There are a number of stance-based crews like the Republic of the 92ers and CapeStance that have asserted their presence on the local scene.

Change of scenery

Back in the day a simple drop in suspension or fitting a bigger set of wheels was considered the best of the best. Now though, you have people forking out their hard-earned cash on things like air suspension and coilover kits that has given rise to the ‘stance nation’.

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Whereas older second-hand cars were first used as ‘guinea pigs’ to test these sort of modifications on, more and more people are doing so with much newer examples like BMW E92 M3’s and Nissan GTR’s.

It’s just a fact that the lower the car, the cooler it looks. The only downside of fitting a coilover kit is having to sometimes remove all four wheels to lower the car evenly. With air suspension however, it can be done with the flick of a switch.

RIP stickerbomb

One trend that has (thankfully) rubbed off is the placement of ‘sticker bombs’. This involved placing random stickers over section on the car but buying individual stickers became a bit pricey and so it could be purchased as bulk in a roll. Everything from fenders, petrol caps and even entire car body’s were covered in the sticker decal.

If you take everything into consideration, going the stanced route is much cheaper than performance tuning. A set of beefier wheels and a drop in suspension is pretty much it – unless of course you’d like a different setup altogether.

For now, air suspension setups and a wider wheel seems to be the way to go but as like TikTok videos, its only a matter of time when something else becomes the next best thing.

A car can end up costing you a lot of money with tuning and modifications but when done properly, it can be the most rewarding feeling. If you’re interested in ‘bagging’ your pride and joy, CapeStance or Qbeams is the guys you should contact.

Ford’s ‘Whisper Strategy’ delivers lots of small noise improvements around the vehicle that add up to a big difference, helping make journeys more comfortable and less tiring for drivers and passengers.

The sound of silence

For the new Kuga, Ford examined noise‑generating elements from the suspension to the door seals to help find ways to optimise interior refinement.

Adding perforations to Kuga Vignale leather seat bolsters reduced the total area of flat surfaces inside the cabin, helping absorb rather than reflect noise.

Aerodynamically-tuned sound shields are added underneath the body of the vehicle that help limit road and wind noise entering from outside.

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Ford engineers spent two years testing more than 70 different tyres over surfaces from smooth Tarmac to rough concrete and cobbles, in wet and dry conditions and at a range of speeds to find the exact specification that kept road noise to a minimum while still delivering high levels of comfort and grip.

Channels behind the exterior panels that allow hidden wiring and components to pass from one area to another are smaller and narrower to limit airflow inside the body.

Refined quality

The ability to drive without a petrol or diesel engine enables quieter journeys. The plug-In Hybrid combines a petrol engine, electric motor and generator, and 14.4 kWh lithium-ion battery for zero-emission pure-electric driving capability.

Using the EV Now selectable drive mode switches off the petrol engine and powers the vehicle using battery and electric motor alone, achieving interior road noise levels of just 52 dB(A) in controlled tests – equivalent to gentle rainfall.

It also features Active Noise Cancellation technology. The system works just like popular noise-cancelling headphones – detecting unwanted low-frequency cabin sounds through strategically-placed microphones and counteracting them with an opposing soundwave from the B&O Sound System.

Telling sounds

A test carried out by Ford showed that occupants in the Kuga, experience interior noise levels that are just one quarter of those experienced by their grandparents in a 1966 Ford Anglia.

Below is comparative test, conducted in 3rd gear at a speed of 50km/h:

While that paints a grim picture, the Frankenstein in question here is something else entirely – although it still involves using parts but not of those off living people.

Creating a different ‘monster’

In an automotive sense, a Frankenstein conversion involves swapping OEM parts of a particular brand and using it on another model in the range for added performance gains. The most common components ‘experimented’ with is the cylinder head or sub assembly but this can also include suspension, braking or even aesthetic parts.

Frankenstein mods are bolt-on bits and does not require additional custom work.

Honda’s B-series range of engines could well be credited with the word Frankenstein as B16, B18 and B20 parts from the likes of the Integra and Civic are mostly interchangeable with one another. While this conversion does not increase power exponentially, it leaves much more room for tuning.

Has to be compatible

Maybe something like the fuel rail or injectors of one particular model is better suited to another to provide better fueling to make more power.

This type of modification is better suited to older performance cars where most models were built around the same mechanical blueprint. Cars these days are too intricate and purpose-built that would render such an action null and void.

It is imperative to do as much research on a particular engine and mechanical parts as possible. The last thing you want to do is buy the parts and find out that they aren’t entirely compatible.

This particular drag race conducted by Carwow is a bit different from the usual. There are no McLaren’s, Ferrari’s or Lamborghini’s on show here, instead in its place are heavy-duty transportation vans ready to duke it out in straight line.

A Van race

The likes of Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen pit their people carriers against one another. The race is first done from stationary, rolling and third gear situations to even out the playing field somewhat.

This video is something different to the norm but it wouldn’t be wise to put your money on any model right off the bat.

Who do you think comes out tops? Watch the video and find out:

Petrolheads love going fast no matter what car it is and performance tuning is a big part of car cultures around the world, especially locally.

Electric tuning

With electric vehicles slowly making its presence felt across the world, the need for tuning goes out the window. This is because EV’s are already fast.

Most will be powered by two electric units placed on the front and rear axle to provide the necessary speed. One of these units can make up to 300kW, which is already faster than most performance cars. Combine the other unit and you have supercar performance.

