Anyone miss the mad mods from the 1990s?

[SonicHedgeHog]

Stumbled upon an article from Max Power about a Dimma Clio 16V from the early 90s. Took me right back. I really, really, really wanted one of those but couldn't afford the 5 grand for a fully fitted and repainted kit. I made do with a stereo from Halfords in the end. But it got me thinking. Cars these days are quite sterile. Yes, you can have a dealer fit computer with more computing power than, well, something with lots of computing power, but it just isn't as much fun as a hot hatch with a separate tape, MD, CD, DSP/equaliser and CD multichanger piled on top of one another in the centre console. The same goes for the exterior. Where are all the wings and spoilers and enormous wheel arches? Anyone else miss this golden era?

[SonicHedgeHog]

Philistines, the lot of you!

[SonicHedgeHog]

4key said:

I would love one that had as much go as it did show, unfortunately they are few and far between. I drooled over the red one on ebay for hours a couple of months ago.

Ah, look at that beauty. How often do you see split rims these days? Shoehorn in a 306GTI lump and some webber carbs and you're close to perfection. Or perhaps a Turbo Technics' turbo conversion with tons of turbo lag? Back to the classifieds I go...

[SonicHedgeHog]

I agree. I remember reading about that car in Max Power. It's the kind of project I'd love to do if I had the talent and patience to finish it. And the cash. Lots of cash.

[SonicHedgeHog]

Those Courtney Turbo Novas were brilliant, especially with those wheels. They were THE wheels to have on a Nova.

Does anyone remember the issue with a bright blue MK3 Astra on the cover? The Mk3 was pretty new at the time and it was the first Courtney featured with a power switch that changed the power from, I think, 250 to 300. How exciting was that? You didn't have to delve into a BMW i-Drive system and scroll through menus to get the extra power. All you had to do was wait for an challenger to race up to your rear bumper, flick the switch and watch him disappear in your rear view mirror. Fantastic.

And while I'm gushing, how much did I want the Alpine single din DSP/graphic equaliser. There was a Dimma 205 with one of those alongside the latest Alpine stereo and it looked fantastic. All those lights and buttons made the interior look so special. You can't do that with today's integrated dashboards.

Back to the classifieds. Again.

[SonicHedgeHog]

DeolTheBeast said:

Why do I like this?

Because its different and actually good looking. How much more exciting is that than the Toyota GT86 or Nissan 370Z?

[SonicHedgeHog]

DJRC said:

When has st cars ever been worth talking about? Ooo my 1ltr Nova has a bigger spoiler than yours!

Wow, you still have a 1ltr Nova. Its still st. No amount of modding short of Vauxhall's Works Rally Nova they prepped for a young Mac Attack, will, would or could ever make a Nova cool or kewl in any way, shape or form.

Your definition of st is someone else's definition of an exciting first car. It was freedom and an opportunity to express yourself. Simply changing he stereo gave the cabin a huge feel good factor. Then maybe some nice seats and new alloys and a decent steering wheel and you had something special for the kind of money you could earn stacking shelves at the weekend.

In fact, when I think about it, the thought of sourcing a something modest from the classifieds and having a bit of fun with it is miles more appealing than spending a fortune on the kind of boring German efficency-mobile some people on this site rave about.

[SonicHedgeHog]

aka_kerrly said:

As a teenager in the 90s I read my fair share of Max Power magazines, I had big plans for what I wanted from my first car. I knew which wheels i would fit, which seats, I'd even bought a cassette head unit with 10 disc CD changer, a set of 6x9s, some Hella spot lights and a few other bits before I even had a car.

Exactly. Even if you couldn't afford to do all the things you wanted to you still had the excitement of plotting and scheming. And then you'd see something really original like putting the rear spoiler from a Mondeo estate on a Fiesta RS Turbo. Cheap as chips to do and it doesn't sound like much as I write it, but it looked terrific. And then you realise the alloys from the Mondeo would fit as well and they were 16s and really filled the arches. Today the spoiler would be carbon fibre and the alloys 20 inchers and and the bill would be enormous.

I think I might be talking myself into something here.

[SonicHedgeHog]

630bhp said:

I think you might be talking bks

With respect, I wouldn't expect someone with a Nissan GTR and a V8 Toyota Landcruiser to understand. Having said that you've modified your GTR so maybe there is some hope? How excited were you about your Litchfield upgrade? For someone on a much lower budget it is possible to replicate that excitement with a regular hatchback and some inexpensive mods. Just because it doesn't have 630bhp doesn't mean it isn't great fun and that is something a lot of people on this forum would benefit from understanding. You don't need a Porsche or M badge to have fun with your car.

[SonicHedgeHog]

Venoms were a real leap forward for TSW. They are so much more exciting than all the other wheels in the range and they worked really well on a lot of cars. You need big brakes to make the look really work, but they make a real statement. Thinking about it they probably worked as well on VWs as they did on anything because the conservative body style contrasted nicely with the exciting wheels.

[SonicHedgeHog]

DJRC said:

Oh. Sorry, it was about "car culture" was it? Explains a lot.

A golden age ffs.

You can scoff if you like, but the ratio of positive to negative replies on this thread suggests you're wrong. No one is trying to say that these cars were the last word in engineering. Heck, we haven't even had one of the Pistonheads sheep tell us we could have bought a used Porsche Boxster for the same money as a modified hot hatch which shows there is a different purpose to these cars. Yes, it was about the social side of cars, but also a chance to be individual. Most of us didn't have the kind of car that could make it onto the cover of Max Power. But we could look at the cover cars, take inspiration from them and create a new variation of a theme. In today's world where cars are designed by marketing men and Eurocrats this individuality is needed more than ever. It's just unfortunate that the complexity of today's Max-able cars makes modifications more complicated and more expensive. Despite that I'm still enjoying planning a little project of my own.

[SonicHedgeHog]

DJRC said:

This is the breakdown. The supporters on here are about the social and cultural side. Those of us laughing at you care about actual cars. And they were and are POS.

I disagree. Yes, there were some horrors, but most people didn't make their cars that extreme. Most people had a warm hatchback with some nice wheels, a good stereo with a fun headunit and an exhaust/air filter combo. That was inexpensive fun and the cars looked good and made the owner feel good. And they were all different. If you had the cash you could venture into the world of bodykits, resprays and engine upgrades, but these were a 'nice to have' and not a necessity.

Now compare that to what's around at the moment. Every new BMW/Audi/Merc/Porsche looks exactly the same as the model it replaces, costs more money and is loaded with technology you're not even aware of until it goes wrong and costs a fortune to repair. All the hot hatches are now enormous, knocking on 30 grand and have the 'same' yawn-tastic 2.0 litre eco-turbo engine. There is nothing interesting out there any more.