Car mods – cool or not? Well, it depends on the car. Car enthusiasts have been modifying their vehicles forever and while some do it in good taste, there are those who completely ruin their cars by adding crazy and unnecessary features. However, there are some cars that actually look better with mods and some that look better clean. Today, we are going to take a look at 10 cars that are very moddable and 10 that are just not worth the effort.
If you think that car mods are only for the true car enthusiast and/or road freaks - you are wrong. There are plenty of cool mods that can enhance both the performance and the looks of a vehicle. For example, new spark plugs, aftermarket exhaust systems, upgraded brake pads, strut bars, superchargers or turbochargers, new tires etc. can do wonders if you have the right car for it. The same goes for some cool features that simply look good when used right including headlamp covers, custom wraps, pinstriping, aftermarket steering wheels, shifter mods etc.
All mods can be both good and bad depending on the car and on how you use them. So let’s take a look at some cars that look cool when customized and some that should just be left as they are.
20 Better With Mods: Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
From cool wraps to performance enhancing and tuning, Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is a great car for those of you who like to add some unique touch to their vehicles. The Challenger has been around for quite some time and we’ve had a chance to see so many modded versions of this car it’s hard to tell which way to go is the best with so many options.
Adding racing stripes and bright colors to it have been some of the most popular choices over the years.
Car Buzz states, "The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is fitted with a supercar-baiting 707hp 6.2-liter supercharged engine and offers class-leading levels of acceleration and unmatched tire-melting ability."
19 Better Clean: Equus Bass 770
Equus Bass 770 is a handcrafted American car and one of the most expensive muscle cars to be currently sold. It has that classic ‘70s muscle car look with the cool vintage interior and retro-spec gauges. It just seems that there was too much thought put into this car to try and modify it in any way. The car looks awesome clean with its classy design, nice lines, and great performance so adding more unnecessary stuff seems like a waste of time and money. Top Speed reports, "The body is made from superformed aluminum and is lined with carbon fiber for a low weight but extreme strength."
18 Better With Mods: Buick GNX
Buick GNX is so popular among modders that finding a clean, never-modified 1986/87 model is almost impossible these days. However, if you do manage to find one that hasn’t been tampered with much, adding the latest technology and higher quality components will be a true joy to do.
Apart from all the tuning and performance enhancing, you can also add some cool elements to the car’s body to make it look more modern while also maintaining that nice vintage look that makes this car special.
Road and Track states, "Officially, Buick claims a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 sec for the GNX versus their Grand National number of 6.9. Through the quarter mile, the GNX clocks 13.4 sec to 104.0 mph against 15.7 at 97.5."
17 Better Clean: Chevrolet Camaro SS
While the older Camaro models have been pretty popular among tuners and modders, the brand new Chevrolet Camaro SS seems like a car that should not be tampered with. At least not yet. With all the newest technologies and the beautiful new design, adding even more stuff to this gorgeous vehicle seems completely unnecessary because there really isn’t much room left for improvement in the first place. Maybe that will change over the time as the technology evolves but for now, Camaro SS definitely seems better clean. Car and Driver says, "Available as a coupe or convertible, the base engine is a turbo four-cylinder; a 335-hp V-6 and a 455-hp V-8 are optional. All offer either a six-speed manual or optional eight-speed automatic."
16 Better With Mods: Pontiac GTO
Car enthusiasts have been having fun with Pontiac GTO since the ‘60s – and it continues today as well. Pontiac is a true gem for modders and tuners.
The modern technologies for spicing up the performance and the horsepower, as well as the coolest new cosmetic and aesthetic trends, give you a chance to really test the limits of your creativity.
As long as it is done in a good taste, Pontiac GTO is one of the best cars to modify and make it stand out on the road. Hot Rod states, "The GTO had the right balance of Pontiac style, performance hardware, and price. GTO sales from 1964 to 1966 were straight up."
15 Better Clean: 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
The Pontiac Firebird is a classic and you don’t have to be much of a car enthusiast to recognize this beautiful vehicle if you ever see it on the road. The 1978 Firebird Trans Am version, however, is one of the most unique Firebirds out there so there is really no reason to add a bunch of mods to it to make it special. With its interesting paint job and the famous bird on fire placed on the hood, why would anybody cover this car in wraps or racing stripes or whatever? Auto Week reports, "The 1978 Trans Am’s popularity carried over to the revised 1979 model, which peaked Trans Am sales at more than 117,000. "
14 Better With Mods: Pontiac Catalina 2+2
The car enthusiast and tuners have been huge fans of Pontiac Catalina for many decades. Considering the fact it was the lightest and the cheapest of Pontiac’s full-size coupes and convertibles, it was simply perfect for tweaking and modifying until perfection.
