The world of car modified-past, present and future &

The world of cars changed-a brief history

Track the rise of the British modified car and cruise scene associated with its roots has always been the source of many debates. Many would point back to original vintage car rallies and vintage ' 50s and ' 60s. Others refer to the legendary Ace Cafe London to Brighton cruise, an event synonymous with classic bikers. The scene of the infamous hot rod also argues a strong case, actually many people derive from changes. It all depends on how you want to go back in time, perhaps until the point where you hold the fondest memories. All of course have their point of view.

Most of us would agree that the birth of world auto changed as we know it today truly began in the early 1980s. Iconic car launches including MK1 Golf GTi, Escort RS Turbo, Renault 5 GT Turbo and Peugeot 205 GTi created a market of dedicated followers with a passion for performance cars that would last a lifetime.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, these cars were joined by a new raft of Japanese imports, fuelling demand and raising the profile of the scene even more. Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru sold the Civic, Supra, Skyline and Impreza in huge volumes, in many ways to repair some of the damage caused by years of lacklustre models and poor reliability. European producers responded to the influx of Japanese with a wave of iconic Motors including the BMW E36 M3, the Peugeot 306 GTi-6, Renault Clio Williams, the Vauxhall Calibra Turbo and Volkswagen Corrado VR6. Thousands of former petrol heads looks back to this era with affection, and good examples of such models still attract high prices.

' Boy Racer ' culture

At the turn of the century, the scene was changing once again. Modified car was always the wildest, budgets were becoming more flamboyant and the target market was getting younger. ' Chav ' culture had well and truly invigorate resumed, the rise of the ' boy racer '. The scene was awash with negative publicity, police intervention and repressions of the cruise, but despite this, the modified car business was at its peak. Industry-leading magazines such as Max Power, Fast Car reports record sales, and body shops and centres of optimization had not had never had it so good. After the release of cult film, The Fast And The Furious and console games like Need For Speed, as dusk fell in every big city, cruisers could be seen prowling the streets in increasing numbers.

Ironically, due to the dramatic increase in fuel and insurance costs, or maybe because of changed car fans were increasingly young, engine sizes were actually getting smaller. Despite the fact that many fans were still powerful engines driving as the Saxo VTS or Leon Cupra R Race cars, such as C, Fiesta Zetec and Polo MK4 were becoming immensely popular.

Challenging times

This trend brought with it a massive shift in consumer spending. While the market style has never been so profitable, the tuning was almost grinding to a halt. Fans of elders who could afford the cost of insurance and execution of high-performance tuned cars grew older and settle down. Cosworth were exchanged for Mondeos, modified and thousands of cars were demolished or dismantled for parts.

It is difficult to say exactly when it happened, but to make matters worse, by 2002 the market was flooded with cheaply made bolt-on parts. The change in spending from tuning styling parts meant that the question now were less complex to manufacture. As a result, hundreds of businesses in the United Kingdom has started to import directly from factories in China. Everyone was copying someone else's products and with more and more consumers purchase goods from eBay, quality and price became King.

If anything the industry has experienced a ' dark ', this was certainly. Droves of retailers closed its doors and British products manufacturers cut their budgets to product development or even went out of business. Never was this more poignant in 2006, when the exhaust performance of the United Kingdom's largest Magnex ceased trading. The modified car scene, this was the equivalent of losing Woolworths by British high street, and although the brand is fortunately now under new ownership, proves how difficult a time the industry had suffered.

The road to recovery

At the time of writing, the modified car scene is still in troubled waters, but despite being in the midst of a global recession, we're starting to see positive signs of recovery. We are also seeing more changes in buying habits. While the market is still very geared to hairstyle, demand for high quality pieces is growing. Despite the fact that pre-modified cars like running VXR, Civic Type-R Focus ST are growing in popularity and decreasing the need for changes, sales of aftermarket parts premium styling by quality manufacturers like Lumma, Team Dynamics and Momo are increasing.

Product development is back in full swing, and it is interesting to note that many parties are now developed for brand new models such as the Suzuki Swift, the new Corsa D and surprisingly, for luxury models, including the BMW M6 and Porsche Cayenne. This can be in response to the previous credit boom that has granted mass access to newer cars more expensive, or even due to the credit crunch, with owners, choosing to change their cars as an alternative to replacing them.

So what now?

Whatever the reason, the market is changing. Styling parts are becoming thinner and are manufactured according to a higher standard. European models, especially German, I returned to favour and catching sales show slight tuning parts such as components of braking and suspension. Customers now are getting a better deal, not sacrificing quality while shortening the supply chain. The industry is getting leaner, meaner and is growing in confidence, and that is definitely a good thing.

I think the modified car scene is getting ready for another revolution. Quite where we will end it remains to be seen, but it is fair to say there are some interesting times ahead, and that the world of custom cars is still alive and really well.

Written by former staff member of Max Power Magazine 1999-2006
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