Do You Speak Petrol Head? Words With a Different Meaning to Car Lovers
Posted on: 22/07/2014A selective A-Z run through the car enthusiast’s lexicon.
American Muscle
Less Lutz, Rambo and Arnie, more Mustang, Plymouth GTX, AMC Rebel, Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro: these two-door V8’s epitomise the scene through the Sixties and Seventies.
Beans
Not broad, baked or runner, but the phrase given to pushing a car all-out to see what it can do, as in ‘giving it the beans’…
Boots
Well, kinda similar, you can see where they were coming from when tyres were renamed.
Cat
Catalytic Converter: Using oxidation, a process of reducing the toxicity of exhaust fumes, before they are shunted out the back. Around infact since the mid 70’s.
Drag
A form of racing, both street and track, performed in a straight line over a pre-designated distance. Both cars are allowed to burn off rubber before the off.
Drift
Another form of racing, where the driver encourages the car to lose grip on all four wheels, yet maintains direction and control of the slide. A relative newcomer to the picture.
Exotic
Supercars such as Pagano’s, Ferrari’s, Lambo’s, Koenigsegg’s and the like.
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Floor
Pressing the pedal to the metal.
Flush
Maintaining wheels and tyres that sit flush with the bodywork, whether the wheel arches have been substantially widened or not. Alternatives are poke and tuck. Obviously.
Grunt
Depending who you speak to, either the horsepower or the torque any given car has. Basically, whether it’s powerful and can take anything else on the road.
HUD
Head Up Display: technology taken from their aero counterparts: projecting key information onto the screen infront of the driver to dispense with the need to take their eyes off the road.
ICE
In Car Entertainment; the stereo and various speakers, often bedecking the entire boot of the vehicle and requiring their own power source.
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Juice
Either fuel, or performance capability of the car.
King Kong
Extremely loud amps and subwoofers.
Love Tap
Touching the car infront or behind whilst effecting parallel parking in a tight spot.
Lump
The engine the car is hiding under the hood.
Motorhome
By common consensus, electing to leave the meet or party and head back to your abode.
Nice Ride
The positive opinion given by others as to what you’re driving, in terms of its qualities as a car, as a status symbol, as a mode of transport and by default, as a statement of your character. Usually not an epithet offered up about your mum’s run-around, unless in jest.
Open Top
Soft top, rag top: open to the elements.
Poke
Whether your car can shift off the lights sharpish when required. Also, whether your wheels stick out from under the wheel arches to any marked degree. Sometimes achieved by oversized wheels, or spacers. See Flush.
Pot
Cylinder.
Q
A Q-car is unassuming on the outside, but infact packing a real punch under the hood. Nice.
Rim
Wheel; specifically, rad alloys.
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Suicide Doors
Car doors that open opposite to the expected, in theory leaving you exposed to the danger of oncoming traffic, without the protection of said door.
Tune
A process of markedly improving the performance of your ride through engine mods, be they electrical, electronic, chemical, or mechanical. Usually expensive and with a knock-on effect through the entire car mechanism.
Utility
Known as a Ute in Australia, a Utility van or truck.
Vault
A safe secreted somewhere in your vehicle for the care of firearms.
Wrapped
A car that’s been radically altered in appearance through plastic film wrap, rather than paint, it can offer a different look that’s impossible to achieve with a re-spray, e.g. a mirror finish.
X
X-type Jaguar.
Yarn Car
Extremely practical alternative to Wrapping, above. Yeah. Someone had to do it. Trust the Yanks.
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Zen
A cheap Indian marque from Maruti, that lends itself to impressive performance enhancement, due to its extreme lightness.
