Hot Rods now and then...

Since the late 40s car enthusiasts have been modifying cars, trucks and vans in order to make them unique identifiers of their taste and vision. Today car guys are substantially more sophisticated not only from the point of view of technology but also in how they express themselves.

The car movement that followed World War II is often referred to as the "Hot Rod" era. This was a time where great advances were made throughout the automotive industry. For over 30 years the Hot Rodders push the limits of automotive design and technology. Unfortunately the gas crisis of the mid-70s made hot rods, fast cars and big V8s obsolete.

Today hot rodders are much different and often called tuners. This is a movement that started in Japan in the late 80s and brought the mainstream audience of cities such as Miami by movies like “The fast and the fury”, “Cannonball Run” and others.

There are many things that differentiate tuners form a hot rodders, one of them being there obsession for over-the-top custom car audio systems. Another popular unique distinction is the use aerodynamic spoilers, body kits and lambo doors.

The term lambo is a short street name or slang for the Italian carmaker or brand "Lamborghini". Although founded in 1963 Lamborghini became the dream car of many young car enthusiasts with the introduction of the Lamborghini Countach in 1973. Unlike many cars of the era the Lamborghini Countach was different in many ways, starting with its doors, which unlike any other car of the time opened vertically from the back to the front unlike those of the Mercedes Benz Gullwing wish we opened sideways. This type of door hinge design will soon become known as lambodoors.

Lambo doors or lambo door kits are also known as vertical doors, scissor doors and butterfly doors and consists of a set of hinges, brackets and gas shocks that allow an average car, truck or sport utility doors to open vertically like those in many Lamborghini models including the famous Countach.

Lambo doors are a great way to customize just about any vehicle. They allow the vehicles to maintain a factory look and feel while driving and a radical custom look and functionality by allowing the doors to hinge vertically like in a Lamborghini.

Tuners just like hot rodders often resort to engine modifications except that today those consists of computer upgrades, chipsets, aftermarket exhaust as well as many fundamental engine modifications. While have a reputation of utilizing sophisticated car alarmsystems and high-tech options like HID lights, one thing they both have in common is their extravagant paint schemes and a wide and vivid imagination for wheels and tire combination.