History Main / RiceBurner

* A spoiler on the trunk, supposedly to create downforce and bring the car closer to the road and thus reduce air resistance. The owner may have learned this from racecars doing this -- except ordinary cars don't go nearly fast enough to make use of a spoiler. What's worse is that they should be custom-built for the car in question, but most rice burners just have a hunk of plastic bolted to the trunk (the page image is admittedly an extreme case).[[note]]In most real extreme cases, it's a cheap piece of plastic adhered to the trunk by heavy-duty double-sided tape, made by people who specifically target ricer schmucks like these.[[/note]]

* The Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment game ''VideoGame/TruckKyosokyoku'' has you racing a ''dekotora'' against time to get to your destination, while occasionally tossing a rival which you must knock to destroy VideoGame/ChaseHQ style. Can also be considered a WidgetSeries because it brings in some very Japanese mechanics to the game. True to other Namco-Bandai racers, the game has a memorable EDM soundtrack.

* Every ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' game from ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedUnderground Underground]]'' to ''Nitro''. Especially when you make the mistake of doing it without putting any actual performance upgrades into the car first, which can make the game {{unwinnable}}. Worst of all, they don't affect performance whatsoever - positive or negative, with the exception of ''[=ProStreet=]'', in which they add [[AwesomeButImpractical drag, downforce, and weight.]]

** The two ''Underground'' games enforced it with the "star rating": the more expensive your body work or your paint job was, the more stars you had. The first game used the star rating as a multiplier for your in-game score; the second game, meanwhile, enforced a minimum star rating in order to advance to the next stage of the storyline.

The name derives from the perception that many of the cars so modified are Japanese, and tend to be thought of as boring, underpowered economy cars. This of course leads to UnfortunateImplications, which has led there to be alternative terms for cars from different parts of the world (''e.g.'' "pasta rockets" for Italian cars, "wheat burners" for American cars, or "kraut burners" for German cars -- not that this makes anything better), and the creation of the [[FunWithAcronyms backronym]] "RICE" (for "Race-Inspired Cosmetic Enhancement"). The term "rice burner" or "ricer" is a more American phenomenon; Brits would call them "chaviots" (from the derogatory term "chav", meaning LowerClassLout); Russians would call the process "ara-tuning" ("Armenian tuning", hinting at its popularity in the Caucasus region); Poles would use the term "agro-tuning" ("agriculture-tuning", suggesting this is a specialty of [[HalfWittedHillbilly yokels from the countryside]]); and Japanese have "{{Itasha}}" (a rice burner with an additional [[{{Otaku}} embarrassing fanboy]] aesthetic) and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekotora "dekotora"]] (for "decorated truck", the same principle but applied to big rigs). The kind of people who would drive such a car have long been known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_racer "boy racers"]] (or "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoon hoons]]" in parts of the British Commonwealth).

The name derives from the perception that many of the cars so modified are Japanese, and tend to be thought of as boring, underpowered economy cars. This, of course, leads to UnfortunateImplications, which has led there to be alternative terms for cars from different parts of the world (''e.g.'' "pasta rockets" for Italian cars, "wheat burners" for American cars, or "kraut burners" for German cars -- not that this makes anything better), and the creation of the [[FunWithAcronyms backronym]] "RICE" (for "Race-Inspired Cosmetic Enhancement"). The term "rice burner" or "ricer" is a more American phenomenon; Brits would call them "chaviots" (from the derogatory term "chav", meaning LowerClassLout); Russians would call the process "ara-tuning" ("Armenian tuning", hinting at its popularity in the Caucasus region); Poles would use the term "agro-tuning" ("agriculture-tuning", suggesting this is a specialty of [[HalfWittedHillbilly yokels from the countryside]]); and Japanese have "{{Itasha}}" (a rice burner with an additional [[{{Otaku}} embarrassing fanboy]] aesthetic) and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekotora "dekotora"]] (for "decorated truck", the same principle but applied to big rigs). The kind of people who would drive such a car have long been known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_racer "boy racers"]] (or "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoon hoons]]" in parts of the British Commonwealth).

