learn more about the best cars to modify. for generations, people have been modifying cars all around the world, but the most significant car scenes since the '50s have been america, japan, and germany. the joyful post-war america is where modifying cars really has its origins. while the economy grew in the 1950s, hot-rod culture flourished. by the 1960s, baby-boom kids were teens with money in their pockets and a desire for speed as muscle vehicles poured off detroit's assembly lines in their numbers. the rising demand for personalization was fueled by nocturnal racing and cruise culture.