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!