---
title: "What Is the Absolute Worst Car Build You’ve Ever Seen?"
description: "Bonus points if it was on the SEMA show floor."
date: "2020-09-01"
modified: "2020-09-01"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/36109/what-is-the-absolute-worst-car-build-youve-ever-seen"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
---

# What Is the Absolute Worst Car Build You’ve Ever Seen?

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-01-at-2.04.22-PM.jpeg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The car-o-sphere is a wild and oftentimes maddening club to subscribe to. Depending on where you live, what you're into, and sometimes even how you were raised, your taste in cars—and therefore car builds—can vary greatly. And because not every one of these car builds can be a 10, we're curious, what's the absolute worst car build you've ever seen?

While Subject One might think that adding a four-foot-tall wing to the trunk lid of their clapped-out [Honda Civic](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/32292/these-are-all-the-changes-to-the-2020-honda-civic-type-r-and-why-they-matter>) is, by all means, a good freaking idea, the truth is that it isn't and most of us will cringe at the sight. The truth is, you don't need much downforce to deliver pizzas.

The same goes for Subject Two, who decided to cut a massive hole on the hood to make sure the $49.99 cold-air intake from Autozone gets the exposure it damn deserves. And how can we forget about Subject Three, whose oversized wheels turned an economy sedan into a miniature monster truck?

https://youtube.com/embed/JVUScuZ_YPA

Of course, these horrible builds aren't always limited to rookies out in the field. More often than not, so-called "professional shops" and "expert builders" are responsible for some of the worst builds out there. Listen, I've been to [SEMA](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/35415/the-2020-sema-show-in-las-vegas-is-finally-canceled>), and I've seen some things—things that can't be unseen—typically in the shape of non-functional equipment and poorly-executed welds.

Crappy builds aren't limited to cosmetic snafus, but also mechanical ones. As we found out this weekend, a homebuilt Audi RS3 with over 1,000 horsepower ended up *au*

 *flambé* when it [caught fire and lost its brakes at over 150 mph](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/36070/watch-this-1100-hp-audi-rs3-catch-fire-and-lose-its-brakes-at-150-mph>). That's definitely a bad build.

So, it's your turn now, tell me about the worst car build you've ever seen. If you have photos, even better.

*Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com*

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)