Changing the badging of cars

[b0mbrman]

I'm thinking about taking the badges off my S2000 and telling everyone it's a convertible Civic...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: SampSon

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: SampSon
I know you see a lot of rebadging of cars for the intent to make it look like something it is not.
Usually it's done to make a lower trim car look like the more premium trim.

Has any one seen, or know of someone who has rebadged their car for the opposite intent?
For example, someone buys a subaru wrx, or wrx sti, and rebadges and changes the car to look like a impreza 2.5rs.

I'm not talking about completely de-badging a car.

Lots of STi owners are swapping trunk lids with WRX owners to lose the park bench cop magnet on the back of their cars.

Yea I see that a lot on the subaru forums. Though when they do that they DE badge their car completely.

If they swapped trunks, and rebadged it to a 2.5rs then thats what I'm talking about.

Well, to make it look like an rs you would need to put an FMIC on it and an rs hood. Don't know of anyone who has done that. It would be a pretty cool sleeper but those BBS wheels and Brembo brakes would give it away.

 

[Iron Woode]

There was this one guy who had a 1964 Buick Skylark and he went through the trouble of making badges for the 300 cu. in. v8 it was supposed to have (Buick never made 300 v8 badges for it). It really had a seriously done up 455 stage1 with automatic transmission. On street tires it was a low 12 sec car. On slicks it did mid 11's.

It looked like your grandmother's car from the outside.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: SampSon
I know you see a lot of rebadging of cars for the intent to make it look like something it is not.
Usually it's done to make a lower trim car look like the more premium trim.

Has any one seen, or know of someone who has rebadged their car for the opposite intent?
For example, someone buys a subaru wrx, or wrx sti, and rebadges and changes the car to look like a impreza 2.5rs.

I'm not talking about completely de-badging a car.

I took the S-U-B-A-R-U badge off the trunk of my WRX (for a cleaner look), but left the WRX badge on. Pic

Not quite what you're talking about though, I think.

 

Well, to make it look like an rs you would need to put an FMIC on it and an rs hood. Don't know of anyone who has done that. It would be a pretty cool sleeper but those BBS wheels and Brembo brakes would give it away.

FMIC? Lots of people ditch the BBS wheels. But yea the brembro's would be a give away to anyone who had a clue.

I took the S-U-B-A-R-U badge off the trunk of my WRX (for a cleaner look), but left the WRX badge on. Pic

Not quite what you're talking about though, I think.

Yea, that's debadging. Now if you replaced the WRX with a RS badge....

I'm posting this because I saw an impreza that was badged as a 2.5rs, but had all the telltale signs of a STi. I feel bad for whoever tries to dust that guy.

 

[Vic]

FMIC = front mounted intercooler

As opposed to the TMIC, or top mounted intercooler, that is stock on the WRX and STi. With an FMIC you could get rid of the hoodscoop, which is definitely the most telling sign of a WRX or STi. But then you'd have a honkin' obvious FMIC mounted under the front bumper.

edit: Still, that's what I would do if I got an STi. Swap the trunk and get rid of the big wing, and then get an FMIC and swap on an RS hood without a hoodscoop. No carbon fiber (blech!), minimal bling (just the FMIC, Brembos, and wheels), and a VERY clean look.
I would leave the STi badges on though.

 

Originally posted by: Vic
FMIC = front mounted intercooler

As opposed to the TMIC, or top mounted intercooler, that is stock on the WRX and STi. With an FMIC you could get rid of the hoodscoop, which is definitely the most telling sign of a WRX or STi. But then you'd have a honkin' obvious FMIC mounted under the front bumper.

That's what I thought he meant. You could get away with a wrx scoop on an STi. From what I read on nasioc and other related boards the STi scoop is more of a brand than a truly useful item.

 

[mwtgg]

Originally posted by: Vic
FMIC = front mounted intercooler

As opposed to the TMIC, or top mounted intercooler, that is stock on the WRX and STi. With an FMIC you could get rid of the hoodscoop, which is definitely the most telling sign of a WRX or STi. But then you'd have a honkin' obvious FMIC mounted under the front bumper.

edit: Still, that's what I would do if I got an STi. Swap the trunk and get rid of the big wing, and then get an FMIC and swap on an RS hood without a hoodscoop. No carbon fiber (blech!), minimal bling (just the FMIC, Brembos, and wheels), and a VERY clean look.
I would leave the STi badges on though.

