Import Show Cars: Import Show Cars - Starting Your Project

Building a show car is an expensive, but personally rewarding endeavor. You can build your car for show, for speed, or both depending on your budget and personal taste. Here is a quick guide to creating your show car.

The first thing to do is to pick your tuner car. The imports make great tuners because of the endless aftermarket accessories available for them. Depending on how in depth you want your tuner project to be, select a car that is going to be the easiest to modify for the least amount of money. If you plan on custom paint, you can usually find a car that is in need of some paint work. if you are building an engine, it might not be a bad idea to get a car with a high milage engine to reduce the initial cost. Installting body kits? You may be able to afford some minor body damage to the bumpers or fenders.

Once you get your tuner car selected, it's time to start designing it. Look through google images, magazines, or catalogues for designs you like. Don't be afraid to mix and match kits either. Your show car will say a lot about your personality, so don't be afraid to put youself into it.

Eddie Paul, designer and builder of the cars from the Fast and the Furious (part one and two) suggest having a professional design your show car. It is easier to communicate what you want if you have a tangible image of the finished product. He suggest finding someone who specializes in auto artwork because the design will usually be more accurate, and in a lot of cases may cost less because most good auto artist can have a good rendering of your ideas in a matter of an hour or less. The old cliche' is true: a picture is worth a thousand words.

Now take some time and consider what you have created. Is this exactly what you want to create? If not, now is the time to discover that. Get opinions and input from people in the import show car industry. Changes on paper cost much much less than replacing body kits or repainting the project.

The next thing to do is to organize your plan and your budget. Start with what is most important to you. Keep in mind that if this tuner car is a daily driver you might need to plan ahead and get alternate transportation through friends or family. It usually takes a little longer than expected to finish different parts of the project. Map out which parts you want, how long it will take to pull them together, and how long it will take to install them. You are undertaking a huge project in your show car. See it through to the end. There are a lot of incomplete tuner show cars or restorations that you can find on eBay and other marketplaces from people giving up on them. The end result will be worth the wait.