We've always tried to cover the Euro tuning scene in its entirety, but recently it's become painfully obvious that we were overlooking an important aspect - the ladies.
In the past, it could be said you were perhaps more likely to see a woman posing with a car than polishing her own. And when women did arrive at shows in their own cars, they were sometimes typecast in the stereotypical pink Beetle Convertible with daisies in the built-in vase.
If you happen to own a pink Beetle Convertible with daisies in the vase, please don't feel we're disrespecting you. There are plenty of girlie-girls out there who have fun with their cars. And they have as much right to express their personality through their vehicle as anybody else. However, this issue was intended to recognize the women whose cars stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best male-owned tuner cars on the scene.
After all, the scene might have been 99% male dominated, but the ladies are now playing a bigger role. We're seeing more cars than ever where male and female partners play equal roles in deciding, modifying and displaying their project cars. But increasing numbers of women aren't prepared to play second fiddle to a male partner; they want their efforts to be recognized as their own. And that's what this issue attempts to do.
Presented on these pages are some of the best female-owned, female-built and female-driven cars in the country. It really is about the women doing it for themselves.
One of the biggest complaints we heard from all the ladies featured here is how often we (as show visitors) assume the car they're sitting in or polishing belongs to somebody else. And we're all guilty of it. So we hope this issue will give us all a better idea of the sort of cars women in the scene like to drive. And as you'll see, there are some serious 400whp cars in this issue. But don't assume they're afraid to use that power if you make the mistake of assuming the driver doesn't know what to do with what's under the hood!
For this issue, we wanted to select the sort of cars that could be owned by anybody, male or female. They just happen to belong to the fairer sex.
To the ladies who haven't embarked on their own projects yet, we hope this issue provides inspiration for your own automotive statement. Certainly the ladies featured here have proved it's not only possible but hugely rewarding.
Also in this issue, you can read the latest on our attempt to beat six other magazines in the Castrol Syntec Top Shop Challenge. We've already got 760whp in testing and are confident of beating the opposition. Visit www.SyntecTopShop.com to vote for your favorite and enter to win this motor.
You can also enter a sweepstakes to win VIP tickets to the SEMA show in Las Vegas in November. You've seen our reports from the annual industry "party" in the magazine but photos really don't do this shindig justice. To see it up close and personal, log on to www.semasweeps.com/eurotuner
Right, that's more than enough of my political correctness. I'm off to research bikini carwash websites!
Greg Emmerson, Editor
eurotuner@sourceinterlink.com