Like most possessions kept for long enough, a good car inevitably becomes an extension of its owner’s personality. We do everything we can to make our beloved vehicles individual – after all, when you inevitably find yourself in a traffic jam in Kent, behind a new Giulietta identical to your own, it becomes important to feel that the vehicle you’re sitting in is just that little bit more exciting than the rest. And it amounts to more than simply filling the car with odd collections of half-forgotten personal effects. Whether it’s the colours of the floor mats, the comfortable shoes you keep tucked under the seat for long drives, or the particular pair of driving sunglasses you don no matter the weather, those of us who love our cars are dedicated to making our mark even in the smallest ways.

Most of us are content to stick with a few interior alterations; some might go a little further with a personalised numberplate or unusually coloured alloys. Then there are those drivers among determined to – quite literally – stop traffic. For the more adventurous, driving an ordinary Ford down to the shops just won’t cut it anymore: the car becomes an opportunity for another art project. Cars have been covered in grass and floppy disks and converted into mobile homes with (allegedly) working showers. In comparison with these labours of love, the rest of us and our special driving sunglasses should be ashamed of our lack of effort.Most of us are content to stick with a few interior alterations; some might go a little further with a personalised numberplate or unusually coloured alloys. Continue reading →