CAR CUSTOMISING 2

A quick question to set your grey matter to work. Is it a conceit to think that we can improve on the best that some of the world's most prestigious car companies can create? After all, they've ploughed millions of dollars of research and development into a given model , honed it through thousands of miles of testing and have employed the greatest designers, passed the results through customer clinics and focus groups and finally delivered it to your door on the back of a massive promotional budget. Yet the market for personalising cars continues to grow and not only at the Saxo and Civic end. Modifications for prestige sports models are enormously popular.

Naturally, the stakes are a little higher than if you're just messing about with a £1,500 motor but if you follow some broadly laid out rules, there's no reason why aftermarket modifications shouldn't boost the appeal of your car. The market is extremely wide, ranging from personalised number plates for prestige saloons right across to full 'Fast and Furious' conversions for Japanese evo cars.

If you subscribe to the view that excess went out in the eighties, there are still a few modifications you can consider. A personalised plate gives a distinctive look, as long as you don't attempt anything a little too cute. First names are definitely a little showy but initials work well and are usually that bit more affordable. The rich pickings once available to plate speculators have now largely dried up and DVLA have fully cottoned on to the worth of their newly issued plates.

For prestige saloon cars, a private plate and possibly an alloy wheel upgrade will be the extent of most modifications. Mesh grille replacements have proved popular with Jaguar owners looking to replicate the sports appeal of the 'R' supercharged models. The nineties enthusiasm for dechrom...