Nothing wrong with carbon fiber, you just gotta paint it so you don't look like a clueless riceboy.

 

[Crappopotamus]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Yes. I saw a Mustang Cobra w/ V6 badges on it. The Civic he raced got blown out of the water and I'm sure he wasn't expecting that.

swapping badges down is just as friggen stupid as swapping up. great, you can fool the idiot in the civic into thinking you have a slower car and blow them out of the water. woop de do. BIG SHOT. :roll:

 

[jvarszegi]

Originally posted by: SampSon
I know you see a lot of rebadging of cars for the intent to make it look like something it is not.
Usually it's done to make a lower trim car look like the more premium trim.

Has any one seen, or know of someone who has rebadged their car for the opposite intent?
For example, someone buys a subaru wrx, or wrx sti, and rebadges and changes the car to look like a impreza 2.5rs.

I'm not talking about completely de-badging a car.

What, and removed the functional hood scoop? Stupid example.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Crappopotamus

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Yes. I saw a Mustang Cobra w/ V6 badges on it. The Civic he raced got blown out of the water and I'm sure he wasn't expecting that.

swapping badges down is just as friggen stupid as swapping up. great, you can fool the idiot in the civic into thinking you have a slower car and blow them out of the water. woop de do. BIG SHOT. :roll:

That's called having a sleeper. And it is very cool to drive a car that looks slow, but will eat you for lunch in a race.

My 1979 Lebaron is the same way. Mostly stock looking on the outside, but making some serious power under the hood.

 

[jlee]

A friend of mine had the stock 6cyl badging on his '64 El Camino, but he had a 350 in it..

..but it was still slow..not tuned/running properly, I guess.

 

[Crappopotamus]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Crappopotamus

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Yes. I saw a Mustang Cobra w/ V6 badges on it. The Civic he raced got blown out of the water and I'm sure he wasn't expecting that.

swapping badges down is just as friggen stupid as swapping up. great, you can fool the idiot in the civic into thinking you have a slower car and blow them out of the water. woop de do. BIG SHOT. :roll:

That's called having a sleeper. And it is very cool to drive a car that looks slow, but will eat you for lunch in a race.

My 1979 Lebaron is the same way. Mostly stock looking on the outside, but making some serious power under the hood.

but to pretend that your something youre not? hmm i think ill purposefully rust my car so itll look slower. itll look like a beater. thats COOL.

sorry, its not nearly as cool as you think, and neither is your 79 lebaron.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: mwtgg

Originally posted by: Vic
FMIC = front mounted intercooler

As opposed to the TMIC, or top mounted intercooler, that is stock on the WRX and STi. With an FMIC you could get rid of the hoodscoop, which is definitely the most telling sign of a WRX or STi. But then you'd have a honkin' obvious FMIC mounted under the front bumper.

edit: Still, that's what I would do if I got an STi. Swap the trunk and get rid of the big wing, and then get an FMIC and swap on an RS hood without a hoodscoop. No carbon fiber (blech!), minimal bling (just the FMIC, Brembos, and wheels), and a VERY clean look.
I would leave the STi badges on though.

Nothing wrong with carbon fiber, you just gotta paint it so you don't look like a clueless riceboy.

Well, the stock hood on the STi is aluminum and is very very light. In fact most of the cheap (sub $400) CF hoods for the STi are actually heavier than the stock hood. Add paint and...well, you get the picture. You'd probably need to spend over a grand to get a true CF hood that weighs less than the stock hood. Even then what are you saving? 10-15lbs? Not worth it at all IMO.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Crappopotamus

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Crappopotamus

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Yes. I saw a Mustang Cobra w/ V6 badges on it. The Civic he raced got blown out of the water and I'm sure he wasn't expecting that.

swapping badges down is just as friggen stupid as swapping up. great, you can fool the idiot in the civic into thinking you have a slower car and blow them out of the water. woop de do. BIG SHOT. :roll:

That's called having a sleeper. And it is very cool to drive a car that looks slow, but will eat you for lunch in a race.

My 1979 Lebaron is the same way. Mostly stock looking on the outside, but making some serious power under the hood.

but to pretend that your something youre not? hmm i think ill purposefully rust my car so itll look slower. itll look like a beater. thats COOL.

sorry, its not nearly as cool as you think, and neither is your 79 lebaron.

Never said it had to be a rust-bucket.

My Lebaron is a nice looking car. A 2 door with a factory deep red metal-flake paint job, red landau roof and red interior.

I have pics of when I first bought it.