Pimp my (small, eco-friendly) ride

When Craig Hoi Pong darts around in his car, fellow motorists stop and stare.

They check out his 17-inch rims, lowered suspension, LED blue-hued lights and yellow rear spoiler.

His isn’t a muscle, hot rod or a classic car. It’s a two-seat Smart car — on steroids.

“Gas was killing me and I thought, ‘Let me get one of these Smart cars and customize and see how it goes,’” said the 35-year old, who owns Hoi Pong Customs shop in Sunrise, Fla. “I’m not at the mercy of the gas pump (now), but I wanted it to look cool.”

The Toyota Prius hybrid, the Fiat 500 and Smart models might be smaller in length and pack less horsepower, but that’s not stopping their owners from going the extra mile to personalize them — or from showing them off on city streets and at automotive events.

At a recent Friday cruise-in event in a Davie, Fla., parking lot, a souped-up black Mini Cooper looked noticeably out of place next to a much-larger 1960 Chevy Impala and late-model Ford pickup. Now owners of small customized cars have their own event each Wednesday night at Hoi Pong’s shop.

“It’s just the lifestyle down here,” Hoi Pong said. “The car scene is big.” And small.

As gas-friendlier car models have hit the roads in recent years, their budget-minded buyers are putting money aside to give these cubicle-sized vehicles more aesthetic oomph, said Dan Edmunds, an auto engineer with the car industry website Edmunds.com.

Sometimes modifications can cost almost a third or even half of what owners paid for the car. Hoi Pong has spent about $4,000 in altering his 2013 Smart car, which cost $14,000.

Just adding different tires and rims doesn’t cost that much and can make a big difference, Edmunds said. “They will be entertaining even if they are pretty economical cars.”

Yes, adding bigger or high-performance tires may negate the cars’ gas savings, he said, but motorists also need to take their driving habits into consideration.

“Attitude is everything when it comes to (miles per gallon). You need to drive like the throttle and brake pedals are made from eggshells to do well,” he said.

Some dealership and auto shop employees say they’ve been seeing more drivers customizing their pint-sized rides.

“People want something to call their own. They want to personalize them to match their style,” said Stephanie Rivero, events coordinator at Rick Case Fiat in Davie. The dealership has a customized version of its Lilliputian Italian vehicle parked outside, showing drivers its modifications potential.

Besides modifying the car for fun, Hoi Pong also sees it as good business.

“Everywhere I go, people are always asking me questions about it and how much I like it,” said Hoi Pong, adding that he’s landed eight clients after they saw him driving his car around town. “If anything, people are always beeping the horn.”

Although he does have bigger muscle cars souped up, such as a Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Charger, he mostly drives the white Smart car to deliver parts and drop off estimates to his customers.

“People don’t expect a big guy like me coming out of a Smart car,” added Hoi Pong, who stands 6 feet tall.

And drivers don’t usually expect to customize hybrid cars at first.

Kai Tang, 29, was driven to buy a 2012 Lexus CT200h hybrid hatchback purely to save gas.

But then he realized he could trick it out with some modifications. He lowered the suspension by 3 inches, added lighter rims and refurbished the car’s interior from tan and black fabrics to red.

“I have done everything that I can do to it,” said Tang, a cabinet manufacturer in West Palm Beach, Fla., who has spent $10,000 on the modifications. “It’s saving me gas, but it’s more appealing. It looks a lot better.”

R.J. Enriquez of West Palm Beach, Fla., also modified his white 2013 Prius plug-in vehicle by painting the roof black so that it matches the side mirrors and adding an antenna that resembles a shark fin. He also installed 18-inch wheels, up from the car’s standard 15-inch wheels, and dropped the suspension by 2 inches. His Prius rolls like a low rider.

“It kind of ruins the gas mileage a little bit, but for the look of it, it’s worth it,” said the 35-year-old nurse, who commutes daily to Miami.

When he pulls up in his Prius in his travels, he often hears jokes and comments like: Why would you do that?

His response? “It looks the best on the car. Why do people buy Nikes? My thing is cars.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Black Press Media operates Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in Washington State with dailies and community news outlets in Alaska.
Black Press Media concludes transition of ownership

Black Press Media, which operates Sound Publishing, completed its sale Monday (March 25), following the formerly announced corporate restructuring.

Maygen Hetherington, executive director of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, laughs during an interview in her office on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Maygen Hetherington: tireless advocate for the city of Snohomish

Historic Downtown Snohomish Association receives the Opportunity Lives Here award from Economic Alliance.

FILE - Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs poses in front of photos of the 15 people who previously held the office on Nov. 22, 2021, after he was sworn in at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Hobbs faces several challengers as he runs for election to the office he was appointed to last fall. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs: ‘I wanted to serve my country’

Hobbs, a former Lake Stevens senator, is the recipient of the Henry M. Jackson Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Mark Duffy poses for a photo in his office at the Mountain Pacific Bank headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Mark Duffy: Building a hometown bank; giving kids an opportunity

Mountain Pacific Bank’s founder is the recipient of the Fluke Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Barb Tolbert poses for a photo at Silver Scoop Ice Cream on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Barb Tolbert: Former mayor piloted Arlington out of economic brink

Tolbert won the Elson S. Floyd Award, honoring a leader who has “created lasting opportunities” for the underserved.

Photo provided by 
Economic Alliance
Economic Alliance presented one of the Washington Rising Stem Awards to Katie Larios, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Mountlake Terrace High School senior wins state STEM award

Katie Larios was honored at an Economic Alliance gathering: “A champion for other young women of color in STEM.”

The Westwood Rainier is one of the seven ships in the Westwood line. The ships serve ports in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast Asia. (Photo provided by Swire Shipping)
Westwood Shipping Lines, an Everett mainstay, has new name

The four green-hulled Westwood vessels will keep their names, but the ships will display the Swire Shipping flag.

A Keyport ship docked at Lake Union in Seattle in June 2018. The ship spends most of the year in Alaska harvesting Golden King crab in the Bering Sea. During the summer it ties up for maintenance and repairs at Lake Union. (Keyport LLC)
In crabbers’ turbulent moment, Edmonds seafood processor ‘saved our season’

When a processing plant in Alaska closed, Edmonds-based business Keyport stepped up to solve a “no-win situation.”

Angela Harris, Executive Director of the Port of Edmonds, stands at the port’s marina on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Leadership, love for the Port of Edmonds got exec the job

Shoring up an aging seawall is the first order of business for Angela Harris, the first woman to lead the Edmonds port.

The Cascade Warbirds fly over Naval Station Everett. (Sue Misao / The Herald file)
Bothell High School senior awarded $2,500 to keep on flying

Cascade Warbirds scholarship helps students 16-21 continue flight training and earn a private pilot’s certificate.

Rachel Gardner, the owner of Musicology Co., a new music boutique record store on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. Musicology Co. will open in February, selling used and new vinyl, CDs and other music-related merchandise. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Edmonds record shop intends to be a ‘destination for every musician’

Rachel Gardner opened Musicology Co. this month, filling a record store gap in Edmonds.

MyMyToyStore.com owner Tom Harrison at his brick and mortar storefront on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burst pipe permanently closes downtown Everett toy store

After a pipe flooded the store, MyMyToystore in downtown Everett closed. Owner Tom Harrison is already on to his next venture.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.