What drives a person to modify their car? A love of cars is a good start, as anyone, from the guy who slaps an intake on his Civic to the pro who builds a 10 second all-motor CRX can be in love with their car. Also, it is important to mention that not all car enthusiasts these days are hooking up their imports; there are still many fans of good old Detroit iron. Today, just as it was back in the '60s, not everyone wants to have a cookie-cutter car. Something that looks, sounds and drives like everything else out there. This is where the automotive performance aftermarket comes in to make almost everyone's car a little more fun to drive.
Lets start with my car, a 1992 Toyota Camry. I'm not going to lie; it is a very boring car. It gets great gas mileage, is far too practical and never has anything go wrong with it. This makes it a good car for someone who's only concern is getting from point A to point B, not an automotive enthusiast. So it was up to me to make my Camry a little more fun to drive day in and day out.
Honda guys, F-Body guys (Camaro/Firebird) and Mustang guys to name a few are lucky. A few clicks on the Internet or a quick flip through a performance magazine and they have a whole list of parts for their cars. However, not many people are interested in hooking up their Camry, as its usual assignment in life is commuting to work or, worse yet, picking the kids up from soccer practice. Still, there are parts out there, you just have to look... very, very hard.
Lets start with my license plate (which, by the way, adds at least 10 to 15hp by my count). While not a traditional performance part in any sense of the word, it is a means of personalization. Mine, which says "5S-FE PWR," refers to the engine code of Toyota's 2.2L four, which can be found in older Celicas, MR2s, and many others. Any Toyota guy can appreciate it. After installing shiny new plates on my car, it was time for more power. I added a K&N air filter and a custom exhaust system (as none were pre-made for my car) with a gorgeous Magnaflow muffler. Better airflow means more power, and the muffler not only looks cool, it gave me a more aggressive exhaust note. For even better airflow and still more power (not to mention cooler sounds from under the hood), I ripped out the stock air box and replaced it with an RS Akimoto intake and K&N cone filter.
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