I actually saw a man riding a ‘crotch-rocket’ motorcycle that had the exterior upholstered in some neon-pink fuzz, like the hair of one of those troll dolls. Unfortunately the light turned green before I could get my camera phone ready, as my friends think I embellished how tacky it was.
For a factory installed worthless item, I saw an early 80s I think Camaro that had some kind of personal organizer thingie above the rearview mirror, if I remember right. This was a series of ratcheting plastic wheels that you could set to certain dates to remind you to do things I guess. (like trade it in) It was not powered, had no alarms, and was something that Fisher-Price would have been ashamed of making to keep toddlers busy.
Back in the early 1950s, you could get a minature traffic signal light that mounted in the rear window. If you put on the brakes, the red light glowed, if you were coasting, the amber light glowed and if you were accelerating, the green light glowed. However, if you were revving up the engine at a stop light and didn’t have your foot on the brake,the green light was on. I haven’t seen one of these for years.
Also, I remember in the late 1940s watching cars go past our house and some cars had lights under the car. This apparently was a stock item from the factory. I have not been able to find out anything more about this as to why it was there or what purpose it served. Does anyone remember this?
Well, there are certainly a lot of useless, non-sensical aftermarket accessories out there, but IMHO, the stupidest one I have seen is the “chrome gas-filler door”.
One time I saw one of those that looked all wrinkly, so I got closer. Guy had faked his chrome door with tin foil. I wonder how many times he had to re-apply his “chrome” before he got tired of it and quit.
No one metioned the wipers with 2 blades on each arm. What a waste.
As already mentioned anybody who have these needs to be dope slapped!
erection set wings on the deck lid
. vibrating fenders from $1500 stereos in a $500 car
We were looking to order an 86 park Avenue so the dealer gave us his wife car (rest in peace). It was a torquois Coker with a white fake convertible top. It was really terrible looking but when we talked to her later she said she really liked that car. We ordered red and no convertible too.
The worst I ever saw was in Minneapolis south side. Big caddy or Buick or something but it was covered in green velvet fur. If you ever did one of those model dogs where you would blow the fur on, that’s what was. Must have been expensive but I’m sure I,pressed the girls.
I marvel at all the “aggressive” Jeeps I see around here that have clearly never seen a drop of mud. This past weekend, I saw a Jeep Gladiator with some red towhooks on the front. The lower part of the towhook has what I can only call protective rubber “bumpers”, I assume to “protect” the towhook from getting scratched. Assuming it ever will be actually used.
I also saw a Jeep with a lift-kit and huge mudder wheels/tires. It was painted gray, with teal/green towhooks…and a matching Yeti ice chest prominently mounted on the back, same color as the tow hooks. The Jeep was otherwise perfectly clean.
And don’t get me started on the trucks/SUVs with “snorkels” installed, that clearly have never been anywhere near covered in water.
I’ll never understand why people spend so much money for functionality they never use, to impress people they don’t know.
You can add me to the list of people who don’t fully understand those behaviors.
A friend of mine used to grouse about co-workers who drove pickup trucks, even though they wouldn’t even allow sacks of mulch (or anything else, apparently) to sully their pickup box. He learned this when they wouldn’t even allow him to place his duffel bag in the cargo box of their truck.
When I was enrolled in my graduate-level Psych courses, one of the foundational Psychologists who we studied was Alfred Adler. One of the precepts of Adlerian theory is that, as adults, we are constantly seeking a feeling of superiority, in order to overcome a perceived feeling of insecurity. If we apply Adlerian theory to your observations, I think it is inescapable to conclude that those people are seeking a feeling of superiority, even though they are doing it through means that are largely ineffective.
But, in the process, they likely do impress some other people.
I’d agree that drives some behavior. “Superiority” comes in many forms and is perceived differently depending on your peer group. This is not the only reason people modify their cars since some of those mods cannot be seen. The Prius or Tesla driver that wears their “green” on their sleeve. The Versa or Mirage driver that presents frugality as their virtue. The BMW or Mercedes owner that presents their taste in technology and financial status. The Corvette or Harley Davison owner that likes owning them but never drives/rides the vehicle.
Accessories that customize a car simply reinforce the image you wish to project, like the clothes you wear. Fancy wheels on a Camry or minivan, custom exhaust on a Civic or a wing on an Accord.
Not everyone agrees with what each group presents, whether for a feeling of superiority, inclusion into a specific peer group or just the desire not to conform.
I like Cars and Coffee events because it brings a number of these groups together to show off their cars. The Bro-Dozer truckies, the Jeepers, the Ricers, the Musclecar folks, Rat Rods, Lowriders, the non-conforming oddities and others. The events are pretty organic since they have no theme, no judging and no trophys. I like the oddities!
A great example of this is the Concours de Lemons. A gathering of crap cars of all types. It was a spin-off of the 24 Hours of LeMons racing series. I visited one early in March at the Amelia Concours. It was a hoot!
You might get a hint as to the “vibe” of the show with these two entries…
Having spent 3.5 decades on the faculty of a high school, one of the most interesting phenomena to observe was the desire to show one’s rebellion/non-conformance by adopting a specific type/color of hair style, or style of clothing, or even somewhat strange speech patterns. All of the non-conformists quickly adopted the same traits as their non-conformist friends, with the result that they conformed with each other.
But then with their $60K truck with a Tonneau Cover in place, will pull a cute little 4’ trailer with something in it that would fit in the trunk of a car…
ways thought this was nuts, thanks to previous posters.
