Tuning history: America, Germany Japan

The definition tells us the following: "Tuning (English tune - tune) is the refinement of the car outside the factory, in order to give it individual features or improve performance."

Well ... let's start with the fact that any person would like to stand out from the crowd and show their individuality.

At the end of the fifties in the United States the quarter-mile races or "dragster" races were popular among the non-poor youth. Often the Dragsters were unrealistically powerful! With huge rear wheels and small front ones.

Further, all this moved to Europe, in particular to Germany. It was in Germany that the so-called "body races" gained popularity. There, absolutely everything (all “unnecessary” and “necessary” parts) was shaken out of the bodies of production cars, and then a new (or seriously modified "old") engine and another undercarriage were installed.

Of course, there were a lot of spectators at these events, and everyone was eager to get closer to the world of body races! Viewers began to address the engineers of these teams, asking them to refine their cars. Intelligent managers quickly guessed what was happening and began to open many tuning studios. Do not forget that in the German championships, cars were with ground effects, spoilers, etc.

The fashion for ground effects came from Germany. Since then, Germany has become a Mecca of tuning lovers. The German tuning feature was the complex finishing of the car: ground effects, engine, chassis, and interior! And all this had a pretty laconic design.   

Japan did not stay aside! It all started in the mid-60s.

Tuning has evolved from illegal street racing carried out on winding mountain roads, called “toge” (touge). Young enthusiasts flew through them and often with drifts (Drifting went from there) and fought for every second.

The movement was gaining momentum and the youth were completely fascinated by this virus =)

Let’s enumerate the main types of tuning existing in these countries!

American tuning:

• Hot rod - old cars of the 30-50s with a powerful engine. The photo is taken from the site: http://www.atlantatravelblog.com/2011/09/what-is-hot-rod.html
• Dragster - incredible power and everything is aimed at passing the quarter. The photo is taken from the site http://www.doingit.info/photo/dragster-jet-dragster/06/default.html
• Lowrider - a car with hydraulics, able to quickly lift the body or only one rack, for "auto dances".
• Lead sled - a car should be as close as possible to the ground with unregulated clearance.
• Rat look - artificial aging of the cars, encrustation, etc.
• DUB - the minimum clearance, the maximum diameter of the wheels and loud basses! Snoop Dogg Style. The photo is taken from the site https://www.chariotz.com/projectimagedetail/lexani-wheels/chrysler-300c/chrysler-300c-with-csmonza-wheels/6149/171724
• Muscle - two-door sedans and coupes produced in the mid-1960s - mid-1970s showing great power and madness.

German Tuning:

• Factory Tuning Studio (M, S, AMG)
• Authorized tuning studio (ABT, Brabus, Alpina)
• Independent Tuners (Hamman, Gemballa, MTM)

Japanese Tuning:

• JDM - Pure Japanese style.
• VIP-Style (Bippu) Japanese AMG style tuning for lovers of expensive sedans.  The photo is taken from the site https://honda-tech.com/forums/other-make-vehicles-121/l-two-bippu-infinitis-one-drft-240-l-2642500/
•  Fitment - large, wide wheels with negative camber.

There are also non-geographic directions:

• Off-Road - off-road tuning, winches, lifting and much more.
• WRC - fine-tuning of the car in the WRC style, popular among Subaru and Evo owners.
• Audio tuning.