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' reveals Boles Roor's Podracer from ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' to be this. This is further reinforced by the fact that, to quote the ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIRacer'' page on Website/ThisVeryWiki, it has an average default speed and [[MightyGlacier the maneuverability of a drunk hutt.]] However, the Podracer [[MagikarpPower can be upgraded to become one of the fastest racers in the game.]] Allegedly Roor spends more time on his singing career than on working on his Podracer ([[PutOnABus even quitting to be a full-time singer]] in ''Racer Revenge''), leading to him falling into this trope. This is despite the fact that he somehow [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome managed to win the Boontha Eve Classic twice.]]

** One such monster was the Datsun Honey Bee Drift Car, one of the world's most uncool cars (Jesse liked it for that very reason), which was gutted and filled with the insides of a [[CoolCar Nissan 350Z]]. At one point, they noticed the two cars had different wheel bases and the 350Z's tires would be sticking out of the Honey Bee's chassis; Jesse said the whole point of the build was to keep the Honey Bee's uncool look while giving it the heart of a beast.
* MTV's ''Series/PimpMyRide'' is largely based on this trope. Those customizations were, of course, done by professionals who know how to finely tune the car's performance to make the spoilers practical. Of course, that didn't prevent the producers from [[ExecutiveMeddling suggesting]] extremely inane and impractical modifications like having an in-car fishtank or a set of PSP conveyor belts in the trunk, the source of the "Yo dawg, I heard you like X" {{meme|ticMutation}}. This led to West Coast Customs leaving the show.

* The customisation tool in ''VideoGame/BeamNG'' allows you to lower certain types of suspension and swap parts between all variants of a car. Using this tool, you can "rice out" most cars by taking the ordinary base model of a vehicle, "stancing" it, and bolting on bodykits, shiny new rims, and other aesthetic features taken from the race or sport variants of that car, while leaving out all of the performance-enhancing components.

* ''VideoGame/ForzaMotorsport'' has a paint editor that lets you rice up cars. Quite a few people spent more time putting ''Manga/LuckyStar'' [[{{Itasha}} characters]] on their cars and selling them in in-game auctions than they did actually racing them. Along with that, many of the less exotic cars have a number of body kit and spoiler options, though most are lighter than the stock body parts on the car. The paint and vinyl editors are completely optional, while body modifications can affect the cars performance.

** It makes a return in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', with some cars having more extravagant options than others; as in ''San Andreas'', the visual mods do nothing to the cars' performance. Both Online and Story Mode allow you to bring your own car to races depending on the race type, as for the Story mode, only Franklin have access to night-time street races. It also comes up once in Story Mode: after Michael [[spoiler:reconciles with his family]], he gets his old, conservative luxury sedan back, only to find that [[DumbassTeenageSon his son]] [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy Jimmy]] had it extensively modified while it was in his care, complete with garish dollar-sign rims and a "La Cucaracha" horn. Michael is not amused. [[SubvertedTrope To Jimmy's credit, though, he also had some performance upgrades installed as well]].
*** ''Grand Theft Auto Online'' adds a handful of cars in its more recent updates that play the Ricer aesthetic completely straight. These include the Cheburek (a stand-in for the [=VAZ=]-2101), which has several tuning parts which are ''literally'' made of cardboard, and the Asbo (a stand-in for the Vauxhall Corsa C) which comes with a wide array of ludicrous cambered wheels, bodykits, extended bumpers and oversized sound systems that would make it right at home in the ricing scene of the UK's more run-down housing estates.

** In ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted Most Wanted]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedCarbon Carbon]]'', visual modification are made semi-optional, however visual modifications will reduce the "heat" meter, as it makes your car harder to recognize by the police. It's not necessary to make extensive modifications, though, and a few mods like roof scoops and hood details barely make a difference. Usually a change in paint job works well enough.

* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' through ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'', absurdly extravagant modifications are available for pimping out the most mediocre rides. It's most prominent with the Sweeper from ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', which can be decked out with post-apocalyptic spikes, blades, and boarded up windows that look badass but don't stop it from being a ''[[JokeCharacter street sweeper]]'' with some of the worst stats in the game. Unfortunately, you cannot bring your customized cars to races, although in ''Saints Row'''s case, it's because there are no racing side activities, with the exception of Saints Row 2, where bringing a souped-up vehicle would grant a significant advantage.

* In ''WebAnimation/MysterySkullsAnimated'' Lewis decks out Rooster's semi in a dekotora inspired fashion when he [[DemonicPossession possesses]] and steals the truck from the unfortunate trucker.

* [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/athfwiki/images/5/5a/Zucottimanicotti-aquateenhungerforceonadultswimvideo.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170421013731 Carl's car]] from ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'', "[[Letters2Numbers 2]] [[XtremeKoolLetterz Wycked]]", is an old Dodge Stealth ES with a trashy paint job, though to Carl's credit he does have a supercharger installed. However, it's rare we actually see it be driven; it often ends up being the collateral damage in whatever weirdness the ATHF are facing/causing/dealing with that episode.

* Scion's entire brand identity was based customization. The car itself cost a set, flat price, and the only factory option was whether to get manual or automatic. Then you would customize whatever you wanted to attach to it, and place the order online. Or just pick one up from a dealer if you don't want any.

* Nicely sent up in an advertisement for microwaveable snacks, showing young people meeting to show off their microwaves, complete with flame jobs, spoilers, and sound systems.

* A Snapple commercial had two factory workers put various toys and little lights on the Snapple bottles. With the end of the commercial being the foreman explaining to the workers that it was what's inside of Snapple that made it the best tea on earth.
* An Australian ad for Medibank Private (a health insurance company) has one of the actors sitting in front of a car like this (with the neon lighting strips lit up) saying how he doesn't want to spend money on stuff he doesn't need.
* [=DiGiorno=] had an ad stating their pizzas were not delivery pizzas. Their pizza sizzling in the customer's own oven was compared against a delivery pizza being thrashed about in a riced-out Honda Civic hatchback, complete with lowrider hydraulics.
* {{Parod|y}}ied in a Toyota Prius ad that had people showing off stock Priuses (Prii?) at a rally like they were modified this way.
-->'''Guy #1:''' ''(gestures at the rims)'' Are those stock?\\
'''Guy #2:''' Factory.

* One story arc in ''Over-Rev'' deals with the "Stock Car Wolf," an aspiring auto engineer who was obsessed with his father's "perfect" designs to the point that when his car was stolen and vandalized into a rice burner, he turned into a KnightTemplar who challenged owners of modded cars to race against his stock model, with the stipulation that if (''when'') they lost, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity their cars would be taken and stripped of their mods.]] [[spoiler:It takes losing to a "super stock" car - one that has been "modded" with subtle improvements to the original parts (in reality, restoring the original vision of the car engineers, before the marketing department messed up the specs) - to make him see reason.]]

[[folder:Film]]
* Although all the cars in ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' and its sequels are high performance, they are commonly accused of promoting this in {{real life}}.
** The first movie and ''Tokyo Drift'' in particular. All cars we see racing in the former are purpose-built for racing; Brian's Supra can kill a Ferrari with ease. While ''Tokyo Drift'''s Japan segment doesn't have any straight-line racing, that doesn't mean the cars lack power. Remember Han's "Mona Lisa" Nissan Silvia? Skyline GT-R engine. Besides, Sean's car in the states is a nice [[InvertedTrope inversion]]: a beat-up Monte Carlo that not only would make [[Film/DeathProof Stuntman Mike]] proud, but it can also keep up with a [[CoolCar Dodge Viper SRT-10]].
** ''2Fast 2Furious'' is the only part in the series that really plays this trope straight - with those two Mitsubishis supplied by the police. Brian gets a green Lancer Evolution, and Rome picks a purple Eclipse convertible. Both have flashy paint jobs and vinyls, but all that seems to be modded under the hoods is that the [=ECUs=] are bugged for surveillance. They require Brian and Rome's leet driving skills to outrun police cruisers, not to mention beating [[CoolCar a Hemi Challenger and a Yenko Camaro]] in a race.