With that said, it makes absolutely no sense to make an already fast car even faster, but just how would you do it to an EV? Since battery-powered cars don’t use fuel or air to make energy, things like turbochargers and naturally aspirated tuning are made redundant. Electric tuning will have to be done by means of increasing or adjusting voltage, ampere or even battery size limits.

Not beneficial

Electric cars are designed to be highly efficient with a set configuration from the manufacturer. You’d either have to be an engineer that helped built the engine or really have no doubt that you know what you’re doing to even consider making adjustments.

The likes of the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model 3 are examples of already fast EV’s that need no extra work. Combustion engines are a different kettle of fish entirely and give a large amount of leeway for custom or aftermarket tinkering.

With all variables and factors considered, trying to tune an electric car is not required. You’d end up spending more money and you really would’t feel the enjoyment as much as you would in a normal performance car where gains are immediately noticeable. The car was made in a specific way and playing around with its blueprint will end up to your detriment.

A larger than life-sized Furby could be yours, with a driveable replica now being advertised on Auto Trader, the UK’s largest digital marketplace for new and used cars.

A real head turner

This particular Volkswagen Beetle has been decked out in full fur both inside and out, with huge furry ears on the roof and even comes with a giant wind up key at the back, which spins at the push of a button.

Despite all the ‘fur’, no animals have been harmed in the pimping up of this car, with signs on the windows saying so.

The seller has described the car as a real ‘head turner…that gets attention wherever she goes…and is guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s faces’. 

The two-door, 1.6-litre engine hatchback is being sold as a road-worthy car, with the seller confirming she took it on a 100-mile round trip recently with no problems. 

Whilst retailers’ forecourts are currently closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, car buyers are still able to get in touch with many over phone or email to talk through potential sales that can take place once the UK Government has lifted restrictions. 

“Furbies were a classic 90s toy, which took up everyone’s time with feeding, burping, playing and generally making sure they didn’t turn into little monsters,” says Auto Trader’s Rory Reid.

“Thankfully with this driveable replica, you get all the good stuff without the hassle, and will no doubt prove very popular driving around your local area with this head turner.

“Whilst the car can’t be bought during the lockdown, you can still get in touch with the seller via email or phone to find out more about this pimped up Beetle in the meantime,” Reid added.

View the original advert here

This has got nothing to do with music but everything to do with one of Toyota’s most underrated vehicles at the time – the Starlet.

We are currently in an era where sub 1.4-litre turbocharged engines are the norm but in actual fact, Toyota experimented with the recipe long before it became a ‘thing’ for manufacturers.

Dynamite and small packages

One could call the 80’s and 90’s the nostalgic period for performance cars with manufacturers bringing their A-game to compete with the best in class at the time. But back in Aichi, Japan something special was being put together.

The Starlet made its debut in 1973 with two generations of naturally aspirated offerings but it was in the mid 80’s where things changed. One could say for the better.

Earlier models were driven by the rear wheels but that setup was ditched in favour of the more practical front-wheel-drive approach. The small displacement 1.3-litre was retained but this time it was boost-assisted. Put around 80kW in a car weighing well under 800kg, the performance potential was there.

Massive potential

No one at the time dared fettle with small displacement engines, let alone turbocharge it. Toyota stuck with their guns in the fourth and fifth generation, this time its turbo 2E engine received a significant increase in power, as much as 103kW, still weighing next to nothing. Nissan SR18DE and SR20DE engines of the time produced around the same power with 700cc more.

Fast-forward to now and you have Polo GTI’s and Mercedes-Benz CLA’s using small displacement turbo engines to not only make power but be as fuel efficient as possible. The Starlet is not directly responsible for engines getting smaller and faster but it definitely left a blueprint that has duly been followed.

Yes Volkswagen can also brag that they first attempted fitting a turbo to a smaller engine with the 1.8-litre in the MK4 Golf GTI but Toyota attempted it first and it worked.

The Starlet might be somewhat forgotten but it changed the landscape on which most manufacturers now build their bread and butter models on.

One of those movies is the Fast and the Furious franchise. Each of the eight movies released to date has seen mind-blowing yet unrealistic action scenes and one of those includes when Paul Walker’s character activates Nitrous Oxide.

Not like the movies

Once the steering wheel-mounted button is pressed, it apparently gives the driver an almost unreal boost of speed with everything else being blurred out. No folks, that is not what actually goes down when you press the ‘fun button’.

Back in 2001 not many people knew about NOS and the movie gave people the perception of how it is – myself included. But as you come of age and start getting your hands dirty, all is not what it seemed when you were an eager petrolhead back then.

More to the point, the activation of NOS in a real car is silent on the ear but you feel the instant increase in speed from the driver’s seat. Depending on the type of system – dry, wet and direct – a power increase of more than 300kW can be obtained.

Having been behind the wheel and passenger in a car fitted with NOS, the first thing you feel is the speed and revs rise as if something is pushing you from behind. While it is adviseable to use higher up in the rev range, most racers use it to launch off the line – anyone remember Willie Nel at Killarney?

NOS is also referred to as a ‘sleeper mod’ because you can’t see or hear it but can leave opponent some way behind in a drag race. It does not come cheaper either and can cost upwards of R5000 for a basic system.

So before you think you’ll get that feeling of things blurring out and being sucked into space, no it is not at all what the movie portrays.