Hooniverse Asks- What are the Coolest Factory Flares?

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You ever notice that car makers rarely put wide enough wheels on their cars? And of course by the time they’ve realized the error of their ways it’s too late, the car already having hit the dealer lots riding on its bicycle tires. That’s not the end of the story however, because too-narrow tracks can, and often are, fixed by way of one of the coolest styling tropes ever imagined, the muy macho fender flare. Those width-enhancing add-ons allow not only for a wider track – and hence the prospect of better handling – but also the chance  to make the cars look ten times better.

Don’t believe me? Compare Porsche’s flareless 924 (meh) to the flarelicious 944 (yeah, baby!), the transformation is miraculous. In fact, fender flares are one of the most common go-to tropes for engendering a car with its go-faster creds. Just think of the Mercedes 500E, BMW’s E30 M3, or any one of Subaru’s WRX STi editions. Flare! Flare! Flare!

Factory flares are so common a styling means to an implied performance end that it goes without saying that some are handled a little better than are others. Points are made for pounding out the flares in the metal, less so when they are plastic add-ons. The question for today however is which of these fabulous factory flares do you think is the most hep, cats? What do you say, what are the coolest factory flares? 

Image source: Influx

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80 responses to “Hooniverse Asks- What are the Coolest Factory Flares?”

  1. Garland137 Avatar
    Garland137

    Low hanging fruit:
    <img src="http://bdpmotorsports.com/era327front34.jpg&quot; width="600">

  2. wheelsontoast Avatar
    wheelsontoast

    Mk 1 Renault 5 turbo, hands down http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_5_Turbo

  3. muthalovin Avatar

    Flare to all the things!
    <img src="http://www.imsupport.net/picts/DesaRaptor.JPG&quot; width=550>

  4. muthalovin Avatar

    Mmmmm. Flare. And beers. Lots of beers.
    <img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8348/8229096720_19846de52f_z.jpg"&gt;

  5. $kaycog Avatar
    $kaycog

    Ford Bronco concept that they should have made.
    <img src="http://specsandprice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2012-Ford-Bronco.jpg"width="500"/&gt;

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      That's LEGO, right?
      😉

  6. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    I've heard of people getting their warranty claims (initially) rejected for having "big wheels and aftermarket body modifications" on bone-stock Syclones.
    <img src="http://media.caranddriver.com/images/10q2/352113/1991ndash1993-gmc-syclone-photo-352200-s-1280×782.jpg&quot; width=500>

  7. wisc47 Avatar
    wisc47

    You've asked this before. I'm sticking with my original answer.
    <img src="http://eurocars.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/mercedes-benz-190e-evoii.jpg"&gt;

    1. OA5599 Avatar
      OA5599

      [youtube U5YClmS3umk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YClmS3umk youtube]

      1. tiberiusẅisë Avatar

        I've got a piece of flair to add to her outfit.

    2. desolit Avatar
      desolit

      what the hell is that!?

      1. pj134 Avatar
        pj134

        http://www.engineswapdepot.com/?p=2533
        (saw it in an advertisement on the right yesterday evening)

  8. Gnitto Avatar
    Gnitto

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/nNROGjV.jpg"&gt;
    perfection.

    1. LTDScott Avatar

      Those subtle flares are how I helped a co-worker find an E500 for sale when he thought he was looking at photos of a standard W124.

  9. danleym Avatar
    danleym

    OK, this is completely unrelated, but it is two wheel tuesday, so whatever.
    I got to ride a motorcycle for the first time yesterday. A friend just got an 84 KZ700. He rode over to my place, and promptly told me to take it for a ride. After a quick briefing on how to ride, I took it for a lap around the neighborhood. It was amazing. I never got above 25 or 30 mph, but it was absolutley amazing. I want one. So bad. I've spent the morning searching craigslist and ebay. Anyone know how much it costs to ship a motorcycle?
    And just so I'm not completely off topic, AMC answer for the day:
    <img src="http://www.javelinamx.com/javhome/jwr/82sx4/0719-02.jpg&quot; width=500>

    1. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
      Peter Tanshanomi

      RiderCourse, RiderCourse, RiderCourse!
      Seriously, you need more than "a quick briefing on how to ride."
      http://msf-usa.org/index_new.cfm?pagename=RiderCo
      If the bar-and-sheild culture doesn't make you physically wretch, Harley's Rider's Edge courses are the same content with a little more time to flesh stuff out (plus some needless H-D promotion).
      http://www.harley-davidson.com/riders-edge

      1. danleym Avatar
        danleym

        Oh yeah, I know. I didn't feel comfortable doing more than a quick ride around the neighborhood, and even that was a little uncomfortable. I would definitely take a rider course before going anywhere that there are other cars to contend with. I was surprised at how easy I was able to get going and figure out shifting (not any different in idea than with a car, but I thought I would have more trouble adjusting to the different motions), but I was also surprised just how difficult I found it to make a tight turn at low speed. I didn't expect that to be hard.
        I'm no Harley fan and wouldn't even consider buying one, but I've heard of their courses before and wouldn't be opposed to attending one. There's actually a big Harley dealer right down the street that I'm pretty sure does these, so that might be a good option.

