What are your favorite car modifications in 2022? Maybe carbon wheels, Tesla drivetrain conversions, huge bolt-on arches, tires clearly 50mm too narrow for the wheels they’re mounted on, and air intakes in the hole where a headlight used to be?
Whatever they are, chances are they’re not the same ones you loved 5, 10, or 20 years ago. While a select few subtle mods remain in vogue year after year, most — especially the most eye-catching — burn bright and short. And sometimes we look back and wonder how we ever thought they were cool.
Lamborghini doors look great on Lamborghinis, but it wasn’t that long ago that they seemed to be an essential upgrade on Honda Civics. And no cheap compact was complete without a set of BMW Angel-Eye headlamps at the front and clear lens lamps at the rear, inspired by the first-generation Lexus IS.
Some of us loved neons under the floor, but now wouldn’t be seen dead in a car that looks like it ran over the top of a toy nightclub. And to stick with that theme, which one of you used to yearn for a killer hi-fi system and now thinks they just look stupid?
Related: New Brabus P 900 Rocket Edition Is An Insane G-Wagen Pickup With 888 Horsepower
Go even further back in time and things got even crazier, people willingly spent a lot of money to put deep-pile carpet on dashboards, upholster seats in purple velvet, install chain link steering wheels and add inches to the rear ride height, in instead of chopping it out.
Sometimes it’s not that the trend we once loved has gotten old, it’s just that our personal tastes have changed. A car scoops writer says he loved super-clean show-car-style engine bays, but now finds them boring. Another no longer likes pre-facelift cars updated with post-facelift parts.
So whether it’s massive body kits or new cars that want to look old, tell us which car modding trend you once thought was seriously hot and now can’t stand.