Top tuner cars

 Revealed to the masses through the Fast and the Furious movie franchises, the tuner culture parallels the hot-rod/street-rod gangs who were prevalent during the ’50s. Technology and performancephilosophies may differ, but the goal remains the same:  juice up humdrum passenger cars to become the best on the street. The tuner market in the U.S. is a $5 billion industry — in performance and appearance accessories — so, it only makes sense that automakers want a piece of this trendy action.

Originally, the sport compact tuner market sprouted due to auto manufacturer’s neglect for the small-car segment in the ’90s. Now, manufacturers push their cars through blatant marketing strategies that target the young tuners and produce cars that are ideal for tuner upgrades. While it is possible to upgrade and change any vehicle — given you have the time, money and talent — only a handful of vehicles, listed below, are considered the top tuner cars on the market right now.

Following a U.S. debut with a pair of micro-compact sport wagons, Scion’s Tc sport coupe invoked a more obvious claim for the performance-driven youth movement. Advertised like Mr. Potato Head for young adult auto buyers, the Scion brand is a line of vehicles designed specifically to entice the sport compact tuner crowd. Both Scion and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) are attempting to turn tuner cars into a one-stop shopping trip for buyers. Though purest may find this prospect humiliating — the process of finding, purchasing and installing your own parts is part and parcel when it comes to tuning — remember, a TRD supercharger can humiliate your friends, spinning 200 horsepower into the 2.4-liter engine.
 

 
Once renowned simply as the company that built the quirky Brat and Justy, Subarumade a commitment to the World Rally Car (WRC) scene — which featured their Impreza — to beat the likes of Toyota and Mitsubishi. This feat did not go unnoticed by the tuner crowd. In 2002, Subaru brought over, from Japan, a 227-horsepower, turbocharged Impreza called the WRX. Utilizing the same boxer engine configuration found in a Porsche 911, the Impreza WRX’s lower center of gravity improves the effectiveness of Subaru’s all-wheel-drive handling — power and stability. What more could you ask for? 

Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V

One of the more popular sedans in the sport compact tuner arena has to be the Mitsubishi Lancer. The affordable and fun Lancer’s popularity alone could be accredited to nearly doubling Mitsubishi’s attractiveness to tuners. While the base model of the Lancer is treated to a slew of after-market dress-up accessories, it is the performance flagship Evolution, or EVO as it’s more commonly know, that is the more desirable four-door slammer. The last U.S. model, EVO IX, produced an impressive 286 horsepower from a turbocharged and intercooled 2.0-liter engine. Look out for the brand new EVO X in 2008.

The Acura RSX has big shoes to fill; those of the the Acura Integra. Introduced in 2002, the RSX received mixed reviews at first but was then embraced by the same tuner crowd who had loved the Integra so much. Wrenches found immediate euphoria tuning the new 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder i-VTEC engine that produces 200 horsepower and is available in the tradionally Acura Type-S trim. Sport-tuned suspension and a 6-speed manual transmission have also been added to the Type-S package. Unfortunately, the love of the RSX wasn’t as great as that of the Integra and the RSX was retired in 2006 without a known replacement.

A sister car to the Honda Civic, the two-door Acura Integra’s arrived in 1987 taking the shape and persona of a sportier hatchback than the affable Hondas. However, for the vehicle’s second generation, the Acura Integra would do more than just pose like a sport compact; it became the champion for Honda’s VTEC (variable valve timing and life electronic control) system. Producing 160 horsepower initially, the VTEC effort stirred the interests of the performance after-market crowd. That stir became a tidal wave when Acura brought out a Type-R version of the coupe. While raising the ponies to 195, the removal of soundproofing material and air-conditioning allowed a 0 to 60 mph time in a stout 7.0 seconds.

You may remember an orange Toyota Supra costarring with Vin Dieseland Paul Walker in the first Fast and the Furious movie. Originally marketed as a premium option over the Toyota Celica, the Supra eventually grew into a high-performance, stand-alone supercar. The last and greatest incarnation of the Supra is based on a 1993 redesign making room for, at that time, one of Toyota’s most powerful production engines. Being force-fed by twin-turbochargers, the 3.0-liter, 300-horsepower engine was originally designed for Japanesesports car racing. Despite the model being discontinued in 2002, motorsport blood continues filling the soul of the Supra, particularly in import drag racing competitions. And rumor has it, a brand new version of the Supra may be headed to the U.S. in the near future.

The Skyline existed as forbidden fruit to the North American auto market with the exception of gray market imports that became extremely popular during the late ’90s. The most popular R32, R33, and R34 generations (built between 1989 and 2002) are famed for their twin-turbo, 2.6-liter engines purposely underrated by Nissan at 280 horsepower. In the hands of custom tuners, these Skyline GT-R engines can generate up to 600 horsepower. Whether juiced up or standard, engine power translates surefooted traction into high performance with Nissan’s all-wheel drive system controlled through an electronic torque splitter system known as ATTESA. We might have a hard time seeing a high-speed Skyline if they weren’t adorning every tuner magazine in the U.S. right now.

Unlike its highly popular brother, the Nissan Skyline, the Nissan Silvia is exclusively a two-door, compact sports car. Although North Americans may not be completely familiar with the name Silvia, names such as 200SX and 240SX were sports cars sold stateside built on the Silvia’s vehicle platform. However, the Nissan Silvia is unique for its lightweight construction and for how easy it is to modify the 247-horsepower engine. The Silvia is less envied than the Skyline for its four-wheel drive system that served as an option from 1988 to 2002 models. No longer in production, the Nissan is currently well-utilized in competitive drifting.

A cheap and oh-so-popular import car, the Honda Civic is a venerable leader in the tuner world, just as the ’30s Fords were energized by passionate hot rodders. Between 1988 and 2000, the Honda Civic model was one of the most popular cars sold in the U.S. and the tuner aftermarket was practically born from the desire to customize the Civic’s looks and beef up the VTEC engines. By the time performance-craved youths declared the Honda Civic a tuner icon, Honda alienated the sport compact market starting with the 2001 Civic. Intending to improve their showroom specs, the Honda Civic abandoned their customizable double wishbone front suspension and are continually updating the facade of their vehicles, not to mention what lies under the hood. The Honda Civic SiR is testimony to Honda’s sport compact passion.