Question: Which Stodgy Luxury Car Gets Most Transformed At Extremely Low Altitude?

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

After my tirade about big fat luxury cars in the 24 Hours of LeMons, I got to thinking about all the once-boring luxury machines I’ve seen with brutal slam jobs. In so many cases— yes, even with a vintage Audi 100— dropping the Chairman of the Board’s luxury ride about a foot works wonders for its appearance.

For my money, Japanese luxury cars such as the Mitsubishi Debonair, Toyota Century, and Nissan President respond best to this treatment, as demonstrated by many wild-eyed Japanese customizers (though Detroit limos look great, too). How about you?

Toyota Century image from Minkara, via Speedhunters.

Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • Nickeled&dimed Nickeled&dimed on Oct 25, 2012

    I really like the old cars dropped, somehow they jujust plain look better. Maybe it's the long low hood and trunk & upright greenhouse of 1960s cars that make it look better low. '60s toyota corona, toyota crown If you're going to do the Century, I have to say the Mitsubishi Debonair of the same era is amazing lowered. '60s Pontiac Star Chief '60s Dodge Diplomat Also, not your luxury vehicle (of the time) but early '60s Suburbans look good down low too.

  • JuniperBug JuniperBug on Oct 25, 2012

    I like me a lowered Volvo 850 Wagon, especially if R.

  • Groza George My next car will be a PHEV truck if I can find one I like. I travel a lot for work and the only way I would get a full EV is if hotels and corporate housing all have charging stations.I would really like a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier PHEV
  • Slavuta Motor Trend"Although the interior appears more upscale, sit in it a while and you notice the grainy plastics and conventional design. The doors sound tinny, the small strip of buttons in the center stack flexes, and the rear seats are on the firm side (but we dig the ability to recline). Most frustrating were the repeated Apple CarPlay glitches that seemed to slow down the apps running through it."
  • Brandon I would vote for my 23 Escape ST-Line with the 2.0L turbo and a normal 8 speed transmission instead of CVT. 250 HP, I average 28 MPG and get much higher on trips and get a nice 13" sync4 touchscreen. It leaves these 2 in my dust literally
  • JLGOLDEN When this and Hornet were revealed, I expected BOTH to quickly become best-sellers for their brands. They look great, and seem like interesting and fun alternatives in a crowded market. Alas, ambitious pricing is a bridge too far...
  • Zerofoo Modifications are funny things. I like the smoked side marker look - however having seen too many cars with butchered wire harnesses, I don't buy cars with ANY modifications. Pro-tip - put the car back to stock before you try and sell it.
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