampa company brings the noise to national auto parts show

Twenty years ago, Tampa entrepreneur Matt Heller invented what might be the world’s loudest aftermarket auto accessory — the HornBlasters train horn.

Heller says he had become fed up with being run off the road by other drivers on his daily commute to work. Determined to be noticed, he recalled his childhood fascination with train horns and created a way to install the crazily loud horns on vehicles.

At the 2022 Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, held Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, more than 100 custom car and truck builds featured train horns made by HornBlasters Inc., whose slogan is “Don’t blow your top; blow your horn!”

In a news release, the company says the annual SEMA gathering is a trade-only event that represents a “who’s who” of the aftermarket auto parts industry.

“Thunderous horns were heard throughout the venue on the final day as vehicles paraded toward the SEMA Ignited afterparty,” Heller states in the release. “You could hear the honks far and wide.”

HornBlasters sells horns in a variety of sizes and prices for a vehicle ranging from motorcycles to muscle cars, mega trucks and everything in between.