5 Car Mods That Are Sure To Upset Purists
When it comes to cars, I think I’m pretty open minded. I like JDM, Euro, American muscle, Italian. I even dig the Kia Soul though if I ever get one, you better believe I’ll be rocking a hamster suit behind the wheel. Same for engines - crazy VTEC, silky V12 or thumping pushrod V8 motor; if it makes power, it makes me happy.
As far as customisation goes, I try to be just as open minded. I don’t particularly care about big wings and body kits on teeny hatchbacks, but that doesn’t keep me from admiring the work and respecting the owners who love them. And the more time I spend in this crazy car community, the more I believe others feel much the same.
But there are some things you just don’t do. Ever.
I don’t even know where to begin here. Actually I do. If you want a specific car, buy that car. If you can’t afford it, work harder until you can. I’ve witnessed some intense moments at car meets over people with M badges on pedestrian 3-series Bimmers, S badges on regular Audis, and I’ve seen blood shed over V6 Mustangs wearing Cobra or SVT emblems. It’s the easiest appearance “mod” to do, but the folks who own the real deal will take you town for being a poseur.
Any time you drop an engine from another manufacturer into a car there’s going to be some butthurt. The only reason I single out the LS swap is because it’s freaking everywhere. That’s a testament to just how good these engines are - they make great power, they’re relatively compact in size, and there’s all kinds of support for them. I’m not opposed to people choosing a good engine as the basis for a project car, and if you’re performing a custom engine swap, you absolutely have a project car. But pick and choose your events wisely because I promise you this: show up to an import meet in an LS-powered RX-7 and you just might go home with knuckle impressions in your cheeks.
There’s no denying the popularity of this particular automotive genre. It also has more than a few critics and no shortage of haters ready to ridicule the whole scene. Big deal; such things apply to pretty much every automotive genre, but there’s another more aggressive line of opposition that face those living the stanced life. I think it has to do with the crazy camber and insanely stretched tyres that absolutely destroy performance.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the mods were done to everyday humdrum vehicles, but cars with legitimate performance cred are going under the knife and that really upsets some purists. Take a stanced E36 M3 to a BMW meet and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.
You would think all the big-time muscle enthusiasts of classic 1960s muscle cars would welcome power adders to the mix. The truth is, some of these guys are big time proponents of all motor power and get pretty upset when someone decides to “cheat” by bolting up a supercharger. That animosity gets even worse with nitrous systems, unless you’re talking about a full-on custom resto-mod using modern mechanicals. I’m certainly not saying all muscle car enthusiasts are like this, but those who get bent out of shape over such things tend to be pretty vocal about it.
Not everyone can afford an exotic car. Friends don’t let friends by Fieros with ill-fitting Countach-esque body panels, but in defence of this genre, there are some custom kits that are properly well done. That makes no difference to most exotic car owners who mercilessly trash such endeavours, and surprisingly, many non-exotic owners feel the same way.
There’s such a stigma about this that I think many people who’d really like to own an exotic replica don’t get one for fear of the blowback. It’s similar to the fake badging, but here’s the thing. Work hard and be smart about money and you can probably get an M3. It’s going to take more than overtime pay to buy a vintage Ferrari Daytona Spyder, so yeah, maybe some replicas aren’t so bad.
Comments
Stanced and stupid camber…. Seriously cannot see the point in that. Each to their own I know… But still.
I’ve always hated those kit cars that looked like other production cars, I’d rather have one that looked unique, like that Miata that Stacy did a few years ago. I remember once seeing a nice looking Diablo, till I got close, and saw the crappy interior, and the 40hp rumble of a vw type1 boxer.
I didn’t know muscle car guys got butthurt over nitrous and boost. David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan from Roadkill play with nitrous and boost all the time and they work for Hot Rod, a classic and sometimes modern muscle car magazine.
I mentioned in another comment; it’s not widespread and in my experience it’s primarily the older generation who were around (and possibly owned) classic muscle cars when new. I’ve met quite a few at drag strips and car shows - they’re devout all motor people who view boost and nitrous as cheating since they’re basically external power adders as opposed to the engine making power on its own. To these guys it’s not “real” horsepower, and when they lose to someone with boost or nitrous it’s pretty funny witnessing all the butthurt. Yeah I don’t get it either - as far as I’m concerned horsepower is horsepower. But these people are out there and they get seriously vocal over this stuff.
I hate replicas if they r bad examples if they r nice they r fine I don’t like swaps and I can’t stand stance
So no hellcat engined 1971 challenger?
Also quite popular, GT-R without it’s wing
I can dig it.
No, just…. no. Just like an Evo, it looks simply incomplete without the wing. Reminds me of a Manx cat, no tail!
The replica @ 0:57 was nice.
Where’s the hoonicorn m8?????
im fine with a few cars being ls swapped, but overall, thats just ridiculous
People dislike boost on classic muscle cars? When did that start happening?
It’s not everyone for sure, but I’ve encountered a surprising amount of old-school muscle car guys (admittedly old enough to have owned a classic muscle car when new) at drag strips and shows who get really bent out of shape over people using blowers and nitrous on their classics. Apparently it’s okay to swap cams, deck the heads, pistons, etc. But they think anything other than “all motor” is cheating and not “real” horsepower. Hey I don’t get it either, but these people are out there!