Car Tuning - Styles of Modification

Styles of Modification

Modified cars can be significantly different from their stock counterparts. A common factor among owners/modifiers is to emulate the visual and/or performance characteristics of established styles and design principles. Sometimes these similarities are unintentional. Some of the many different styles and visual influences to car modification are:

• Rat style: The characteristics of the rat rod style of hot rod and custom cars, imitating the "unfinished" appearance of some hot rods in the 40s, 50s and 60s.
• Hot rod style largely consists of period specific vehicles, components and finishes to reproduce characteristics of early hot rods from the 1930s and 1940s. This style may also include the associated styles of Street Rods and Custom cars.
• Modern styles include the recently established modification styles such as the Import scene, Lowriders, European(Euro-style), DUB, Cal Look; most of which are largely visually oriented.
• Cultural/media styles: The characteristics specific to cultures, stereotypes and media, such as Boy racers and film specific cars. The Fast and the Furious (film series) provides an often emulated modification style.
• Production car styles, in which the characteristics of current-model and luxury cars, Sports cars, Supercars and Muscle cars are emulated, largely with the intent of improving or updating a vehicles appearance and/or technology to current market preferences.
• Purpose built or racing car styles such as Touring car racing, Rallying, Drifting (motorsport) and Drag racing.
• Sleeper (car): This is where a car owner will put every effort into performance and try to keep the car looking standard, usually in order to not raise suspicion.