Spotted: Giant spoiler on minivan is an aerodynamic mystery

The world of vehicle modification is splintered into countless subsets and exotic mechanical tribes. One of the most rarefied of all is a group known as “Donkers,” - defined by their taste for grossly oversized wheels. The donking recipe goes like this: get a classic Detroit ride that came with 15-inch wheels, and bolt on a set of 22s. Or 30s. But wait - why not go all the way to 40s? The only limits are your imagination, and how much you’re prepared to spend on extension springs. Reader Craig Etherington spotted this masterpiece on Interstate 94, near Chicago.

Back in the Age of Chivalry, knights preferred tall horses - it improved their sightlines in battle, and made them look cooler when they cantered through town. If he were alive today, would Sir Lancelot go for a donkmobile?

Imagine that you are a former donk-mobile addict, recovering from years spent teetering around on 30-inch rims. You decide to go the other way, and join the ranks of the Stancers, who like to drop their cars so low they have to hammer out the fenders to clear the tires. Yes, modified car culture gets weird sometimes. Reader Steve Van Esch spotted this stanced VW in Mississauga. As Van Esch notes: “This person is ready for pothole season!”

You may recall the Superbird, a short-lived Plymouth Road Runner variant that featured a giant wing. Built for only one year (1970), the Superbird was designed to give Plymouth an advantage on high-speed stock car tracks. I can’t tell you whether the owner of this Honda Odyssey has any NASCAR ambitions, but this is the biggest wing I’ve ever seen on a minivan. I spotted it on the Gardiner Expressway.

Back in the day, a lot of Detroit station wagons used bent-metal deflectors to blow air over the back window to reduce dirt buildup and improve rear visibility. Is this Honda wing a modern version, or a mere style accessory? The wing’s angle of attack looks pretty neutral, so I doubt it would produce much down force (not that a front-wheel drive Odyssey van could use it anyway.) Nor does it look like it would direct air down over the window. If any of you have any insights, let’s hear them.

I spotted this VW in downtown Toronto. The owner appears to be a rally fan who spends a fair bit of time in the accessories aisle. Fog lights, taped-over headlights, a hood scoop and four exterior rear-view mirrors? World Rally Championship, here we come! Or maybe not.

I recently spent some time driving a Ford F-150 in Toronto to see what it’s like to be an urban trucker (not bad, except when it comes to paying for the gas or trying to fit into an underground parking garage.) I spotted this blinged-out F-150 on Lansdowne Ave. The pickup truck has come a long way since the days when they were the exclusive ride of farmers and contractors.

The beater car is a bit of an art form. The best ones are like Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards: they have an air of majestic ruin, but they get the job done with truly original style. This Buick Skylark looks like its top was dropped about 20 years ago, and never raised again, come rain or shine. My colleague Joanne Elves spotted it in Venice, California.

Leaving your top down for a few decades definitely creates a patina.

I noticed this Suzuki GSXR around my neighborhood a while back (the owner keeps it on the street year round.) I ran into him this week. His name is Frank, and he’s a genuine do-it-yourselfer. His GSXR was built in 1991, and is considered a modern classic. Frank bought the GSXR for less than $1,000 three years ago, but has spent twice that much dealing with the inevitable issues that come with a geriatric sport bike. On the day I met him, Frank was fixing some electrical problems using the same kind of approach I did when I was in my twenties, and had zero cash, but plenty of energy and time: grab a toolbox and a soldering iron, rustle up an extension cord, and fix it curbside.