Soup Up a Car and We'll Guess How Old You Are

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Soup Up a Car and We'll Guess How Old You Are
Image: Colin Anderson Productions pty ltd / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Modifying cars is as old as buying them. Still, it was the generation of World War II veterans who returned home with the technical expertise to modify cars that really changed the culture around customizing cars. The 1950s saw two major changes in the U.S.: the Interstate Highway System, with its arrow-straight, freshly paved highways, and American car manufacturers producing ever larger and more potent car engines. Back then, cars were simple enough that changing a carburetor was usually enough to give an engine a serious power boost, and with cheap gas, speed was no longer reserved for the rich.

This culture continued to grow unabated until the fuel crisis of the 1970s, which changed car modding culture. Some mechanics still focused on speed alone, but others focused on other aspects of the driving experience. By this time, manufacturers were selling cars with "trim levels" that mimicked the effects of a mechanic customizing his or her car, with different engine types and seating arrangements available for purchase, before ever taking a blowtorch to the frame.

How you modify your car says something about your formative years, your priorities and your assumed reflexes. Tell us how you would soup up a car, and we'll guess how old you are!

1 Coupe
Matelly / Cultura / Getty Images
What style of car would you start with, in your car-wrenching adventure?
A sports coupe
A hatchback
A mid-size executive sedan
A luxury sedan

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2 Woman Driving
Seb Oliver / Cultura / Getty Images
Which country would you turn to for the source of your car-canvas?
Italy
Japan
Germany
England

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3 Businessman
Corey Jenkins / Image Source / Getty Images
What image would you hope to project with your choice of car model?
Cool
Blur
Smart
Rich

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4 Painted Interior
Image Source/Zero Creatives / Image Source / Getty Images
Which of these frame and body mods would you want to make to your new car?
Convertible conversion
Ground effects body kit
Shooting brake body style
Loosen up the frame

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5 Pink Car
Joseph Robertson / Moment / Getty Images
How would you seek to modify the profile of your car?
Make the windshield rake even steeper
Replace the wing mirrors with smaller ones
Slim down the pillars to improve visibility
Bulk up on sound insulation

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6 Red Interior
ilbusca / E+ / Getty Images
What kind of seats would you want to swap into the car?
Nappa leather bucket seats
Barely-there carbon fiber
Volvo seats, because they are very comfortable!
Given the brand I'm buying, I'm not touching the stock seats.

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7 Couple Driving
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What kind of suspension system would you want for your car?
Whatever is the most expensive
Magnetic ride control suspension
Independent suspension
Oil-filled suspension

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8 Car Mod
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How would you modify your car's suspension?
Make it so I can hit a button and make the car dance!
Lower it all the way to the ground!
I wouldn't bother.
Just make it as soft as possible.

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9 Rims
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How big would you like your rims?
21 inches
20 inches
19 inches
17 inches

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10 Burning Tires
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What type of tires would you wrap around your wheels?
Low profile tires
Racing slicks
All season tires
Thick, comfort-oriented tires

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11 Brake Lights
Photo Antonio Larghi / Moment / Getty Images
What accent would you like in the bodywork of your car?
Flared wheel arches
Brake vents
Nothing
Extra visible brake lights

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12 Engine
seksan Mongkhonkhamsao / Moment / Getty Images
What type of engine would you want as the base for all your modifications?
A W16
A V8
A straight 6
A V12

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13 Car Speeding
Busakorn Pongparnit / Moment / Getty Images
How would you tune the natural horsepower of your engine?
I'd tune it up all the way!
I'd tune it up about 125%, but leave something for the other mods to work with.
I wouldn't touch it.
I'd detune it to improve the longevity of the engine.

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14 Car Exhaust
Marin Tomas / Moment / Getty Images
What would be the aim of turbocharging your car?
Mid RPM boost
High RPM boost
Low RPM boost
Improving fuel economy

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15 Tesla
Emanuel M Schwermer / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What cool trick would you build into your engine?
It would visibly shake when used with the hood open.
Spitting fire from the exhaust
Turning off while not in use
Being able to run without oil by cycling through which cylinders do the work

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16 Sunset Car
Marin Tomas / Moment / Getty Images
What kind of rear wing would you get?
Something off an F1 car, the bigger the better!
A retractable spoiler
A small spoiler with an air brake
None at all

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17 Engine 2
seksan Mongkhonkhamsao / Moment / Getty Images
Which of the following would you add to the engine?
A cool looking cover
NOS
A supercharger
An engine block heater

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18 Female Mechanic
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What would you do to mitigate airflow issues in the undercarriage?
Add a front splitter
Lower the car
Add a cover
Nothing

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19 Driving with Friends
Compassionate Eye Foundation/Hero Images / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What would you be willing to live without, in order to lighten the car?
My friends
The air conditioner
The rear seats
I will give up nothing. Nothing!

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20 Blue Car
Tim Stocker Photography / Moment / Getty Images
What would you like as the dominant material for the passenger compartment?
Alcantara
Carbon fiber
Aluminum
Leather

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21 Vintage Interior
robert reader / Moment / Getty Images
What style would describe the way the interior of the car is set up?
1980s excess
Spartan
Aviation oriented
Opulent

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22 Guages
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What special thing would you add to the gauge cluster?
Extra dials that do nothing but look cool, like in "Knight Rider"!
Boost gauge
Engine temperature meter
Nothing

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23 GPS
Witthaya Prasongsin / Moment / Getty Images
How would you configure the infotainment system?
I want to experience home theater in my car.
I don't care, so long as it's red!
Just make it easy to use the radio and satnav.
As long as it's easy to use, I don't mind.

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24 Sitting in Trunk
Dougal Waters / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What would you put in the trunk?
Speakers
An extra fuel tank
Jumper cables
An overnight bag

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25 Car Window
Zen Rial / Moment / Getty Images
What would you do to the windshield and other windows?
Replace them with thinner glass
Replace them with plastic
Add tinting
Replace them with sound insulating glass

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26 Car Grill
Oleksandra Korobova / Moment / Getty Images
What would you do to the grille?
Add pinwheels
Add louvers
Black chrome
Nothing

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27 Exhaust
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What kind of exhaust setup would you add to your car?
If I can have eight exhaust pipes coming out of the back, I will.
Cat back exhaust with as much flow through as possible
A single, large, central exhaust pipe
I'm sure the manufacturer knows best, so I'll stick with that.

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28 Car Brakes
Monty Rakusen / Cultura / Getty Images
What kind of brakes would you prefer?
I don't mind, so long as the brake calipers are painted red and have a logo on them.
Carbon ceramic. Sure, they don't work well off the track, but on the track they don't fade!
I'd like regenerative brakes, if I may.
I just don't want them to be too aggressive.

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29 Car Painting
zeljkosantrac / E+ / Getty Images
How would you paint your masterpiece?
Red, with a racing livery
Matte black, with a racing stripe in color shift
A gray-silver metallic
A creamy white, or off-white

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30 Green Buggy
Elke Meitzel / Cultura / Getty Images
What signature exterior item would people remember about your car?
The spinners
The street glow
The sectioned headlights
The hood ornament

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You Got: