co-friendly cars are the talk of the town for the moment. Everymanufacturer is either producing one or planning to. Toyota is anacknowledged leader in the field with its Prius hybrid as well asothers. Few respected tuners have embraced the green thing so far,unless they are based in Japan where it almost seems the government hasa decree forcing tuners to work on "green" cars as well.How else do you explain the flurry of activity coming fromenviro-friendly garages around the country? This Prius done by TommiKaira is but one of these. It features low front lips, big front airdams shaped like those of an Audi R8, thick rims, wide side skirts anda new rear bumper. The Prius logo is missing, as is the discretionnormally linked to the car. Most striking though are the four tailpipeswhich do not in any way suggest "green". In fact they have the oppositeeffect on the eye.
Cars like the GT-R or the Impreza STI are well-suited for power andbody upgrades. They are expected to pollute the eardrum along with theplanet, and their fans love them for it. Prius and Honda Insight arequite different simply because of the statement they make.
There certainly is a future in eco-tuning (new word for you) but noone is quite sure what it looks like. That's perhaps why cars like thisone could be discarded in current tuning circles. One such tuner is BenSchaffer, owner of Bespoke Ventures. His company is a majorAmerican/international parts distributor and marketer for top Japanesetuning brands (KenStyle, Top Secret). Schaffer's view is that eco isgood yes, but it has no place in the world of powerhouses like the R35GT-R. Moderation is the key instead of jumping on the bandwagon. Hereminds his fellow competitors/colleagues not to lose sight of theircore business and enthusiasm which is sports cars. |
發表於 2009-9-29 04:56 AM
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