hummers and porsches and ferraris, oh my

One thing that's notable about California, or at least Santa Monica here, is that there are alot more luxury cars on the roads than there are in New England. And not only Lexises and BMWs and Mercedeses, but still fancier beasts like Hummers (and their oh-so-ugly stretch variant) and Ferraris. I've even seen a Lamborghini, I think, though it was only a passing glimpse. There are also the racing cars: everything from Vipers to Civics fitted out with spoilers and racing stripes and loud mufflers (and transmissions that never let them get out of second gear within city limits).

The one thing that unites nearly all these vehicles is that they're ugly and pretentious; and yet their owners often go out of the way to make them uglier with tinted windows and ridiculous custom wheels. The king of all the mods are the legendary spinning hubcaps, which contain a seperate joint so that they stay level when the wheels start spinning, and keep spinning when the car is stopped! Ooh, shiny. Never fear, though, if you're driving a beat-up Volvo: such customization options are not denied even to you! I saw a mini-van the other day, and not a very nice mini-van either, with these magical hubcaps. Add a touch of style to your life, for only $109.99!