Every country around the world, big or small, advanced or developing, has cars. And every country also has their own culture and unique national identity. And when the two - cars and culture - are combined, you get different kinds of modified cars in different locations. Obviously the formula doesn't work for every tuned up car on the planet, but it's pretty accurate.

Ironically it stands to reason that the owners of horrifically customized cars do actually like cars - otherwise they wouldn't waste their time and money on their (but no one else's) pride and joy. The problem is that these guys have absolutely no idea how to show their appreciation of the automobile. They're like little kids who squeeze their pet bunny until its brain oozes out of its ears. They want to do the right thing, but somewhere along the line it all goes horribly wrong.


America - No one person, or country invented the idea of customized or modified cars. However America's love affair with the automobile certainly helped nurture the idea of car personalization and alteration. America's diverse and growing custom car scene varies hugely; from imported sports cars with wild bodykits, to lifted pickup trucks with massive bull-bars. One area the American custom car scene doesn't do very well, or often, is subtlety. Most modified cars in the US stick out like a penguin in the desert. They've often got bold and pointless graphics, a huge number of stickers advertising the performance parts - which may or may not have been fitted, and undersized aftermarket chrome wheels which don't match the car's appearance at all. Americans also seem to be disturbingly obsessed with painting large murals on their vehicles in the form of airbrushed artwork. Quite why someone would pay good money for a poorly drawn image of a leaping deer to be permanently stained into their vehicles bodywork is beyond me.


Spain - Spain has a rather young custom car obsession. And its youth is quite apparent. There seems to be two main trends would-be motorheads in Spain are currently experimenting with. The first one is the dark art of re-badging. Unlike de-badging - where owners take off the little badges denoting engine size and model in an effort to keep the vehicle's potential performance (or weakness) a secret - re-badging is where deceptive performance badges, which state the car is better than it really is, are added. It's not uncommon to hear the distinctive sound of a diesel engine come chugging down the road, only to spy a BMW 3 series with a desperately optimistic ///M3 badge proudly clinging to the bodywork at a crooked angle. The best one I've seen yet is a first generation Audi A4 diesel with an an A8 badge on one side of the decklid, and a 4.2 V8 badge on the other. The second custom car phenomenon sweeping through the Iberian Peninsula is oversize and badly fitting bodykits, usually taped onto decrepit old Seats and Hyundai's, and almost always topped off with crazy tribal graphics and retina frying paintwork. Nice.


England - England has two classes of car modifier. There's the minority - who value performance and handling, and don't tend to do much to the outside of the car. These people usually upgrade stuff like the brakes, suspension, and power output. Perhaps if they're feeling a bit showy they'll throw on some nice 18 inch wheels and some sticky low profile tires. Then there is the lowly sub-breed of British car modifiers, unfortunately they are in the majority. This species loves nothing better than buying a nice little hot hatch, and then utterly wrecking the thing with dumb stickers, ill-fitting oversize wheels, a misshapen body kit, cheap racing seats, and a pointlessly loud stereo system. Basically these car enthusiasts, and I use the term loosely, have zero taste, class and intelligence. Thankfully most are young and in time will see the error of their ways. Sadly there are many millions more waiting to take their place at the bottom of the gearhead food chain.


India - India's custom vehicles are vastly different to any other country on the planet. Cars and trucks there are often decorated in a huge number of hand painted designs, multicolored beads, charms, knickknacks, and religious sculptures. Unlike most other countries, much of India's vehicle customization scene is not influenced by young guys who want to 'do up' their car as part of some sort of weird mating ritual. Instead it is often driven by a desire to stay alive. Anyone who's ever experienced the roads of India will be aware of the peril and extreme danger they pose. Most Indians are of the Hindu faith, this means that they have a deep belief in fate. If it's meant to happen then there's nothing they can do about it. This explains why they are more than happy to overtake another vehicle traveling 1mph slower, on a blind corner, in pouring rain, in the middle of the night, in a car with 30 year old brake pads. The various symbols, charms and other clutter is designed to bless the vehicle and its occupants so that they survive the journey!


Japan - Japan has been the source and driving force behind many of the latest car customization trends. A drifting setup, high-tech interior gadgets, and mind blowing engineering wizardry are all hallmarks of a highly modified Japanese car. Sometimes the interior of modified cars in Japan resemble some sort of budget spaceship. There are gauges to tell you everything from the turbo boost pressure, to the temperature of the rear window washer fluid. And that's when it gets stupid. The ludicrous number of dials and gauges takes away from the driving experience itself. Okay two or three additional instruments - in the right car - is fine, but anything more is pointless.


UAE (United Arab Emirates) - In this Mecca of wealth and extremes in the Middle East, custom cars can be summed up in just one word. Unaffordable.