Right. That's the derivation that I was using.Originally Posted by kpaske
Actually, the mods are intended to mimic other mods that actually DO improve performance, like upgraded brake calipers (often painted bright colors by the manufacturer to help market their products) and aftermarket race wheels (which are often powdercoated, anodized, or painted black to decrease maintenance for brake dust cleanup). The idea behind painted calipers and wheels is to get the "racy look" without actually improving performance. They are, therefore, "rice" to the core.
Unique? You mean except for the 1000s of other ricers with lambo doors at all the kids' car meets, right? Even if I conceded to the unique argument, that is independent of the taste argument. In short, being unique isn't always a good thing. As evidence, I present:
Actually, I said that vertical doors DO have a purpose for the cars that come with them. Read up on the Mercedes SL 300 Gullwing for a little more information on how and why vertical doors came to be. The function is to better enable ingress/egress in sports cars with high/wide sills. If your car doesn't have big sills (the VX doesn't) then vertical doors serve no purpose, and in fact, often INHIBIT ingress and egress, because the doors on "normal" cars aren't DESIGNED to be opened vertically. They don't have the proper shape or connection to the vehicle, and therefore wind up covering half of the opening, making it more difficult to get in and out. Note that this is the OPPOSITE of why vertical doors were invented!!! THAT is why they are "ricer" in my opinion - the same as huge wings bolted onto your trunk.
Some more info from Wikipedia:
- "The gullwing doors, hinged at the roof and so named because the open doors resembled a bird's outstretched wings, were implemented as such to accommodate for the car's tubular chassis, designed by DBAG's chief developing engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut. Part of the chassis passed through what would be the lower half of a standard door. This tubular chassis was a necessity, as the original car was designed solely for racing and needed to be as light as possible while still providing a high level of strength. This required the driver and any passengers to do some gymnastics to get in or out of the car, usually by sitting on and sliding across the wide door sill. A steering wheel with a tilt-away column made the process considerably easier."
Note the height of the sills in the pic below... this is to accomodate the spaceframe chassis, which is very rigid while also being very light.
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I'm trying to see if one of the lambo door companies will find it unique to get the first VehiCROSS on their list which will be featured on the upcoming videos and marketing packages for the CD release and concert tour. Hopefully they can cut me a deal or something. I do get looks all the time with the near stock VX just pullin' up...but I can only imagine what people would say if I got out, and the doors went up! You KNOW i'll be bumpin' it too when I pull into the parking lot! Well, cross your fingers. If I can do well with the CD and land a major record deal, maybe one day I'll buy another VX and do EVERYTHING possible to it. It'll be the ultimate car for the hip hop enthusiest and you guys will all be invited to the Grammy after show party! You all just have to roll in with the VX's! 