Rat Stylz

nicholas_starmore · Post by **nicholas_starmore** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 12:22 pm

Hi im getting a new (well actually very used) mk3 cl coupe soon and im thinking of going for the rat look, anyone on here going along those lines at the moment, if so show me some pictures for inspiration plz

dub envy · Post by **dub envy** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:18 pm

I actually can't stand the term 'rat stylz'

DelG40 · Post by **DelG40** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:24 pm

What the fook is Rat Stlyz?

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:52 pm

making it look like its a wreck, as far as i'm aware

first step: remove the grille. no, not debadging it or adding a badboy bonnet. just removing the grille so the radiator, horn, etc are more exposed. Makes it look like you hit a lamppost and ran out of cash to fully repair it. remove all but one wheel trim as well, and the parcel shelf.
(inspired by Optima's Unkillable Thing)

second: never wash it

third: drive through a few hedges, on purpose

fourth: drill a hole in the exhaust

fifth (optional): whack an amazing engine, 'box, suspension in there. unadvertised (maximum suspension drop of 40mm, if possible engineered to look more like a collapsed shock).

sixth (optional): - repaint it (not respray) with blackboard paint, household dulux, or cover it in whiteboard material.

suppose it makes it a less attractive crime prospect....

toXXin · Post by **toXXin** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 2:25 pm

If its a very used MK3 you're buying, its probably rat enough to get away with it.

The Rat stuff is taking the p*** by the way, or work in progress in some scenes.

optima21 · Post by **optima21** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 3:12 pm

erm I wouldnt know where to begin.....

but this is my engine bay :-

the trouble is that while a car may look bad, it also needs to be road legal, and pass MOT's. Although my car looks bad its in sound condition Another thing is that with a rat is that you can expect to get pulled by the police.

the front end looks bead because I rear ended a Nova and wrote it off, and I damaged every panel on the front of the car.

also my car quite often has no seats other than the drivers in it and loads of junk.

the other feature I have is a crane fitted so I can drop the odd spare engine into the boot.

and the psintwork has split all over the roof and looks like crazy paving

ohh and thats my daily driver.... I do 10k miles in it a year

and dont forget Dan Knight and Pete Mirfins G40 van..... its nearly as ratty as my mk2

DelG40 · Post by **DelG40** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 6:32 pm

Wow, so Rat Stylz is really s**t then...

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 6:39 pm

DelGT wrote:Wow, so Rat Stylz is really **** then...

I think that's the point

Personally I like the idea of having an old banger that I couldn't give a damn about, that could get driven through hedges and the like that that it wouldn't really matter.. but I wouldn't go and buy a car and set out to deliberately make it look like that.
Wouldn't have thought it needed much inspiration either - sledge hammer, couple of cans of mis matching paint and a good sturdy lamp post to drive it into a couple of times would do the trick I would have thought

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 9:13 pm

its mad max stylin', yo

DelG40 · Post by **DelG40** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:49 am

Tahrey1043 wrote:its mad max stylin', yo

Never thought of it like that, but it's true! I SUPPOSE it could be fun to throw around a car...

optima21 · Post by **optima21** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:53 pm

yeah its quite funny at car shows with a rat...

... although at last years polo show I came last in the show 'n' shine comptetion (although I think thats was fixed)

the great thing is that you just dump it in the field (showground) and take the p*** out of everyone else who is busy polishing and cleaning their cars.

VWNW was its debut (on a stand for another polo site) as my GT was in peices, but I only went for the free parking......

.. anyway my wreck was getting more attention than some of the seriously nice corrado's next to us.

... what you cant see on those photos is the inside of the bonnet which has "if only everything was as reliable as this vw" scribbled with a white marker pen.

now the thing about polo guys is that they seem to be pretty chilled about my car, but I wonder if I could get away in a show n shine competition with a rat car if it was a golf.

dub envy · Post by **dub envy** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:08 pm

Yes you would.

D4V1D · Post by **D4V1D** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 3:33 pm

what doms got going on is rat look, not rat stylez. rat styles is that group from the states.

remember the hawian mk4 and the red hawian/fruit mk1 in pvw? they belong to the geezer who started rat stylez.

rat look is from the hot rod and aircooled scenes i think

optima21 · Post by **optima21** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 4:32 pm

lol its kinda confusing when a look and a style arnt the same thing....

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:30 pm

DelGT wrote:
Tahrey1043 wrote:its mad max stylin', yo
Never thought of it like that, but it's true! I SUPPOSE it could be fun to throw around a car...

if i had the money to keep up the insurance / tax / mot (er, engine notwithstanding

), i'd be keeping the polo on simply for that purpose.... a throw-around bucket that doesnt need to be ruthlessly polished (or, as i have discovered with the astra, realising one of my long-held fears about alloys --- requires frequent and muscle-building scrubbing of it's wheels with special chemicals) or even washed at all, apart from the windows and lights every couple months... down the lanes and round city, the power is a little more suitable and the slight lack of grip keeps your foot a little lighter on the throttle whilst still providing smiles per mile.

plus when a total heap comes haring up behind a beemer, they tend to get out of the way no matter what it is - though the thought process is "argh! i dont want THAT horrible DIRTY THING touching MY nice SHINY CAR!" rather than "that guy's taking no prisoners, let's move aside", the result is the same