Car tuning is not usually a topic that appears on the front pages of magazines and, rather than men's fashion, many associate it with a bunch of "teen" boys in baggy sweatpants standing in the night parking lots in front of shopping malls. However, this community means much more than just neon lights or shiny wheels and hides many stories of passion, love for cars and the desire for individuality.
Car manufacturers themselves create brands that differentiate their ordinary models and improve often truly exceptional quality products. This is certainly also purposeful, with the aim of increasing sales precisely by quenching the desire for individuality among customers.
Despite this, it arouses awkward reactions in the eyes of the public. You can love them or hate them, but one thing is certain, many car tuning enthusiasts are incredibly skilled craftsmen, engineers and artists like no other. In order to gain insight into this fascinating, but still little-studied subculture of car enthusiasts and understand their lifestyle, we approached one of the biggest ambassadors of the tuning community in Slovakia,
Adrián Artimovič .
It's about making something unique out of the gray average, something that's mine and mine alone.
Adrián has been around cars for many years and during that time he has become an initiative promoter of the Slovak tuning scene at home in Slovakia as well as in neighboring Hungary and other countries. Repeated invitations to Slovak cars abroad, also thanks to previous trips to Germany or two trips this year to Poland and the Czech Republic, indicate that the initiative he founded with his friends is growing. It is thanks to his enthusiasm and passion for tuning that he is a man taken at his word to explain to us why people actually invest their time, money and energy in improving cars - new, old, expensive or cheap. Why is anyone willing to invest thousands in, for example, a 15 or 20-year-old Volkswagen?
"Most people will probably tell you that they want to stand out. They want to individualize their car. That's why I was attracted to tuning. It's a bit like "appropriating" a car in your own image. There's definitely a certain kind of exhibitionism involved, but not everyone necessarily wants to modify their car visually. For someone, the goal may be to improve the engine or chassis so that the car behaves in a way that better suits their driving style. It's about making something unique out of the average gray car, something that's just mine."
The tuning community is very open, just ask and we will be happy to help you.
However, it is not just about the owners showing off, quite the opposite. Gentlemen and increasingly ladies who customize their cars love them and it is more than just a hobby for them. They put their whole heart into it, save a lot of money, and the resulting car is the fulfillment of their dream. Not just a childhood dream, as dreams and ideas develop with the influence of time and new inspirations or experiences. That is why it does not matter what others think. For them, their car is perfect. Until a new inspiration comes and a new project is around the corner. If you think about it, it is a philosophy that is very similar to fashion. Don't we all try to gain a bit of individuality through our own style of dressing?
"Of course, there are different people in the tuning community. Some consider tuning to be just putting stickers on their car. Many would like to stand out, but don't know how. That's why I'm trying to popularize tuning and bring it closer to the general public. The tuning community is very open, just ask and we'll be happy to help you."
Adrián's dream has always been to unite the Slovak tuning community under one roof. He gradually started watching tuning events at home and abroad, where he saw how different tuning communities function. He wanted Slovaks to be able to participate in large car tuning events as one unit with their cars.
"In Hungary, just when I had been involved in tuning for several years, the AMTS (Automobile & Tuning Show) event was being organized. It gradually grew from a small local event to one of the largest automotive and tuning events in our region with more than fifty thousand visitors curious about the huge number of interesting modified cars and the varied program of the event. My goal was to become a part of this event and therefore I wanted to build a community that could travel here from Slovakia."
"So I founded the AMTS Slovakia initiative. Over the years, however, many enthusiasts have helped me and still help me, for which I am very grateful. At first, only one car dared to go with us, then four, and suddenly, with the rise of social networks, there were dozens of cars. People saw how great it was to go with us, and today, during the AMTS exhibition in Hungary, Slovakia regularly has the largest stand in the professional pavilion. People discovered that they can not only go to the exhibition to look, but also show their creations at such a large event. Today, we can choose who we invite to the event, so that we can really show only the best from our scene. However, we do not forget about the variety of exhibits. In principle, no high-quality, trendy and well-maintained car is out of the running for a place in the stand."
It's great to see people admiring beautiful cars in an unconventional setting.
Today, the AMTS Slovakia initiative has contacts for more than one hundred and fifty modified or in some way unique cars – both older and new models, and is constantly actively looking for more. It organizes joint trips to tuning events abroad, and helps connect event organizers with vehicle owners. Figuratively speaking, it is trying to get Slovak tuning out of night parking lots and into weekend squares.
