There are two kinds of car lovers; those who are happy with whatever they get from the manufacturer and those who prefer custom-built vehicles that reflect their personality and suit their unique needs. Among those who love to customize their cars, there's a small section that pushes the limits of car customization to create what's commonly referred to as 'stanced cars.'
To get a stance car, one basically needs to lower their car, stretch their tires, and run wide wheels with negative offsets to create the lowest clearance possible. Stance cars are not built to be practical, as even driving on everyday roads can leave them damaged. They are more for going to meetups and automotive shows, where 'normal' people can look at them and wonder how they even got there. The following are ten of the most amazing stanced convertible sports cars.
9 2003 BMW M3 Convertible 6-Speed
This 2003 BMW M3 Convertible is not among the most outrageous cars ever made, but it certainly looks good. It has a Titanium Silver Metallic finish and features 19-inch wheels mounted with some negative camber, xenon headlights, fog lamps, a Harman Kardon audio system, a quad-outlet exhaust, KW adjustable coilovers, and a black leather interior.
It draws its power from a 3.2-liter S54 inline-six engine rated at 333 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Its factory alloy wheels have been replaced with 19-inch CL-style wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tires.
8 Paul Podobea's 1995 BMW 325i
Built in Phoenix, Arizona, Paul Podobea's low and wide BMW 3 Series shows how deep Stance culture is in the Southwest. The idea of this crazy car was born when Paul saw a rendering of Kei Miura's new E36 widebody kit and knew he had to have it.
He eventually acquired a low-mileage convertible 1995 325i and started the build. Paul's main focus was on looks, not performance, so for the exterior, he added a Sarto body kit, M3 side skirts, Euro-spec headlights, and Miura's flared arches. For the interior, he went with an Imola Red scheme, creating a nice contrast. Paul decided to leave the BMW's straight-six intact and only added an intake and cat-back to boost efficiency.
7 2002 Nissan 350Z
In Japan, Yuki Hamamoto has earned the title of 'King of Stance' after building one of the craziest Nissan 350Z customs of all time. Initially, Yuki started with a 350Z coupe, but it was totaled, forcing him to transplant his parts into a new 350Z convertible build.
Yuki started by installing a set of T-Demand coilovers and upper arms, ensuring he got the lowered look he wanted without affecting handling and comfort. He then installed a set of custom fenders, pushing the fruits out an extra 1.5 inches and the rears an additional 2.5 inches. Lastly, he added an HKS supercharger kit to the VQ35DE under the hood, bringing its power output to 400 horsepower.
6 CC Wheels Honda S2000
Built by Complete Custom Wheels, this heavily stanced AP1 is a thing of beauty with the power to match. CCW provided the centerpiece for this project, a set of custom D110 three-piece forged wheels mounted with some heavy negative camber. The eleven-spoke custom wheels featured a deep lip and exposed hardware, perfectly completing the S2000's widebody look.
CCW also added several aftermarket parts to enhance further the stance look, including a Spoon rear diffuser, a Voltex front bumper, and a Spoon hardtop. They then gave the Honda an incredible one-of-a-kind Gloss Storm Gray paint job, resulting in one of the best-looking S2000s around.
5 Unicorn Widebody Mustang
Muscle cars are not typically turned into stance cars, but one Instagram user, "m86_unicorn," managed to turn a Ford Mustang into one. The Mustang features a new carbon widebody kit that features a bumper base with an integrated front spoiler, side skirts, and front fender flares with ventilation shafts. Also available on this Mustang are rear side walls flares with air openings, a radiator grille with unique round Mach 1 style lights, a spoiler lip, and a massive diffuser.
The car also comes with a new brake system, a ProCharger compressor system, a 20-inch BC Forged Wheels wheelset, an air-ride suspension from AirLift Performance, and a sport exhaust system. The Mustang's power output has also been boosted to 700 horsepower thanks to a compressor kit.
4 Curlie Nicholls 2001 Mazda MX5
Curlie Nicholls has been a huge fan of Mazda, so he decided to convert his crystal blue MX5 into a slammed yellow eye-catcher. He started by installing a new set of coilovers to bring the car's height down. He then fitted the car with a new set of Rota Grid wheels before giving it a custom mixed yellow paint job and painting the wheels white.
Other mods in the MX5 include new brakes and brake lines, a Cobalt backbox with a straight-through center section and a custom tip, and a new ally gear knob with a matching handbrake. Though Curlie has not yet made changes to the 146-hp 1.8-liter S-VT engine, he plans to add a turbocharger in the future.
3 Tjin Edition" 2006 Pontiac Solstice
For this build, a pristine 2006 Pontiac Solstice with only 1,800 miles on the odometer was used. For starters, this car features some of the most expensive wheels in any vehicle; they are 19-inch 5-spoke One Lug Wheels with gloss black centers, gold bolts, color-matched green lips, lug nuts, a hub adapter, and a center locking nut.
The body features custom black powder-coated front bumper inserts, custom rear valance with exhaust, an all-metal spoiler and rear deck lid, front fenders, re-sculpted a-pillars, and Top Secret hood pins. The interior has not been left behind and features Tjin Edition Kevlar racing seats, Unique Fabrication seat mounts, D2 Racing air jacks, a Nardi steering wheel, and a roll cage.
2 Jim Bjork's C4 Chevrolet Corvette
Looking at Jim Bjork's C4 Chevrolet Corvette stance car, one can easily mistake it for a computer render. However, it is a living, breathing reality that looks fantastic despite its weird color choice.
Jim Bjork started his build by installing a new custom body kit featuring fender flares with exposed screw connections, a vast spoiler lip, and powerful side skirts. He then gave the Corvette a custom teal paint job all over before painting the wheels white and the spoiler lip black to create some contrast.
1 2004 Toyota MR2 Spyder
Based on the 2004 Toyota MR2 Spyder, this stance car is sure to turn heads. It comes with a TRD Stage 2 front bumper, a LuxuryPart C-One rear wing, CL Performance side scoops, VIS Racing TRD side skirts, Whiteline sway bars, an MWR short shifter, a TRD front strut bar, a Cusco midship brace, and a Fujitsubo Power Getter exhaust.
The Toyota MR2 Spyder has Volk Te37v wheels with Toyo tires T1r for maximum traction. It also has BC Racing Coilovers suspension, which has no rubbing or scrubbing whatsoever, even without modifications.