You could easily purchase Super Duty modifications for both the engine and the car’s body so the whole modifying process was both simple and it came at an affordable price.
All it took was a little bit of time and effort to turn a Catalina into a whole new supercar. Hot Rod reports, "the full-size 2+2 (1964-1967 in the U.S.), which tipped the scales at more than 4,000 pounds, was for the grownups who desired GTO power, performance, and styling in a larger package."
13 Better Clean: Chevy Chevelle LS6
Back in the ‘70s, at the pinnacle of the American muscle car era, Chevrolet really did it right! They created sort of a super-car in the form of Chevelle LS6 and really gave some hard time to their competition. SuperChevy reports: “There were two SS454 Chevelles that year, the 360-horse LS5, and God’s own supercar, the omnipotent LS6. With a solid-lifter cam, Holley four-barrel and aluminum intake, the LS6 was the end-all, be all factory performer from Chevrolet.” The LS6 had it all; awesome performance and great design and style. Changing it too much just seems kind of wrong.
12 Better With Mods: Plymouth GTX
The popular YouTube car reviewer, Scottie D, showed us just how great actually a fully restored and modified Plymouth GTX can look. Back in 2015, his chocolate-colored beauty in the shape of 1970 Plymouth GTX was catching everyone’s attention at the 2015 Street Rod Nationals.
We’ve seen numerous Plymouth remodels that are truly the proof of how awesome this vehicle can look when modified and restored.
From the cool paint job to the engine enhancements, Plymouth is a perfect car to work on in your garage. How Stuff Works says, "the 1968 Plymouth GTX featured two-door hardtop and convertible body styles; the '68 Road Runner started with a pillared coupe and didn't offer a ragtop."
11 Better Clean: Dodge Charger Daytona
Dodge Charger Daytona is basically a modified version of Dodge Charger so there is no real need to modify it any further. Sure, modifying the basic Dodge Charger is a good idea and you should probably do that if you want a unique and enhanced vehicle. However, Dodge decided to take care of that for you and they developed three separate vehicles with the name Charger Daytona. Daytona was a high-performance vehicle with an interesting and unique design easily recognizable by a tall stabilizer wing on the rear deck. This rare car recently fetched a cool$900,000 at the auction.
10 Better With Mods: AMC Javelin
You probably heard of the Ringbrothers – the duo known for their amazing restomod creations. So if you’ve ever doubted that AMC Javelin is a good car for modifying, one look at the Ringbrothers’ restored and modified version of this vehicle should change your mind completely.
They extended its wheelbase and recreated the wheel arches with carbon fiber, added a new carbon fiber hood as well as a bunch of custom accessories.
Under the hood, they decided to go with 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8. Top Speed states, "Much like any Ringbrothers creation, the Defiant! is a significant makeover of the stock vehicle. It’s a Javelin AMX on steroids. Brutal and modern."
9 Better Clean: AMC Rebel Machine
While AMC Rebel Machine could probably do well with some light tuning, when it comes to the car’s body and design, there is no doubt this car looks best clean. No need to add a bunch of decorative elements and mods because this car was made to be edgy and cool as is. The whole idea behind this vehicle was to draw the attention of younger and more modern drivers hence the youth-oriented design and high performance. No wonder the Rebel Machine was an immediate success. Hot Rod reports, "With a 340hp 390 V-8 thumping beneath its twin snorkel hood, the Machine qualified as a bona fide street machine."
8 Better With Mods: 1964 Corvette Stingray
If you can find a decent 1964 Corvette Stingray, you have a chance to turn it into one of the most impressive cars on the road. Gino Irvello decided to prove that when he documented the restoration and modification of his Stingray back in 2012.
He dropped off the old shell and chassis, installed a new stock front suspension, hogged out the rear end to make space for the new custom-made rims and 20-inch drag radials.
The new paint job and an amazing airbrushed fire effect made the vehicle look even more powerful. Road and Track states "Reference to the Sting Ray usually brings to mind visions of a 375-bhp engine, fuel injection, a 4-speed transmission, and all the accouterments of a competition sports car."
