What's with the new fad of having a nice tidy motor, but let the bonnet get distressed/rusty etc?

Look awful. Seen today on a fairly recent sporty Corsa.

It's the "rat" look.

Looks f*cking gash, to be quite honest :(

i like it myself as long as the rest of the car suits

Saves worrying about stone-chips perhaps?

i have noticed the same on my neigbours corsa the rest of the car is like new but the bonnet has faded quite bad . it happened on her last corsa too :thumbdwn:

It's the "rat" look.

Looks f*cking gash, to be quite honest :(

Never knew that was the term.

Some pics - rat look - Google Image Search

I've got a lot of time for proper rat rods, but none whatsoever for the tosh that appears on Max Power. Some of the 1930s Fords looks stunning, and there's even a ratted split camper doing the rounds somewhere.

Not a fan at all :thumbdwn:

I don't get it

nope me neither.

It doesn't make much sense in the UK because our weather would destroy a car before it could build up such a patina, and we don't tend to have that many very old vehicles still in everyday use.

In the states though, where cars from the first few decades of last century are more commonplace and the weather in some states will allow for surface corrosion without any major structural damage, it makes sense as a kickback against the multi-million custom rod industry that has overly commercialised something a lot of petrolheads hold dear. The principle is to just leave the looks alone and work on the mechanicals, but sometimes with concessions to interiors.

What you end up with is a series of the meanest looking old crocks you'll ever see, generally running big block V8s with savage cams through straight pipes. It's a weird aesthetic, defiitely, but there's something primal about it that you can't help but admire once you see and hear them for real.

Rat look is really big among the air cooled VW lot. I can't see the attraction myself.

I've got a lot of time for proper rat rods, but none whatsoever for the tosh that appears on Max Power. Some of the 1930s Fords looks stunning, and there's even a ratted split camper doing the rounds somewhere.

I quite like the proper stuff... but all this stuff that claims to be "rat" nowadays is ****e

i don't get it either.Just seems plain daft to me.

There is a Vectra going about up here that has had its bonnet replaced by an unpainted one and that has been left to go rusty.... looks silly....

IHMO the rat look looks best on aircooled VeeDubs....

My favourite rat vehicles are old 1920-30s Fords - as you'd expect them to be tatty by now it sort of suits them. Type 'rat rod' into Youtube and you'll get some great videos, including this 1919 Willys..

Got excited there - thought my car was accidentally highly desirable in a Tim Westwood pimpy stylee.

I also have a distressed windscreen. And a distressed interior.

Never mind....

Nothing wrong with it on a suitably aged car like my friend's Camper that's just done in red-oxide primer , but a modern car with one rusty panel looks bizarre and crap