What Vehicle Facelift Means And Other Types Of Alteration
Facelifting is a type of vehicle alteration; it is a procedure that cosmetically alters the exterior of a vehicle to give it the appearance of being a newer vehicle or a higher trim level vehicle; by changing parts such as the grill, vents, trim pieces, bumpers, headlights, tail lights and hood. Other types of vehicle alterations include; customization, modification, conversion, tuning, replica, backdating, restomoding and restoration, as discussed below.
Customization
Customization is a broadly defined term that is ubiquitously used throughout the aftermarket car industry, in different cities and regions. It is an umbrella term that can refer to and encompass several different types of procedures. Customization is the process of altering a vehicle in any way that is different from the original stock vehicle. For example, this can be something minor, like adding tint to a vehicle.
Modification
Modification is a broadly defined term that is sometimes used synonymously with customization but it is actually a specific type of customization. It is the process of altering existing parts on a vehicle, while customization can include both replacing existing parts and adding non-existing parts. So a modification is always a customization but a customization may not necessarily be a modification. Modifications refer to changing a component part of a large system. For example, adding Bluetooth capability to a vehicles stock radio would be a modification but replacing the entire radio unit with another one that includes Bluetooth would be a form of customizing.
Replica
Replica is a popular term in the car world that the average person might not be aware of. The term replica is commonly used along with the term kit car. Kit car refers to a standardized turn-key type of replica where all of the parts and pieces are provided for the consumer and all they have to do is install the kit. The replica process is a type of conversion that alters the exterior (sometimes the interior) of a vehicle to make it appear to be a different make and model, usually to a more expensive vehicle.
Typically the process starts with a donor vehicle (the cheaper car); the body parts are removed and replaced with body parts of a new vehicle, normally fiberglass replica parts that have been retrofitted to the dimensions of the donor car. Replicas that are not kit cars are usually 1-off builds that require a lot of time, labor and creativity. For example, a common build several years ago was the altering of a 2003 Chrysler Sebring to replicate the look of a Bentley Continental GTC. Common kit cars that some people build are replica Lamborghinis. Some people are enthusiastic to see these creations come into fruition, other vehicle purest feel like replicas are disgraceful, erode the brand of the target vehicle and have no place in the car world.
Conversion
Conversion is a less popular term, used mainly by people with knowledge of the car world. It is a type of customization and a type of modification. While modifications are minor changes to a component part of a larger system, conversions alter the overall functionality of a system so that it performs a similar function but by a different method. For example, altering air suspension to coil spring suspension is a conversion.
Tuning
Is a clearly defined and accepted term throughout the industry and in different regions, it is the modification of a cars performance systems. While the term tuning can be applied to any area of a vehicle, it is widely known and generally accepted that unless otherwise specified, it refers to performance increases specifically by modifying a vehicles engine (intake manifold, spark plugs, ECU) and management systems, including suspension, tires, brakes steering, transmission, spoilers, air vents and weight reduction.
Facelifting
Facelifting is a less popular term, used mainly by people with knowledge of the car world. It is a type of customization, modification and conversion. It is a cosmetic procedure that alters the appearance of a vehicle to look different. Facelifting primarily refers to the body parts on the exterior of a vehicle. Car companies perform what is referred to as facelifts of their vehicles when they change the style of a grill, inner styling of headlights and tail lights and styling of trim pieces. When facelifting is used on the aftermarket it generally refers to altering the exterior appearance of a vehicle to look like a newer version of that same make and model. Typically this is done for vehicles within the same production generation, so the vehicles are very similar and many of the new parts are “plug and play”. Facelift Bodykits specializes in out-of-generation facelifts, which means that the vehicle are not within the same production generation and many of the new parts need retrofitting because the measurements of the vehicles are so different. Another type of facelifting that is sometimes referred to is altering the appearance of a specific make and model of a vehicle to look like a more expensive trim level. For example, if someone has a 2013 Range Rover HSE, they can facelift it to appear to be a 2013 Range Rover Autobiography, which is the more expensive version with all of the upgrades. Please explore our selection of facelift bodykits to see what cool and interesting designs we have developed. www.faceliftbodykits.com
Backdating
Backdating a vehicle is taking a new vehicle and doing cosmetic altering to the exterior of the vehicle to make it look older (typically keeping the make and model consistent and only change the year/generation). This might sound counterintuitive but to a small segment of very passionate vehicle enthusiast it makes perfect sense and results in the perfect combination of old and new. Backdating, in theory can involve altering any new vehicle to rewind it to an earlier version but the most popular vehicles to backdate and the reason it is a genius conversion is because it pays tribute to classic, iconic vehicles from the past.
While the vehicle appears to be classic on the exterior, the interior is all new, it has all modern safety features, electronics, entertainment and comfort that a new vehicle has. The most popular car to backdate is the Ford Mustang. Some of the companies at the forefront of this market are Retrobuilt Motors https://www.retrobuilt.com/ and Mag Motors https://www.mag-motors.com/. Backdating can be considered the opposite of facelifting; one makes a new vehicle look old and the other makes an old vehicle look new, both with minor/optional changes to the interior of the vehicle.
Restomoding
Restomoding is taking and old vehicle and restoring it but also modifying it with modern features at the same time. Typically both the interior and exterior are restored and modified. This segment of car enthusiast want both the old experience aesthetically on the outside and the old physical driving experience on the inside but they want to keep and improve upon the systems and features of the old vehicle, while maintaining bits and pieces of these functions. The intent is largely people who are passionate about a particular vehicle for nostalgic reasons, so they want to maintain and restore a lot of features that they have fond memories of. But they also want to daily drive the vehicle and understand that state of the art changes have occurred over the years that make driving vehicles more convenient, safe and efficient so that is where they typically perform the modifications. A company at the forefront of the restomod market is Icon https://www.icon4x4.com, who restomods several vehicles including 1960’s Ford Broncos.
Restoration
Restoration is a clearly defined term that is commonly known inside and outside of the car world. It typically refers to classic cars but can be applied to any vehicle that has been neglected and follow into disrepair. It is the process of repairing a vehicle, exterior, interior and all operating systems and functionality, back to its original state. While restorations can be very labor intensive and require a lot of time and effort, it is not a type of customization, modification or conversion since nothing is being altered just repaired.
