Some cars appear more frequently on YouTube and social media as modified rockets than others. But with skill, can’t you put any engine or any other part into any car?
Actually, if trying to maximize performance, why not build from scratch? Why is “1,800hp GTR” more interesting or common than “1,800hp car built in garage”?
In: Engineering
Certain cars are better for modding:
* Rear-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive
* Stiff chassis
* Light weight
* Reliable
* Sporty-but-underpowered cars
* Good handling or low moment of inertia
* Engines that can withstand higher compression pressures for turbochargers/superchargers/etc
* Transmissions that can tolerate more power
* Engine bays that can hold better engines/transmissions
* Base cars that can be purchased affordably
There’s also an emotional factor:
* Beautiful design
* Cars we grew up coveting
* Cars we drove on Gran Turismo, etc
We tend to emotionally fix on things we like at around the age of 14, so the cars we choose are very much generational.
Thus, people today tend to mod Supras, Miatas, 240SX, 200SX, 300ZX, etc. Before that, it was American muscle cars. Before that, it was hot rods.
Finally, building a car from scratch is hard, so most people start with *something* as a base.
*Edit: Since a few people mentioned it, once a car develops a strong base for aftermarket mods, a feedback loop begins, bringing more modders and more aftermarket parts.*
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