Tuning companies and premium

A few days ago I posed a question on Twitter that asked people whether a tuning company can make a premium car more premium or not. This question seemed to bring out quite a few opinions; from those who stood firmly on their feet saying that modifying a car is wrong, full stop, to those who said that Alpina cars are OK and finally to those weren’t sure. 

You can find what people answered below, but with 9FF going bust and others of that ilk losing sales you have to question why. Steve Sutcliffe got it spot on in this blog piece, but I think that part of the problem – especially in 9ff’s and Gumpert’s cases – is that their cars are about as pretty as watching me play football. While some won’t mind an ugly car on their driveway, those who will want to drive their cars every now and again on a public won’t really want to drive the equivalent of Sarah Millican on a bad night out.

I’m now about to contradict what I said above about ugly cars, because Mansory and Khan Design to name just two companies are booming at the moment with people wanting to modify their premium cars. However, these two companies concentrate on the visual aspects of the cars, creating a unique car for the customer instead of meddling with the oily bits. After all, who really wants a 911 with a thousand horsepower when a boggo Carrera is more than quick enough?

Because of this, Khan and the like are able to create exclusive cars that don’t cost three times the price of the standard car, and in this age of everyone wanting to stand out, they’re booming. Sure, some of the cars that they’ve meddled with can look a bit garish, but I’m fairly sure that 8/10 cars that Khan touch aren’t finished in a bright shade of pink. 

Anyway, here’s what a few of you thought. This post also signals the end of the two week editorial campaign. What have I learnt? Well, no two people can agree on what makes a premium car premium in 2013! I must say a huge thank you to those who have participated in my questions and debates, entered my competitions and visited this little blog over the last two weeks. I’ll probably post a piece pontificating about the award later in the week, so stay tuned. 

Andrew Brady: "Yes, it can make it more premium (nicer seats, more tech), but it's not always tasteful".

Martin Plewes: "[They] ruin it, aimed at tasteless "new money" footballers etc. Alpina a far better example of making a premium car even more so".

Owen Davies: "Manufacturer options are fine. Tuner company mods are for the max power brigade, fine if that floats your boat, but not premium".

Tristan Cliffe: "In my limited experience & not-so-humble opinion, a tasteful addon is like a hen’s tooth. Exceedingly rare. Mostly naff bling".