"The square rallies that have been happening lately are fantastic. You walk around the square on a weekend and suddenly see forty modified cars parked next to each other. It's great to see the joy of passersby, especially children. It's great to see people admiring beautiful cars in an unconventional environment. They take away an experience from a normal walk that you won't forget. And they look at tuners or the always cheerful owners of exclusive cars whose machines they were able to see up close with really different eyes. It's no longer about "aha tuner", but "aha, dad, mom, we saw this car on the square last month. As part of our expeditions, we always deliberately take cars that we can also seat children in, who are very happy about it. I'm sure that we have sealed the fate of many a little one with this approach and the cars will remain close to them in the future. When we were returning from the stage to the stand at AMTS once, they were there were two Slovak cars of a completely different category – a hundred thousand-euro Aston Martin and a perfectly restored Lancia Delta HF Integrale. In one alley, the driver of the Aston came across a boy in a wheelchair, accompanied by his mother. The driver asked if he would like to hear the sound of the car. He stepped on it and made the young man very happy. A few meters further in the other alley, the same young man also came across a Lancia and there he also heard a sonic hurricane and maybe even caught a glimpse of flames from the exhaust. He was finished and his mother had tears streaming down her face. These drivers did nothing, they just shared the enthusiasm that is typical of tuners. And I can guarantee you that they were also moved by this nice meeting.”
Speaking of children, Adrian's love of cars began - as it probably does with every boy - with his father.
"I come from the East and there weren't many opportunities to meet interesting cars at that time. I hung around with my father repairing cars. The Internet wasn't around yet, so the only source of photos and information about interesting cars were magazines that I read and collected. I regularly went to the newsagent to ask if a new issue had come out so that I could immediately "hot" flip through it. Even later in life, when I was going to military high school, I had over 45 kilos of magazines, which my mother still keeps for me today."
"Then I got to Cyprus with the army and got into photography there. I had always been interested in it and suddenly it became a job. I had time during the evenings and weekends and started to get to know the Cypriot tuning scene. I started asking people questions and trying to learn as much as possible about vehicle modification from a "journalistic" perspective."
“A few times I’ve also had car owners have trouble expressing their feelings and passion in words, so they gave me the keys to their cars so I could go for a drive and experience for myself what they were talking about. From these series of interviews and photos, I managed to publish some articles on a Hungarian tuning online portal. Over time, when the tuning scene began to develop in Slovakia, I also started contributing to a Slovak car tuning magazine.”
I always prefer quality over quantity.
But when did his first dream car arrive?
"When I started taking pictures of cars and writing down stories about modified cars, it just came naturally. I especially liked Japanese cars and bought a Honda Civic VTi. I always prefer quality over quantity. That's why, right from the start, instead of sticking bright stickers, I preferred to invest in quality and performance improvements to the car. Later, I gradually replaced two cars."
"Despite the fact that I then traveled abroad again and sold the car, Hondas are still close to my heart. I like interesting models that perhaps don't appear so often on our roads. The quality of the modifications is paramount, because you need to be able to stop a powerful car, not just start it (laughs)."
The quality of the edits is paramount.
The fragmented automotive community, which is often, through no fault of its own, pigeonholed into circuit enthusiasts, veterans, or tuners, is gradually starting to come together and open up to the public thanks to people like Adrián. However, they can still seem a bit inaccessible to outsiders.
"We need to give our automotive community time to grow to the level of the West, where the history of motoring is logically much longer. However, we see that more and more events are being organized where these worlds intersect and help attract large numbers of visitors. For example, there is the Slovak Grand Prix at the Slovakia Ring , where we also brought sixteen vehicles this year. However, we must not forget that no matter what kind of cars a person likes, their main purpose is to make people happy. So why not show everyone how great it is when they join us? I would also like to recommend and encourage everyone who owns exclusive cars or has garage treasures at home that they do not take to events to come and see some of the new or traditional events in our country or abroad. Tuning culture is developing and moving towards very enjoyable entertainment. Therefore, no car is lost at these meetings or exhibitions. Not one of our older or non-standard participants found new inspiration with us and became active on our scene. We would love to welcome these people and create pleasant conditions for them among us.”
And this last sentence shows exactly why Adrián is the right person. Thanks to him, prejudices are being broken and the true face of the Slovak car tuning community is being shown, which is definitely worth exploring. If you ever come across a tuning meeting or exhibition in the future, stop by. Maybe you will take away from there, in addition to the experience, a catchy passion for tuning.
