Believe it or not... a Ferrari F430 has been fitted with a black leather exterior.
Yes, 'exterior'. That must be one of the most tremendous – or arguably horrendous
– modifications in the history of motoring. Either way, it took three specialists from
customisation firm Dartz sixteen days to complete the transformation. Now, I like leather.
It makes sumptuous seats, wonderful wallets, and comfortable clothing. But does it suit
Ferrari? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but someone said to me that this
F430 looks like a reject from a Batman comic. That is a little harsh, though. And guess
what? The modifications could have been even more divisive. Dartz, you see, once fitted
an SUV with whale foreskin seats. No wonder big marine mammals are crossing their legs.
Believe it or not... the Ferrari F430's leather finish looks tame compared to some crazy car
modifications. Check-out Smosh.com for proof. This site has funny videos and blogs - plus
pictures of spoilers that are less tasteful than a microwave meal. The Porsche, BMW, and
Lada images leave a particularly bad taste in the mouth. These spoilers may have been
bolted to cars by aesthetically challenged motorists, but manufacturers arguably get things
wrong too. The wing on the final generation Toyota Supra, for starters, reminds me of a
lawn mower handle and the Ferrari F50's straight-edge spoiler of a flat-pack shelving unit.
Believe it or not... not every car modification or spoiler looks revolting. McLaren Special
Operations, for starters, create magnificent bespoke machines. Let us consider one of
their projects. Take one MP4-12C, then find an old brush and paint it 'satin matte volcano
orange'. Throw-in the gloss-black roof and diamond cut wheels and this rocket ship really
comes to life. This beauty also has a carbon fibre steering wheel, plus carbon wheel
arches and engine vents. These complement its 3.8-litre 592bhp engine that propels
motorists to 62mph in 3.3 seconds. I can run faster... but only to escape sickening spoilers.
By Stephen Turvil
Wed, 29 Aug 2012