        1. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
          Peter Tanshanomi

          When my wife learned to ride, we both took the Harley Rider's Edge course, and overall we were pleased. She's 6' tall and didn't want to be stuck on some little 250 with too low a seat, which is what a lot of the other MSF courses use. The Buell Blast is a pretty crappy bike overall, but it's more of a full-sized chassis and actually handles very nicely at range speeds. As an added bonus, the engine runs like crap off-idle, so you'll get good training coordinating the throttle while feathering the clutch, which is something really counter-intuitive to people who drive manual cars who have been taught their whole life not to slip the clutch.

    2. Number_Six Avatar
      Number_Six

      Please take a rider course.
      After that, please don't let someone talk you into buying something like a GSXR-600 or 750 as a "good beginner's bike".
      Finally, please do the following:
      1) Set a budget
      2) Immediately set aside around 25% of your budget just for gear. It may seem expensive but it can mean the difference between a bruise and a skin graft, plus good gear will last for years and years. Skills + gear > bike

      1. IronBallsMcG Avatar

        +1 Gear has saved my ass more than once.

      2. dead_elvis Avatar

        Depends on what your budget is. My first bike was $600 (this was in '91), but a decent helmet, simple leather jacket, boots, and gloves still came to about $400. I'll never have a leather jacket as my sole jacket again – textile riding gear is enormously improved, and can keep you from succumbing to the "oh, it's too hot & I'm not going too far" mistake.
        $1500 for a starter bike, and $800 on semi-decent gear isn't unreasonable. I'm real fond of my own skin & tender bits, and thus, riding in jeans is a no-go. Levis aren't really much better than riding in shorts. ATGATT from the outset – it's easier to instill good habits than to break bad ones.

        1. danleym Avatar
          danleym

          I looked yesterday, and I could get into a full set of gear for around $600, $800 if I got a textile jacket, too. I think $1500 is as much as I would spend on a bike- I want to be in the "won't care too much if I drop it because I'm sure I will at some point" price range. So I think a total budget of $2500 should be enough to cover gear, a rider course, and the bike. I may need a couple hundred more for motorcycle license fees and registering the bike if I do end up spending the full $1500 on the bike.
          Unfortunately, the financially responsible thing at the moment is to not buy one just yet, as much as I want to. I think I'll reevaluate in a few months, and if start putting a little away and try harder to sell some of the random car parts I have sitting around the garage.

    1. Alff Avatar

      Ive never seen the FC concept. Very cool.

      1. pj134 Avatar
        pj134

        … How? Just genuinely curious. Maybe you've just learned to tune me out very well. I would too, if I were anyone here.

    2. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
      Irishzombieman☆
      1. IronBallsMcG Avatar

        ♫♪ Here I am! ♪

      2. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        Usually it's not a good thing when your Jeep does that…

  10. POLAЯ Avatar
    POLAЯ

    What flares came with the coolest factory car?
    <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DYLmTd1lY-g/UTSuGPrmlPI/AAAAAAAADGI/EmGsdVzjERs/s1600/1.jpg&quot; width="600">

  11. engineerd Avatar

    All other factory flares are pretenders.
    <img width=500 src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Lancia_Stratos_HF_02.jpg"&gt;

    1. BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ Avatar
  12. karmatose Avatar
    karmatose

    I want to say E30 M3 but that's just too easy an option to go with (and mentioned in the question). So something else from that period that turns my crank:
    <img src="http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimages/325952/rallyewit1.jpg&quot; width="600">
    Mk2 Golf Rallye.
    … I have a thing for box flares

      1. marco Avatar
        marco

        No offense the golf enthusiast but it's like apples vs oranges.
        <img src="http://dev.hatchheaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/lancia_delta_integrale_evo-1_martini-5_92_1.jpg&quot; width="600">
        <img src="http://img2.netcarshow.com/Lancia-Delta_Integrale_1992_1280x960_wallpaper_03.jpg&quot; width="600">
        <img src="http://www.elaborare.com/files/2012/07/lancia-delta-integrale-rossa.jpg&quot; width="600">
        Coolest factory flares coupled with the coolest factory rims.