* The Honda Civic in ''Film/GranTorino'' is a perfect example of this trope. Fear that this will happen to the title car [[spoiler:manages to sneak into the will-reading at the end]].

* Due to the rules of the show, ''Series/MonsterGarage'' was an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of this. For all of the modifications they did, the cars had to look stock, barring any obvious changes that were needed because of what kind of monster they were making that week.
** One time where the "must appear to be stock" did not apply started with a Rice Burner. It was a Pontiac Firebird that was given the body of a Ferrari Testarossa. The stock rule was waived because the goal was to make a parade float. The end result? ''The Evil Santa Float''.
** One such monster was the Datsun Honey Bee Drift Car, one of the world's most uncool cars (Jesse liked it for that very reason), which was gutted and filled with the insides of a [[CoolCar Nissan 350Z]]. At one point, they noticed the two cars had different wheel bases and the 350Z's tires would be sticking out of the Honey Bee's chassis; Jesse said the whole point of the build was to keep the Honey Bee's uncool look while giving it the heart of a beast.
* In ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'', one of Drive's various car-themed powerups is a dekotora called Deco Traveller. It's not seen very often and Drive hasn't even used its powers himself, but on its own, it can generate chains to ensnare enemies. The tie-in movie also features a full-size dekotora as one of the vehicles that the villain takes control of to send after the heroes.

* Parodied on ''Series/MadTV1995''. Bobby Lee plays a character [[https://youtu.be/vzjvwDsy5G0 who tries to use his riced-up car to pick up women]]. He claims his Daewoo could bounce but it's actually his friend in the trunk.
* Kryten does this to ''himself'' in the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Krysis", getting fitted with a Ferarri red shell with a head-spoiler, flashing lights, and shoulder-mounted speakers as the mechanoid equivalent of a MidLifeCrisisCar.

* Creator/GabrielIglesias was heckled by some Hispanic {{gangbangers}} for driving a VW Beetle. "Ey, how you get in there, ese?!" He came back to that area after having riced it up. They still heckled him. "Check it out, ey! It's ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious The Fat and the Furious]]''!"

* The Japan-only racing game series ''Bakusou Dekotora Densetsu'' is about racing riced-up trucks. Oddly enough, the bosses mostly drive stock trucks with better performance.
* Every ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' game from ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedUnderground Underground]]'' to ''Nitro''. Especially when you make the mistake of doing it without putting any actual performance upgrades into the car first, which can make the game {{unwinnable}}. Worst of all, they don't affect performance whatsoever - positive or negative, with the exception of ''[=ProStreet=]'', in which they add [[AwesomeButImpractical drag, downforce, and weight.]]
** The two ''Underground'' games enforced it with the "star rating": the more expensive your body work or your paint job was, the more stars you had. The first game used the star rating as a multiplier for your in-game score; the second game, meanwhile, enforced a minimum star rating in order to advance to the next stage of the storyline.
** In ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted Most Wanted]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedCarbon Carbon]]'', visual modification are made semi-optional, however visual modifications will reduce the "heat" meter, as it makes your car harder to recognize by the police. It's not necessary to make extensive modifications, though, and a few mods like roof scoops and hood details barely make a difference. Usually a change in paint job works well enough.
** The [[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed2015 2015 game]] offers reputation bonuses based on visual modification, as well as success in other areas (such as speed, style, and outrunning the police).
** ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedPayback Payback]]'', ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedHeat Heat]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedUnbound Unbound]]'' made body modifications completely optional, as for the latter, unlike the ''Most Wanted'' example above, the cop "heat" meter (which starts at 0 and rising, only at nights) are always reset to zero after you enter the garage out of the police sights at night.
* The ''VideoGame/MidnightClub'' series has a few of these in the first two games, but the trope really starts to become prevalent in ''DUB Edition'', where you'll find legions of AI racers with downright garish vehicles. Downplayed with the AI vehicles in ''Los Angeles''.
** And that's not even getting into the cars players can create in ''DUB Edition'' and ''Los Angeles''. Giant spinners and underglow on a Lamborghini Murcielago, anyone?
* ''VideoGame/ForzaMotorsport'' has a paint editor that lets you rice up cars. Quite a few people spent more time putting ''Manga/LuckyStar'' [[{{Itasha}} characters]] on their cars and selling them in in-game auctions than they did actually racing them. Along with that, many of the less exotic cars have a number of body kit and spoiler options, though most are lighter than the stock body parts on the car. The paint and vinyl editors are completely optional, while body modifications can affect the cars performance.

* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' through ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'', absurdly extravagant modifications are available for pimping out the most mediocre rides. It's most prominent with the Sweeper from ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', which can be decked out with post-apocalyptic spikes, blades, and boarded up windows that look badass but don't stop it from being a ''[[JokeCharacter street sweeper]]'' with some of the worst stats in the game. Unfortunately, you cannot bring your customized cars to races, although in ''Saints Row'''s case, it's because there are no racing side activities, with the exception of Saints Row 2, where bringing a souped-up vehicle would grant a significant advantage.
* Because ''VideoGame/WanganMidnight Maximum Tune'' has separate upgrade systems for tuning and Dress-Up parts, it is possible to go grinding for Dress-Up parts in Ghost Battle mode without touching Story Mode once, resulting in a flashy-looking car that's still stock under the hood (as low as ''64 HP'' if you're using the [[JokeCharacter Subaru R2]]).
* The Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment game ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ere2iYFEUxs Truck Kyosokyoku]]'' has you racing a ''dekotora'' against time to get to your destination, while occasionally tossing a rival which you must knock to destroy VideoGame/ChaseHQ style. Can also be considered a WidgetSeries because it brings in some very Japanese mechanics to the game. True to other Namco-Bandai racers, the game has a memorable EDM soundtrack.
* Creator/{{Sega}}, not to be outdone by Namco-Bandai, also released ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3GLtt46ltM 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker]]'' at around the same time, which also features ''dekotoras'' despite being set in [[EagleLand America]].

* Creator/GabrielIglesias was heckled by a group of Latino street thugs for driving a VW Beetle. "Ey, how you get in there, ese?!" He came back to that area after having riced it up. They still heckled him. "Check it out, ey! It's ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious The Fat and the Furious]]''!"

* The Delinquent Road Hazards in the Pixar film ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' are rice burners who bump Mack around on the road.

* Parodied on ''Series/MadTV''. Bobby Lee plays a character [[https://youtu.be/vzjvwDsy5G0 who tries to use his riced-up car to pick up women]]. He claims his Daewoo could bounce but it's actually his friend in the trunk.

The name derives from the perception that many of the cars so modified are Japanese, and tend to be thought of as boring, underpowered economy cars. This, of course, leads to UnfortunateImplications, which has led there to be alternative terms for cars from different parts of the world (''e.g.'' "pasta rockets" for Italian cars, "wheat burners" for American cars, or "kraut burners" for German cars -- not that this makes anything better), and the creation of the [[FunWithAcronyms backronym]] "RICE" (for "Race-Inspired Cosmetic Enhancement"). The term "rice burner" or "ricer" is a more American phenomenon; Brits would call them "chaviots" (from the derogatory term "chav", meaning LowerClassLout); Russians would call the process "ara-tuning" ("Armenian tuning", hinting at its popularity in the Caucasus region); Poles would use the term "agro-tuning" ("agriculture-tuning", suggesting this is a specialty of [[HalfWittedHillbilly yokels from the countryside]]); and Japanese have "{{Itasha}}" (a rice burner with an additional [[{{Otaku}} embarrassing fanboy]] aesthetic) and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekotora "dekotora"]] (for "decorated truck", the same principle but applied to big rigs). The kind of people who would drive such a car have long been known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_racer "boy racers."]]

