Project ideas - modifying an uncool car without going Barry
Discussion
Right, I'm new here but I've known about Pistonheads for ages. I'm not new to modifying cars having owned around 20 or so in my life (I'm 38) and most of them modified to a greater or lesser extent.
Anyway, I've had a bit of an argument with a work colleague about typical Barry Boy cars and how the modifications often make the car look horrendous. Picking up Fast Car and looking at the cover I can see that things have improved in recent years but there are still plenty of bad modifications out there.
Anyway, the upshot of all this is that I've bet that I can turn any car into something which looks pretty cool, no matter what it is. I'm so convinced that I will be using it as my daily driver. I therefore have some criteria but the main one is that the starting material must be uncool. The more horrendous the better. Criteria as follows:
1. Must be cheap - need to complete the project for less than £1000.
2. Must be reasonably economical (daily driver you see). I may go LPG and fit a bigger engine / turbo it at some stage.
3. Must be reliable so nothing too old.
And that's it. Suggestions gratefully received. Thus far I'm thinking about a Suzuki Wagon R, Perodua Kelisa or Kenari, or perhaps a Proton Persona.
Anyway, I've had a bit of an argument with a work colleague about typical Barry Boy cars and how the modifications often make the car look horrendous. Picking up Fast Car and looking at the cover I can see that things have improved in recent years but there are still plenty of bad modifications out there.
Anyway, the upshot of all this is that I've bet that I can turn any car into something which looks pretty cool, no matter what it is. I'm so convinced that I will be using it as my daily driver. I therefore have some criteria but the main one is that the starting material must be uncool. The more horrendous the better. Criteria as follows:
1. Must be cheap - need to complete the project for less than £1000.
2. Must be reasonably economical (daily driver you see). I may go LPG and fit a bigger engine / turbo it at some stage.
3. Must be reliable so nothing too old.
And that's it. Suggestions gratefully received. Thus far I'm thinking about a Suzuki Wagon R, Perodua Kelisa or Kenari, or perhaps a Proton Persona.
Hyundai Accent is a good call. Preferably in Yellow. They actually scrub up well with a small boot spoiler and some decent rims.
Something 'boxy' like a Perodua or something is a no go. you need something that has some sort of aesthetic redeeming feature, even if it is that it looks vaguely like a small Mk5 Escort (accent).
Something 'boxy' like a Perodua or something is a no go. you need something that has some sort of aesthetic redeeming feature, even if it is that it looks vaguely like a small Mk5 Escort (accent).
Guys, you're missing the point. Easy to modify is not what I'm after. It's got to be an ugly car which doesn't normally enter the head of a modifier. Whilst the guy could choose, he's not that into cars and I want to pick a car that he would instantly agree is very difficult to make look cool. Think of things like Lada Samaras, but not one of those as they're rare and unreliable.
Flamin eck said:
Guys, you're missing the point. Easy to modify is not what I'm after. It's got to be an ugly car which doesn't normally enter the head of a modifier. Whilst the guy could choose, he's not that into cars and I want to pick a car that he would instantly agree is very difficult to make look cool. Think of things like Lada Samaras, but not one of those as they're rare and unreliable.
See my post above. A Volvo 340 isn't the most attractive of cars, but with a little fettling, can look pretty cool.
Flamin eck said:
Guys, you're missing the point. Easy to modify is not what I'm after. It's got to be an ugly car which doesn't normally enter the head of a modifier. Whilst the guy could choose, he's not that into cars and I want to pick a car that he would instantly agree is very difficult to make look cool. Think of things like Lada Samaras, but not one of those as they're rare and unreliable.
Dare I say it, because I quite like them, the Rover 75.ETA: If uprated with ZT suspension, the 75 will handle very well (apparently). IMO this would make an ideal "surprise" car. Nobody expects these things to be driven quickly. I'm unsure how easy it is to uprate the 2.5 V6 to 190bhp as found in the ZT 190, but I'm guessing it's possible.
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 17th June 18:03
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