The indescribable desire to acquire, maintain, and show off a cool ride, seems to envelop most men at some point in their lives. Teens and twenty-somethings don't have a corner on the market either. Men of all ages, and all backgrounds can appreciate the beauty of a souped-up automobile.

Maybe it's in our blood.

When the first cars were invented umpteen years ago, their sole purpose was strictly for transportation. Not until some years later did car buyers suddenly exclaim, "Hey...I need to look good when I'm driving from point A to point B!" With that began a never-ending onslaught of new designs, new features, and some of the coolest gadgets the car enthusiast could imagine.

The original desire to show off ones vehicle was based on ego-laden competition and also, ....the opinions of women. Men have long made the efforts to possess the sleekest rides in order to impress to prettiest women. Oftentimes, these sexy beings either liked the guy, or only liked the car. Few women liked both! But the coolest cars undoubtedly commanded the most attention from the ladies and many men seemed to spend their entire months' pay to keep their rides shiny and looking clean.

While men still realize that women continue to check out the cool rides, many have started to focus on the art of car building, car restoration, and vehicle enhancement. This is highly evident with the onset of such cable shows as MTV's, "Pimp My Ride", and TLC's, "Overhaulin'".

But even before these popular shows started tricking-out dream machines, men have always spent large amounts of time and money, tinkering with their cars. To most, it's truly an art form and there's just something about the smell of chrome and a revved up engine!

The fascination with various vehicle aesthetics, coupled with its speed capabilities, keeps men everywhere in their garages for hours on end. "I've worked as many as 10 hours non-stop on my car, trying to get it in the condition I want.", says Joel, a car-enthusiast from Lansing, Michigan. "It doesn't make the wife too happy when I'm out in the garage all day, but it's a hobby that I thoroughly enjoy."

Many men like Joel invest in reconstructing or restoring old cars, such as the ones seen on those popular cable car shows. "There's a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into a car like this.", says Joel, referring to his customized 1968 427 Chevy Impala SS.

As long as there are cars to be tinkered with, guys will continue to tinker. Just check out your nearest car show and you will find everything from colored tires, chrome 22" spinning wheels, and DVD players in headrests, ...to clear steering wheels with live goldfish, and speaker systems that would make Madison Square Gardens' sound like an AM radio.

For those who do not understand the fascination, you can compare a man's love for cars to a woman's love of jewelry, or nice shoes. To men, a smooth growling engine denotes power, speed, and a huge dose of machismo.

Add some multi-colored pinstripes and a bonafide trunk-rattling Kenwood speaker system, and we're like big kids in a candy store.

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