Is there some pejorative name for a street car that has been tuned, in most cases, for drift.

The main features - the engine swap and increased power, and at the same time a complete disregard for the body, which is mostly shabby and rusty.

Example image from customculture.ru:

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Although some controversy exists over the term's racist origins, "ricer" (or "rice rocket," as The Photon mentioned in the comments) refers to a poorly- or over-tuned car. "Tuner" generically describes a modified car:


Along these same lines, a well-tuned car with an unassuming exterior can be called a "sleeper."

This online forum (their expertise has no authority, but resources on this subject are limited) offers more specific definitions for "tuner" and "ricer" (edited by me for grammar/syntax):

A tuner is purposely built from the factory to be performance oriented. Note, FACTORY. Not your parking space, not your garage, not your dreams.

Ricers are generally the exact opposite. Body kits, spoilers, wheels, sound systems, JDM parts (on some applications), and a bunch of other parts that make these cars obnoxious. A ricer's favorite mod is stickers. Typically defined as Hondas, but expanded to all sports cars that have zero performance value, imported or domestic.

  • It's probably worth including the alternative term, "rice rocket". – The Photon Sep 9 '18 at 15:27
  • Although ricer / rice rocket doesn't really fit OP's request since they're typically very flashy rather than shabby or rusty. – The Photon Sep 9 '18 at 15:30
  • Answer updated to include your suggestion! More synonyms are listed on the linked Wikipedia page, but I agree that your term is worth including since it might be more frequently used than "ricer" itself. – Bruce Kirkpatrick Sep 9 '18 at 15:30
  • I'd disagree. Where I grew up, "ricer" matched the definition on the Wiki page (which is corroborated by a cursory Google Images search): "overmodifying a sports compact, usually with oversized or ill-matched exterior appointments." I wouldn't use 'ill-matched' as a flashy term. Cars that look flashy but have garbage components might also be considered ricers, but flashy cars that are legitimately nice fall under "tuners" or "sleepers" by my definitions. – Bruce Kirkpatrick Sep 9 '18 at 15:36
  • But OP specifically mentions that the body should be "shabby and rusty". A ricer typically uses a cheap base model car, but they don't let it get shabby or rusty. The term is pejorative because they're cheap and flashy, possibly with not-so-great performance; not because they're scruffy or rusty. – The Photon Sep 9 '18 at 15:40

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