Drivers Spend Thousands To Buff Up Compact Cars

By David Sharp
of the Associated Press

As seen in USA Today, Sept. 12th, 2001

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Jack Moran's father tinkered with a Ford Mustang, the affordable muscle car of the 1960s.

Moran's own choice is the Honda Civic, an affordable sedan traditionally valued less for its muscularity than its reliability and good gas mileage.

But Moran doesn't just tinker. He's pumped in $30,000 -- about twice the car's purchase price -- to create a 340-horsepower monster. He added a turbocharger, titanium valve train, upgraded pistons, bigger exhaust and a new camshaft.

Now, he's saving money for new differentials, tires and wheels -- and then maybe brakes, a carbon fiber hood, some race seats.

"I'm only going to be young once," said Moran, who is 23.

'Pocket rockets'

Young men lavishing money on compact cars -- sometimes called "pocket rockets" -- is the fastest-growing segment of the $25 billion market for automotive accessories used to bulk up cars, trucks and vans.

The trend is spotlighted in the movie "The Fast and the Furious" that came out this summer, but it started on the West Coast long before. Now it is becoming almost mainstream.

While previous generations gathered in parking lots to show off hot cars with big V8 engines, a growing segment of the cell phone- and beeper-generation has turned its back on American muscle in favor of flashy compacts like the Civic, Mazda Protege, Acura Integra, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Ford Focus.

Driven by males 18 to 25 years old, the market is projected to grow by 30 percent this year to $1.5 billion, said Rosemarie Kitchin, spokeswoman for the Specialty Equipment Market Association.

What starts as a hobby can quickly become addictive

"It gets into your blood and it turns into a drug," said Ryan Hanson, owner of Northeast Auto Design in Portland. "Once you're infected with the performance virus, it's just coursing through your veins. It's all you think about."

At Hanson's shop, a good customer spends several thousand dollars on performance-enhancing parts like computer chips, throttle bodies, exhausts, turbochargers and racing wheels.

Other shops specialize in parts that are mainly for looks -- spoilers, stickers, neon lights and chrome exhaust tips.

Chris Cedergren of Nextrend, a consumer research firm in Thousand Oaks, Calif., said souping up small cars is "a trend that has been growing dramatically."

American muscle cars, such as Camaros and Firebirds, often are too expensive for young drivers to buy and insure. That's especially true for customers still in high school.

Another reason is performance. Moran said his 1999 Honda Civic Si can outstrip his father's 2001 Corvette.

"Once you're infected with the performance virus, it's just coursing through your veins. It's all you think about." Ryan Hanson, owner of Northeast Auto Design in Portland

"His is new school," said Mick Moran, who supports his son's enthusiasm for cars. "Mine is old school."

There is one drawback: The Honda's 1.6-liter engine, half the size of the engine in an American muscle car, now burns too much gas for him to drive it daily, so Moran uses his 1995 Ford Escort to deliver pizzas.

Manufacturers rush to meet demand

In the seven years since Wings West of Newport Beach, Calif., began making spoilers and body kits, sales have grown more than tenfold from $1 million, said company official Ernie Bunnell.

Another Californian, Brian Horowitz, began selling clear "euro" taillights in his garage three years ago. This year, he expects his American Products Co. in Corona, Calif., to sell $100 million worth of products including glow-at-night dashboard gauges, carbon fiber hoods and strut-tower bars.

"This is a real industry and it's getting stronger. We're on the base of a mountain. We're not even halfway to the top," Horowitz said. "It's the best-kept secret in the industry."

Traditional parts companies are gearing more products toward the market

NOPI, which was founded in 1966, started out selling shocks, alternators and engine parts, but up to 90 percent of sales now come from performance parts and accessories, said Michael Meyers, president of NOPI Nationals, an event this weekend that will draw 7,000 cars to the Atlanta Speedway.

That the trend would take hold in Maine -- about as far from its epicenter in southern California as one can drive, both in distance and attitude -- is a clear sign of its spreading popularity.

Radio City in Portland got its start selling thunderous car stereos, but it now sells more parts than stereos. "The Fast and the Furious" hasn't hurt either: The store saw a 15-percent spike in sales after it hit the theaters.

"It came out at the right time. It's summer and people want to do stuff to their cars," said Brent Worrey, who works at the store.