Magnificent Mags in Miami

Ridin' real dirty in MIA - 'scuse the quality of the image

So, I have to return to this subject of Miami’s vehicles of choice (even though I spent most of my time in Miami kayaking in Biscayne Bay, hiking through the Everglades and touring the Fairchild’s botanical gardens). I am fairly obsessed with Miami’s choice of cars. It’s fascinating.

Especially on my last night there.

As we were walking to dinner at a fabulous and chic restaraunt/lounge, MIA, we couldn’t help but notice the loud celebratory music in the distance and the noticeable amount of traffic on the roads.

Of course, when there’s traffic, I get more time to scope out the cars: bonus.

And what did I notice?

Again, garish, over-the-top modifications that you just wouldn’t see in Montreal. From a lift kit on an old Mustang to 22″+ chromed-out wheels. Miami drivers are all about the bling and all about being “seen” on the road. And yet their rides are pretty bland.

Sure, 22″ super-shiny chrome mags are eye-catching, but on a Sebring? Really? The combinations of cars and wheels just weren’t Kosher in my biased Montreal mind. At home, I find our modifiers have a certain air of class and sophistication (for those who dabble in the art of subtle mods as opposed to in-your-face-rice-rockets), such is not the case in the MIA.

Miami isn’t about flashing your status with the brand of your car (though I did spot some fabulous Lambos and Ferraris every now and then), but instead it’s about flashing your status with actual flash. And it doesn’t matter where that flash is put — be it on a burgundy Hummer (with matching burgundy in the chromed wheels)…

Hummer in the MIA

Or a jacked up, ridiculous looking Caprice (at least I think that’s what it was … I was too focused on the wheels to really notice anything else).

It’s clear that Miamians love their cars, but in a different way from most cities. It’s not about how fast you can go or how much you dropped at the dealer, it’s about how you roll.

Drive on,
– M.

~ by drivingmsmiranda on May 17, 2010.