Mod almighty
Posted by Tom Ford at 1:25PM on Friday 23 February, 2007 8 Comments
I'm going to have the modifying conversation. Someone has to, because it seems to be the only mode of chat between my mates and I down the pub.
And I'm not talking cutting the springs on a MKII Golf GTi either - I'm talking about tweaking that turns into transformation.
I have several kinds of this conversation; from a mate with a 'ghost chipped' diesel company car (a re-calibrated engine management chip that you can't find on a manufacturer's diagnostic machine, so warranty still applies), to a friend with show-standard low-rider Impala, to a bloke I know with a retro-modded V8 Morris Minor.
And they all have one thing in common; they can't leave things alone. With me it happens on every car I own - I always want it to be just that little bit different from every other version I see. So I ended up with a Smart ForTwo (yup, the little one) running side-exit exhausts, Kevlar brakes, engine changes and turbo dump valves, wile sitting very low indeed. Most people just asked 'Why?', proving my point.
There's an absolute joy in having something that's a creation, not a mass production. Over in the UK we have modified cars like warts, most of them glued together with spit and hope. But now and again you come across real passion and innovation. And yes, it can come from an Mi16 engine in a 205, but that's not really my style. My style's a bit more... er... flamboyant.
There's this magazine called Practical Performance Car, and I have to say that I'm addicted. Here are guys who respect their cars, love them to death, but aren't afraid to get stuck in to make something really individual.
Something I couldn't do - I see myself more as an architect of disaster rather than the actual demolition man. They have all sorts of weird ideas that for most of us remain just that... and the results are brilliant.
Ok, I love reading about the new Lambo LP640, 599 or whatever, but I get just as much of a buzz reading about a bloke who's trying to stick a Volvo T5 five-pot into a P1800. Or the man who has a turbo MX-5 (the old one) who blew it up trying to drill the wastegate pipe to get more boost.
The BMW with a truck turbo (found in a scrap yard) bolted to it making 330bhp is hilarious, simply because the chap responsible for it took it to bits to fit M5 throttle bodies because it was WORKING TOO WELL. He just couldn't leave it alone. The mistakes are part of the journey... the fun.
OK, so they're not all particularly practical. Charlie Broomfield is documenting the installation of a 27-litre Merlin engine into his Rover SD1. Well, if you're going to think big...
What are Top Gear's opinions on modified cars? Are we into rods, sleepers, low-rollers? Or are we more of the leave-it-well-alone brigade? 'Cos if we are, then I have to say that you're missing out on a whole load of fun.
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8 Comments for "Mod almighty"
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I'm not against modding for performance, I'm even considering getting a supercharger for my IS200. But when people go to Pimp My Ride levels of putting monitors and woofers all over the car, then it all seems a bit pointless.
I mean why spend money on engine tuning and mods if you're going to fill the car up with kilos of junk which cancel out any performance gained??I struggle to put up shelves, so fiddling with my mode of transport would definitely not be a good idea. Besides, what can you do to a 1.0 Micra to make it any less sucky, within a small budget?
I guess I'm a purist, designers spend a lot of time creating works of art, some bloke in a shed is unlikely to do anything but create a disaster. (Witness all the boy racers who live round my way, if I see another Saxo with a pearlescent paint job, I'll scream.)Well I am kind of a sleeper man, I hate big flamboyant bodykits. I like a standard looking car with enormous power under the steel bonnets, and not those 106's or VTR's with bodykits that weigh one metric tonne powererd by a piddly 1.2 engine.
Having said that I have my eye on the Maxi bodykit for my 306!!The crux of modding is do the additions improve the vehicle, either in performance or aesthetics? A wide-boy exhaust and plywood rear spoiler obviously do neither, so why bother?
If you are going to throw money at a car, I would much rather go for the wolf in sheep's clothing, standard on the outside but potent underneath. Now that you can have fun with...I enjoy a well-done modified car and I've seen some beautiful ones over the years. My favourite was a black old-style Beetle that had been accessorised with gold chrome and a V-8 engine with twin exhaust pipes. Heavens, it was gorgeous.
What I don't like is that here in the 'States, there is a disturbing trend for the offspring of rich parents to try to get into the mod scene. They have more money than sense amd their idea of modification usually involves a putting a really hideous oversized chrome wing on the back of a 10-year-old Honda Civic and stickers on various parts of the body that read "Type-R" and "Powered by Acura."That's not modding, that's a travesty.I love to 'mod' my car - but I go with 'less is more'. A little bit of effort to remove unsightly badges, better lighting, a slightly racier exhaust note - I love it.
Most car designs get crippled by budgets or marketeers and look like bland corporate billboards, so why not spend some time making your car reflect a bit of your own personality? If people want to go all out then that's cool, it's just unfortunate that the end result of tastless 'me-too-on-a-budget' attempts only result in the carbage we see on this site.Modification is the lifeblood of the car lover, surely? What's better than tinkering with your car in the garage, with a bacon buttie and your favorite tipple?
But, there are two main breeds of 'tinkerer'. The chav brigade with the neon light sabers, head-popping bass and lots of flash (not a bad thing sometimes). And the 'old-boy' types with a Haynes bible at their bedside and WD40 in their Coco-Pops. Tom seems to be a bit of both, like me. I crave the aesthetics of Lambo's, Ferrari's and the like, but not so much for the crazy 'Essex boy' body kits. I want something I can call my own. Like many here, I also like a discreet car that packs a whopper of a punch and find it hard to pigeon-hole myself into one particular stereotype.Modification doesn't always have to be such an event either. Many people get the idea that modding is a big-bucks business, which it isn't. Buying a new gearstick is a great and inexpensive mod, so long as it's your stamp on the car. But getting good performance takes money.Modification is much like Pringles, once you pop you can't stop.This seeems to be a conversation that always comes up when my grandad comes around. I am 17 and enjoy cars a lot. I have a huge amount of respect for mine, always keep it clean and try not to take it out in the rain.
So I'm a young car enthusiast, and you're going to think what sort of tat has he stuck onto his car. Well I haven't. I have built spent hours constructing, perfecting and carpeting my sound system, and it looks ace and sounds immense. Sure, it has added a good 60kg to the weight of my car, but at the end of the day, there is not one like it anywhere. And just for a point, it's also a Ford Fiesta Mk4. But my car is unique. Some wonder why young guys and girls like me do these things to their cars. Well it's simple, we can't afford Audi's or BMW's, not just in the first place, but also on insurance!!!!The cars we buy are low-powered and fall into a low insurance category. So what is wrong with making them stand out a little? That's what modifying is about - doing something someone hasn't done, and doing it well.