Jethro Bovingdon

THE MODIFIED CAR SCENE. Is there a phrase more likely to make the blood of an enthusiast run cold? It conjures up images of 1.1-litre engines spitting into four-inch diameter exhaust systems, rock-hard suspension and three-spoke alloys.

And worst of all... the smell of Magic Tree and weed intermingling to create a stench so foul that you’d gladly stick your head into a bin overflowing with McDonald’s wrappers just to make it go away.

Of course, the ‘glory days’ of the modding scene are long gone. Auto Salon is dead, new drivers face ever-growing insurance costs and cars, we’re told, aren’t that cool. I don’t buy it. Kids still get a kick out of seeing fast, noisy, exciting cars. If only they could afford one. Even a slow, quiet, boring one would do.

You know what? I wouldn’t even mind if they ended up fitting neons, subs and so on. Today’s modder is tomorrow’s enthusiast.