Every generation of drivers has its own car customisation influences, and it does not take long before a driver wants to give their car a personal touch and see what they can do to make it look, feel and drive the way they want.
Whilst there are some fantastic examples of this, such as wrapping, decals and small modifications, there are also quite a few trends that have been lifted from pillars of car culture without thinking about why they are usually fitted to exotic supercars and not second-hand hatchbacks.
Scissor Doors
In 1974, Lamborghini released the Countach, one of the most beautiful and wildly impractical cars ever made. Amongst its many party pieces, however, was its scissor doors, which opened up rather than out.
They looked beautiful on a space-age car that was mostly enjoyed in poster form. On a saloon car, however, they are heavy and largely impractical, mostly getting in the way of trying to get in and out of it.
This is made much worse in parking bays with low roofs or if you manage to roll it.
Fake Performance Bodywork
In 2001, a perfectly serviceable version of Point Break that replaced surfing with street racing and Patrick Swayze with Vin Diesel was released and inspired several generations of car modifications afterwards.
This is why fake air intakes, spoilers that push down the rear wheels of front-wheel drive cars and so many other ludicrous add-ons became incredibly popular, and every suburban street at night stood to attention at the sound of a Citroen Saxo with a loud exhaust fitted.
It also popularised under-car lights and tinted windows, so it was not like everything the series did was bad. In a way, that made it just like family.
Spinning Rims
In 2004, inspired in no small part by The Fast and The Furious, Pimp My Ride first aired, and whilst initially about renovating cars much like the trend of home improvement shows, it quickly escalated to the parade of good taste we know and love today.
One of their favourite additions, however, and one that became a standard part of any modded car was spinning wheel rims, which at best merely looked ridiculous and at worst made the car unsafe by causing a distraction.
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