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Another interesting angle, Brookside. Too much of a "good thing" is, in fact, too much.
You might say that in the car world, the manifestation of this is the tuner and/or hot rod culture, both of which eschew balance and proportion in favor of extravagant and sometimes grotesque forms. Seems more prevalent in the identity-confused North America, whereas in Europe, my perception is that the art of "improving" cars is more true to racing culture, a la AMG, Rinspeed, etc. The epitomy of grotesque excess for me is what tuners do to Escalades and Hummers, etc., what with the five TV screens and stereo systems that occupy 1/2 the trunk space, neon lights and adjustable suspensions.... Way overboard and proof that some have more money than good taste.
Personally, I can only think of a few aftermarket conversions I would ever want to own (unless the intention was to race it), as I've always favored the balanced design of the original car, particularly in the case of the finer marques like BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar and Audi. Aside from changing wheels and perhaps dropping the suspension a 1/2 inch, I've always found that the myriad of aftermarket tuner options mostly serve to distort the original concept, instead of enhancing it...
Needless to say, when I get my 2-series, I'll shoot for the best BMW has to offer (235i M Sport, please) and bask in BMW's unfettered interpretation of the compact sports coupe...
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