Is the VW tuning scene being stifled by a lack of imagination or a desire to conform?One of the greatest privileges of my job is being able to visit tuning shows around Europe and the USA. It allows me to see different trends and styles, and often witness the emergence of something new.
This month's report from Tuning World Bodensee is a fine example of an emerging trend. Sadly I wasn't there to witness it, but our reporter's story and his firsthand account when he phoned from the show aghast at what he was seeing, gave me a pretty good idea of the excitement surrounding it.
I'd encourage you to read the show report on p74 and gaze at the photos. These are some of the zaniest VWs you'll ever see.
To be honest, we'd seen signs something was about to happen at other events but couldn't have predicted the animal patterns would take off so powerfully and be universally accepted. It seems as if almost every car had some sort of animal skin either painted on it or stitched inside.
This got me thinking about the US scene. Right now we're deflecting criticism from management for always putting grey, silver or blue cars on the cover. These darker colors don't work well on the newsstand when we're trying to catch your eye. The problem is, we have to reflect the scene, and the VW scene in the US is pretty monotone. It has a narrow color palette but we like it.
The colors are subdued and restrained, like the tuning scene. We let our cars do the talking.
This month's cover is a fine example. It has my Project GLI and Sam's Project GTI - two grey, two silver. That's the color cars we wanted, but from a publishing perspective they should've been red and yellow.
So my question to you is this: is the US Euro scene stifled? Are we smothering creativity with the desire to conform to the norm?
The Old Skool and Retro movements are incredibly cool, but are we following a herd mentality and building cars we think other people will enjoy, afraid to take chances? After all, you've only got to fit the wrong wheels and the forums will assault you from every angle.
Is this style-fascism healthy for the scene? Shouldn't US shows be awash with color and creativity? Don't we have room for Old Skool, Nu Skool, Euro-look, Brit-look, Ricer and even gold-plated cars with animal patterns?
Can you imagine the furor if one of the cars from Bodensee rolled up at this year's Waterfest? Perhaps the Golf pictured here, with its leopard paint and interior trim, gold wheels, gold trim and interior parts. It's been built to such a high standard few could object to its presence. Yet it's the perfect antithesis to the Retro scene. It's gloriously over the top and celebrates that fact.
But how would you react to such a car at Waterfest? Would you look around it and then slaughter the owner online? Or would you welcome it and perhaps incorporate some of its influences into your project?
The tuning scene in Europe is constantly shifting. People experiment every year with wild new statements. Each new trend is reflected in negative the following season. The answer to the animal prints will probably be a return to matte paint or pastel tones. But the scene is alive, fresh and challenging.
Can we tear ourselves away from the bickering online and start building cars with this level of creativity? Only time will tell, but et will support you if you choose to make such a bold statement.
Greg Emmerson
Editor
eurotuner@primedia.com