7 Better Clean: Cadillac CTS-V
The new Cadillac CTS-V is currently one of the fastest modern muscle cars on the market. Autowise reports: “Caddy now packs a 6.2L supercharged V8 with no less than 640 horses and 630 pound-feet of torque. With all that power going to its rear wheels, CTS-V is capable of hitting 60 mph from a standstill in 3.6 seconds, and maxing out at 200 mph.” Considering the fact it’s not actually a sports car but a luxury 4-door sedan, one can’t help but be quite impressed. So obviously, the tuning is not necessary nor is modifying the car’s body in any way.
6 Better With Mods: Plymouth Road Runner
You can get an old Plymouth Road Runner for a ridiculously low price nowadays and if you are willing to spend some time and money on it, you can turn it into an amazing road runner indeed.
Let’s just remember the story of Brad Riepe who got his Plymouth for a mere $100. Yes, it was mostly a wreck but that is what makes this story interesting because once Brad was done with it, the vehicle way beyond recognition.
He painted it candy-apple red with a white velour interior, installed a 1999 Vintage Pro Stock Hemi with a six-pack of carbs and 1300hp, added custom 16-inch rotors etc.
5 Better Clean: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
The newest addition to the Dodge Challenger family, Challenger SRT Demon, is too bright and shiny at the moment to be modified in any way. When it was first presented in 2017, everybody was pretty impressive with its great design and an even better performance. According to Autowise, “A maximum of 840 horsepower and 770 pound-feet of twist were already mind-blowing,to begin with. Mopar’s most powerful production car ever accelerates to 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds while eating quarter-miles in high nines.” Definitely, no modifications needed. Car and Driver states, "Standard Demons come with a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that cranks out 808 hp, but owners can increase that to 840 hp with the Demon Crate package."
4 Better With Mods: Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang is truly a classic and while it looks great clean, there is so much room to add all the features you have ever dreamed of, it would be a shame if you didn’t do it.
The engine bay accepts the V8 of your choice, and with over 50 years of tuning, tweaking, and modifying, there are so many cool options for this car out there that it is easier than ever to build a Mustang of your dreams.
Top Gear loves this car because it "Looks cool, sounds cool (if you get the V8), new dampers, excellent optional ten-speed auto."
3 Better Clean: 4th Gen Camaro
The 4th generation of Chevrolet Camaro had one very clear goal – to make Camaro a proper sports car able to compete with the toughest competitors. However, with the new leaner design also came a significant lack of space that a person would normally need to tweak and tune a car. The engine’s bay on this Camaro is so small, it is almost impossible to fit a large engine that some car enthusiasts would probably want to install there. It’s just not worth the trouble. Jalopnik states, "The Chevy Camaro of the ’90s doesn’t get a whole lot of love...Maybe because the Camaro nameplate died on the fourth-gen’s watch."
2 Better With Mods: Shelby GT350
The new Shelby GT350 is a quite an amazing car as it is, but there are some pretty awesome mods out there that could make it even better! By adding the traditional bolt-on parts and tuning you can turn your Shelby into a true muscle machine.
Lethal Performance created a bolt-on power package for the new Shelby with a cold-air intake, cool off-road mid-pipes, and tuning. Removing the catalytic obstruction from the exhaust system frees up some power and changes the sound of the car for the better.
Car and Driver states, "The Shelby GT350 takes fast and furious to another level. This race-ready pony car is fitted with a 5.2-liter V-8 that makes 526 hp and bloodcurdling exhaust sounds; a six-speed manual is the sole transmission."
1 Better Clean: 1963 Corvette
Many believe that the good old 1963 Corvette is one of the most beautiful American cars of all time and that is the only reason why it should never be customized or modified. It’s simply an iconic car that both looks gorgeous and works great. So no unnecessary mods needed. If it needs to be repaired, repair it, but adding features and stuff just for the sake of adding them is not a good idea with this great old vehicle. Car and Driver reported this in 1962, "Compared with the rigid axle of the 1962 Corvette, the new model has a lower rear roll center (8.13 inches above ground level against 9.0). This is the same as on the CERV-1, while the Dion-suspended SS and Sting Ray had roll centers 8.0 inches above the ground."
Sources: jalopnik.com, legendaryspeed.com, hotrod.com, fastcar.co.uk