Body Kits for a Prius? Really?
Here at Fast Cars – Fun Life we enjoy the finer things in life: burning rubber, snaking through a mountain roadway, drag racing the garage project, even customizing our cars with fuzzy dice and body kits. But there comes a point where we just have to sit back and scratch our heads.
Enter the Tommy Kaira body kit for the new Toyota Prius.
Yes that’s right, a body kit… for a Prius.
How hard would viewers of the Fast and the Furious laugh if Vin Diesel rolled up in a tuned Prius? Can you imagine it? “Now me and the mad scientist gotta tear apart the electric engine and replace the batteries you fried.” It just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Remember that this is the same Prius that puts out less than 100 hp. The same Prius hippies drive. So the question is, what kind of hippy will want to put a body kit on their symbol of eco-friendliness? Now maybe a body kit that increased aerodynamics and therefore gas mileage, but I seriously doubt the Tommy Kaira accomplishes that task.
Now don’t get us wrong, this has to be the coolest Prius we’ve ever seen (did I really just say that?). The design is actually pretty good with nice carbon fiber accents, clean lines and a dual exhaust. If I had to drive a Prius, the kit would be a welcome addition… but I don’t have to drive a Prius.
It’s not that I don’t like the Tommy Kaira Prius, it’s that I want the performance to match the looks. The Prius should be enjoyed for what it is, an ecofriendy-get-around-towner.
I’d call this car a classic case of all show and no go. Where’s the fun in that? I’d love to see a sport Prius with this kit and a respectable 0-60 time, but for now that seems impossible. Why, you might ask?
People who drive Priuses (Prii?) want a car that gets great gas mileage and lets people know they’re doing their part to help the environment. Sadly a sweet-looking body kit doesn’t deliver the green message.
Now, if performance parts for a Prius wasn’t an oxymoron I’d welcome a body kit to compliment increased abilities. But a quick search for tuning parts led to the Priuschat forum where a user posed the same question, asking for performance parts. The best answer: Gold spinners and fuzzy dice.
Come on Tommy Kaira, if you’re going to release a body kit at least offer a performance exhaust system… or Energizer batteries with an extended life. Because, “It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning.” Especially at 50 mpg.
Pictures and info Via Ben Schaffer’s CarDomain blog
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Hippies – really???? maybe tree huggers, but hippies