This is the 13th in a regular series of editorial pieces we’ll be posting here on the blog, originally written by Hosking Industries’ Ben Hosking for Street Commodores magazine and other magazines he’s completed opinion pieces for. This column appeared in issue 179 of Street Commodores:

Strength in Numbers (Written November 15, 2010)

If the modified car enthusiast ever wants to attain some level of rights in the community, it’s all about numbers.

It’s a problem that has plagued the many various modified car scenes since people began chopping, changing and cruising their cars even before WWII: that is, being looked down upon and marginalised by ‘the man’. Car fanatics have always been unfairly targeted by the authorities, had liberties stripped from them or had legislation imposed that would restrict the modifications possible – all under the banner of being safer for the community.

Sadly, more often than not it is the stupid acts of the tiny minority – and the knee-jerk reaction of officials to the resultant public outcry – that bring about ever-tightening laws and restrictions for the majority. It doesn’t matter that our hobby is worth billions to the economy. It doesn’t matter that larger car shows can bring millions in additional revenue to the communities that give them a home. It doesn’t matter that most of the more modified cars on the streets boast a higher level of engineering and specification than the factory ever offered.

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