* Big, loud exhaust pipes, or "fart cannons", which make everything sound [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound louder and better]]. The owner may have heard that a wider exhaust can improve performance, but this only applies to the whole exhaust system, so attaching a loud device to the end of the exhaust isn't going to change anything.

* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' through ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'', absurdly extravagant modifications are available for pimping out the most mediocre rides.
** It's most prominent with the Sweeper from ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', which can be decked out with post-apocalyptic spikes, blades, and boarded up windows that look badass but don't stop it from being a ''[[JokeCharacter street sweeper]]'' with some of the worst stats in the game.
** Unfortunately, like the ''San Andreas'' example above, you cannot bring your customized cars to races, although in ''Saints Row'''s case, it's because there is no racing side activities, with the exception of Saints Row 2, where bringing a souped-up vehicle would grant a significant advantage.

* Parodied on ''Series/MadTV''. Bobby Lee plays a character who tries to use his riced-up car to pick up women. He claims his Daewoo could bounce but it's actually his friend in the trunk.

** Unfortunately, like the ''San Andreas'' example above, you cannot bring your customized cars to races, although in ''Saints Row'''s case, it's because there is no racing side activities.[[note]]''Saints Row 2'' did have racing side activities but you drive a pre-determined car there.[[/note]]

* The 2020s have seen the birth of the "crossover" car; essentially a standard small hatchback but with a "ruggedised" exterior and a small amount of extra ride height, giving the cosmetic appearance of being an SUV or offroad vehicle, but in reality being just a standard hatchback which is either only marginally more suited to going offroad than the standard model, or not at all. Examples include the [[https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/car-reviews/honda/jazz/jazz-crosstar/ Honda Jazz/Fit Crosstar]] (essentially just a slightly ruggedised Honda Jazz hybrid, albeit a top spec one) and the [[https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/ford/fiesta/10-ecoboost-140-active-x-5dr/first-drive Ford Fiesta Active]] (a slightly ruggedised Ford Fiesta).

** One time where the "must appear to be stock" did not apply started with a Rice Burner. It was a Pontiac [=GTO=] that was given the body of a Ferrari Testarossa. The stock rule was waived because the goal was to make a parade float. The end result? ''The Evil Santa Float''.

** In ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted Most Wanted]]'' and ''[[[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedCarbon Carbon]]'', visual modification are made semi-optional, however visual modifications will reduce the "heat" meter, as it makes your car harder to recognize by the police. It's not necessary to make extensive modifications, though, and a few mods like roof scoops and hood details barely make a difference. Usually a change in paint job works well enough.

** In ''Most Wanted'' and ''Carbon'', visual modification are made semi-optional, however visual modifications will reduce the "heat" meter, as it makes your car harder to recognize by the police. It's not necessary to make extensive modifications, though, and a few mods like roof scoops and hood details barely make a difference. Usually a change in paint job works well enough.
** The 2015 game offers reputation bonuses based on visual modification, as well as success in other areas (such as speed, style, and outrunning the police).
** ''Payback'' and ''Heat'' made body modifications completely optional, as for the latter, unlike the ''Most Wanted'' example above, the cop "heat" meter (which starts at 0 and rising, only at nights) are always reset to zero after you enter the garage out of the police sights at night.

-->-- '''Maddox''', ''Website/TheBestPageInTheUniverse'', "[[http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=civic You Drive A Honda Civic, Not A Race Car]]"

The name derives from the perception that many of the cars so modified are Japanese, and tend to be thought of as boring, underpowered economy cars. This, of course, leads to UnfortunateImplications, which has led there to be alternative terms for cars from different parts of the world (''e.g.'' "pasta rockets" for Italian cars, "wheat burners" for American cars, or "kraut burners" for German cars -- not that this makes anything better), and the creation of the [[FunWithAcronyms backronym]] "RICE" (for "Race-Inspired Cosmetic Enhancement"). The term "rice burner" or "ricer" is a more American phenomenon; Brits would call them "chaviots" (from the derogatory term "chav", meaning LowerClassLout); Russians would call the process "ara-tuning" ("Armenian tuning", hinting at its popularity in the Caucasus region); Poles would use the term "agro-tuning" ("agriculture-tuning", suggesting this is a specialty of [[HalfWittedHillbilly yokels from the countryside]]); and Japanese have "{{Itasha}}" (a rice burner with an additional [[{{Otaku}} embarrassing fanboy]] aesthetic) and "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekotora dekotora]]" (for "decorated truck", the same principle but applied to big rigs). The kind of people who would drive such a car have long been known as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_racer boy racers]]".

