Tune-Up Time

LikeEveryone knows Need for Speed™ Most Wanted is tops when it comes to underground racing action, as the countless cops whose roadblocks you've smashed through or cruisers you've totaled can surely attest to.

But believe it or not, one of the best parts of the game has nothing to do with knocking down billboards and water towers or activating the slow-motion speedbreaker feature. Rather, you can spend hours alone just tinkering around with the many high-performance cars and luxury autos provided, decking them out in newer and ever more exotic ways.

Ready to pimp your ride? Let's get started, then.

Now that's a nice looking machine.

New and Used Vehicles
Connoisseurs take note—three dozen of the world's most enticing autos are yours to choose from. To hop behind the wheel of a sleek European sports car or put your faith in a more muscular domestic standby ... the choice is ultimately yours. Vehicles from a staggering variety of real-world manufacturers are available, including models by Dodge, Ford, Cadillac, Pontiac, Porsche, and Fiat.

Just a few examples of cars you can add to your garage:

• Lexus IS 300
• Mitsubishi Eclipse
• Mercedes-Benz SL 5000
• Lamborghini Murcielago
• Aston Martin DB9
• Toyota Supra
• Corvette C6

Picking Parts
No tuner car is complete without a bumper-to-bumper overhaul. Unlock parts by working your way up the racing scene's rankings or beating various adversaries on the Blacklist. Once they're accessible, you can outfit your roadster with aftermarket gear of almost any imaginable type.

• Body Kits: Body kits change the shape of your car's outlines. Equip them to adopt a sporty look, or go with something more aerodynamic.
• Spoilers: Rear-mounted fins add a touch of class to any auto. Short, thick, thin, angled up, or angled down ... decorate as you desire.
• Rims: You've seen countless rappers and athletes rocking them. Now show off your own style with authentic tire-mounted accessories by industry leaders like Konig and O.Z., available in several flashy varieties.
• Hoods: Here's your chance to change the look of your car by adding vents, raised surfaces, and lights. It's the first thing adversaries see when you pull up, so be sure to make a good impression.
• Roof Scoops: Give your vehicle that evil look. Decorate it with a top-mounted air vent, which perfectly caps off any street-lethal monster.

Personalize your own dream car.

Power and Performance
Rides are all ranked on three categories: top speed, acceleration, and handling. By selecting the right performance upgrades, you can enhance these abilities. Equal parts form and function, they're an essential tool in any driver's arsenal.

Engines affect your acceleration and top speed, with custom packages including accessories like enhanced pistons, crankshafts, fuel injectors, and exhaust systems. Transmissions also boost these same attributes, although with differing levels of effectiveness. Presuming you're not fond of bumpy rides, invest in an improved suspension system with better shocks and dampers as well ... this increases all three of your ability scores accordingly.

Snagging a supercharged nitrous system is recommended, too: You can go further faster. Performance and racing tires are also a wise addition, improving your car's handling exponentially.

You can easily see the importance of brakes, too, given that trading up to titanium kits and drilled rotors help you stop faster and turn on a dime. Don't skimp on turbo mechanisms, either—higher quality manifolds and blow off valves can produce rap sheet- and reputation-saving bursts of speed when you're in a sticky situation.

Pay 'n' Spray
Finally, the part of vehicle customization everybody loves—adding visual upgrades. Graphic enhancements go beyond just changing the color of your car and adorning it with custom, glossy, or metallic paints, though. Pick a wild pattern and emblazon your auto with snazzy designs, or tint those windows so dark that the police wonder if anyone's actually inside.

• Vinyls: Stickers that you can slap on your speed demon. Floss like a badass by adding flames, tribal tattoos, or even hand-drawn dragons onto the side of your ride.
• Rim Paint: The perfect finish to any set of pricey aftermarket rims ... If you're going to sport spinners, you might as well do it in style.
• Window Tint: Red, green, blue, black ... select a color, then darken windshields and passenger windows accordingly, so no witnesses can ID you out there committing felonies.
• Decals: Dressing up for a big day at the races is always entertaining. Even more so here, given that you can add Alpine or Injen logos all over your auto, among other officially-branded decorations.
• Numbers: Make sure your car is instantly recognizable: Pick a number that has personal significance to you, and then boldly display it across your doors.
• Custom Gauges: Slip in a new speedometer. All sorts of interesting shapes and designs are up for grabs.

Color me bad.

Grease monkeys will be in hog heaven: The possibilities in terms of tinkering and tweaking are infinite. Literally anyone can build a custom auto that's unlike anything competitors own, and then take it out for a test drive. Be mindful of how much attention you attract, however—as those flashing sirens often indicate, not all of it's wanted.

Article by Steve Richter