If we’re being honest, we’ve reached the point where the “app-ification” of the car is almost complete. Your new daily-driver probably has more processing power than a NASA rover. With a giant touchscreen curated to your mood, and enough sensors to know you’re tired before you even yawn. Cars do more for us now than ever before, and that’s supposed to be great… right?
Yet somehow we’ve computed the soul right out of them…
Modern sports cars are faster, they corner better, and they set blistering lap times. But they feel like they’re missing something. Every few years, we lose another link in the chain that connects drivers to the road. I’d argue that’s exactly why we modify our cars to begin with – to feel more. Commuters are meant to blend in; modified cars are meant to stand out. But lately, I see a major problem: Even the modified cars all look the same. Unless you know exactly what you’re looking for, they blend into traffic. The “sleek sleeper” aesthetic has taken over the culture, and I’ll be real – I don’t like it.
Sleek, Simple, and Dull…
Modified cars today follow a predictable pattern: Some emo/overcast color (or a satin wrap), nice wheels, a slight drop, and an exhaust. Done. I get that there might be more work under the hood than meets the eye. But to the outside world, that’s all they see. To them, you’re just more routine traffic (maybe louder). 90% of the population will walk right by ‘your build’ in a parking lot & notice absolutely nothing. Not even a glance.
Gone are the days of wild paint, graphics, and unapologetic aero…
Maybe it’s just my style, but I absolutely love big aero. As a time-attack driver with Gridlife, the bigger the wing, the more intrigued I am. I know there’s a limit to what you can run on the street, but right now, I’m seeing almost nothing but introverted cars.
I grew up during the glory days of The Fast and the Furious era…
Super Street and Import Tuner magazines were always in my hands. What caught my attention in the late 90s and early 2000s was how colors & graphics would just hit. You’d walk up to a car-meet and see a guy with his trunk popped playing Gran Turismo 2 on a custom screen in the back of a DC2 Integra. People went all out. There was no holding back. Now, everyone follows a cookie-cutter path. Where’s the style? Where’s the courage?
Stop the Copycats…
I’m not saying the entire interstate needs to look like that warehouse scene from 2 Fast 2 Furious… but what if it did? The liveliness of bright colors & underglow meant that every build was unique. Clean has its place… but can we bring personality back? In a world of 36-inch screens, assisted cruise control, and 2 boring pedals, let’s choose different. Even with performance mods, everyone is following the same formula. How many times have we heard, “Just LS-swap it.” There’s a fine line between clean… and dull. And between fast… and predictable.
Be Known for your car…
Take my E36 for example: I say this humbly – but if people know me, they know my car. It’s a convertible E36 318i that I’ve transformed into a Time Attack/Hillclimb machine. It has character. And it has a story (which I definitely need to write about). It’s been a decade-long build that’s required a ton of patience, but it’s finally where I want it. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but if people see it on the track or street, without question, they know it’s me. There’s not another one like it.
Too many people are caught up in the “clean look”… or following the formula.
You want a wild Mustang with a blower sticking out of the hood? Do it. You want to wrap your imported JDM Gloria in a loud/wild color? Whatcha waiting for? We’ve seen too many builds go from wild to mild. If a sleeper is truly what you want – awesome. But let’s stop being afraid to be wild.
How do we revive the sizzle?
Not trying to be rude, but stop following followers. You’re following some dude on Instagram who copied it from another dude on Instagram… who copied it from another-nother dude… who’s just copying some dude in Japan. No wonder the party died & the girls left. The community is hungry for new energy. And maybe that new energy will come naturally if we just go back to authenticity & individuality. Choose the wild color that first grabbed your eye. Do that stuff you’re unsure about. And build the car that truly makes you smile.