* One story arc in ''Over-Rev'' deals with the "Stock Car Wolf," an aspiring auto engineer who was obsessed with his father's "perfect" designs to the point that when his car was stolen and vandalized into a rice burner, he turned into a KnightTemplar who challenged owners of modded cars to race against his stock model, with the stipulation that if (''when'') they lost, [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity their cars would be taken and stripped of their mods.]] [[spoiler: It takes losing to a "super stock" car - one that has been "modded" with subtle improvements to the original parts (in reality, restoring the original vision of the car engineers, before the marketing department messed up the specs) - to make him see reason.]]

** Unfortunately, like the ''San Andreas'' example above, you cannot bring your customized cars to races, although in ''Saints Row'''s case, it's because there is no racing side activities[[note]]''Saints Row 2'' did have racing side activities but you drive a pre-determined car there[[/note]].

* In Japan, [[JapaneseDelinquents the Bosozoku gangs take this trope and run with their]] {{Thememobile}}s. [[http://outsiderjapan.pbworks.com/f/1285049389/bosozoku_xB_front.jpg This is one of the tamer examples]].

Any ordinary consumer car that has had its outer body modified to give the impression that it's a high-performance vehicle. These modifications will be almost [[AwesomeButImpractical purely aesthetic]] and do nothing to actually improve the car's performance. The fact that the owner thinks otherwise shows you the kind of person who would drive one.

[[folder:Comic Books]]

[[/folder]]

* In ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'', one of Drive's various car-themed powerups is a dekotora called Deco Traveller. It's not seen very often and Drive hasn't even used its powers himself, but on its own, it can generate chains to ensnare enemies.

** The 2002 Range Rover from S10E03 had a custom paint job and large rims, but also a broken injector and suspension compressor.
** The 1995 Mazda RX-7 from S11E03 had visual modifications done to it, but the mechanics were kept stock and in need of repairs.

* ''VideoGame/ForzaMotorsport'' has a paint editor that lets you rice up cars. Quite a few people spent more time putting ''Manga/LuckyStar'' [[{{Itasha}} characters]] on their cars and selling them in in-game auctions than they did actually racing them. Along with that, many of the less exotic cars have a number of body kit and spoiler options, though most are lighter than the stock body parts on the car.

* Volvo at one point realized cars that came pre-packaged with "rice burner" parts.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' reveals Boles Roor's Podracer from ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' to be this. This is further reinforced by the fact that, to quote the ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIRacer'' page on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki, it has an average default speed and [[MightyGlacier the maneuverability of a drunk hutt.]] However, the Podracer [[MagikarpPower can be upgraded to become one of the fastest racers in the game.]] Allegedly Roor spends more time on his singing career than on working on his Podracer ([[PutOnABus even quitting to be a full-time singer]] in ''Racer Revenge''), leading to him falling into this trope. This is despite the fact that he somehow [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome managed to win the Boontha Eve Classic twice.]]

* Opel made [[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Corsa_Moon a concept car]] (link in German) that was apparently supposed to be a moon buggy but ended up looking like somebody replacing the wheels of a city car into monster truck wheels instead.

* In Japan, [[JapaneseDelinquents the Bosozoku gangs take this]] [[UpToEleven trope and run with their]] {{Thememobile}}s. [[http://outsiderjapan.pbworks.com/f/1285049389/bosozoku_xB_front.jpg This is one of the tamer examples]].

** There's also Kabuto, the main villain of ''[[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts Tokyo Mater]]''.