  13. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
    Irishzombieman☆

    E30 M3. Subtle and beautiful.
    <img src="http://paultan.org/images.paultan.org/images/History_M3_E30_1.jpg&quot; width="500/">

  14. Bryce Womeldurf Avatar

    It's tough to beat a 993 in my opinion.
    <img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/504833653_906925c95d_o.jpg&quot; width="600">

  15. JayP2112 Avatar
    1. Alff Avatar

      Thanks a lot for sending me over there…
      http://bringatrailer.com/2013/04/28/nissan-presid

  16. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    Didn't you ask the exact same question just seven weeks ago?
    http://hooniverse.info/2013/03/12/hooniverse-asks-

    1. danleym Avatar
      danleym

      (does Obi-wan Jedi wave thing)
      These questions are not the same…
      Go ahead and answer the question…

      1. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
        Peter Tanshanomi

        Okay, but damn if I'll give the same answers.
        <img src="http://www.machine-history.com/sites/default/files/images/chevrolet1947FleetlineAerosedan.jpg"&gt;

    2. pj134 Avatar
      pj134

      Take it easy, he's getting forgetful in his old age.

  17. CABEZAGRANDE Avatar
    CABEZAGRANDE

    <img src="http://www.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/240Z-064_EO3q_0.jpg&quot; width="600">
    My answer remains the same as it was the first time, the Fairlady ZG, otherwise known as the 240ZG. These flares make any S30 look a billion times more awesome than they already do, and the same can be said when you put them on basically any Japanese vehicle made between like 1950 the year 2000, and a whole lot of non-Japanese cars besides. And while a very limited homologation special, these ARE factory.

  18. Devin Avatar
    Devin

    I don't normally go for 911s but for this one I'll make an exception.
    <img src="http://sportwagen.online.fr/images/911_993/911_993_turbo_s.jpg"&gt;

    1. DKG Avatar
      DKG

      Love this car. I got the opportunity to see it in person and it was massively impressive.

  19. Slow_Joe_Crow Avatar
    Slow_Joe_Crow

    I'm surprised it took this long to post the Ur Quattro
    <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/33/MB_quattro.jpg/800px-MB_quattro.jpg&quot; width="500">

    1. engineerd Avatar

      That was actually the first thing I thought of before I went to the Stratos.

  20. suprasteve Avatar
    suprasteve

    I am biased, but I need to do my duty. 82-86 Celica Supra
    [IMG ]http://www.celicasupra.com/images/river1.jpg[/IMG]

    1. suprasteve Avatar
  21. salguod Avatar

    I have an odd sense of deja-vu. Maybe you will too at my answers.
    <img src="http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/2985/4581/7462290004_large.jpg&quot; width=600>
    <img src="http://i345.photobucket.com/albums/p371/jeffb2/SuperCoupe/2SuperCoupes.jpg&quot; width=600>
    <img src="http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/camaro-gallery-1980z28.jpg&quot; width=600>
    Not sure how anyone can call that era 'malaise' with so many colors, stripes and flares.

  22. hwyengr Avatar
    hwyengr

    All these responses and no 930? For shame. For shame.
    <img src="http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2008/03/16/19/02/1987_porsche_930-pic-4182.jpeg&quot; width="500">

    1. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
      FuzzyPlushroom

      Take a SEAT, please.
      <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2uvovvKQ71r9s9xyo1_1280.jpg&quot; width=600>

  23. muthalovin Avatar

    You have so much flare with a guitar.
    <img src="http://news.siobhansquire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Beetle-Fender.jpg&quot; width=550>

    1. engineerd Avatar

      I see what you did there.

    2. Alff Avatar

      Do you like this flatware pattern? We have it at home … it's called "Gibson Flare".
      <img src="http://images.replacements.com/images/images5/flatware/G/gibson_flatware_flare_stainless_fork_P0000250301S0003T2.jpg"width=500&gt;

    3. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
      FuzzyPlushroom

      I was at least going to post this one…
      <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Volkswagen_New_Beetle_RSi.jpg&quot; width=600>

  24. Verdegrrl Avatar
    Verdegrrl

    Alfa 75 (Milano) IMSA spec
    <img src="http://alfa75imsa.com/uploads/3/1/4/6/3146843/3855466_orig.jpg"&gt;

  25. KAH Avatar
    KAH

    my first thought was the Renault 5 Turbo but I see it was an early post so I'll add the
    FIat 131 Abarth
    <img src="http://cdn2.carsdata.net/pics/Fiat/fiat-131-abarth-06.jpg&quot; width="600">

    1. Alff Avatar

      Box flares make everything better.

      1. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        As do triple windshield wipers!

    1. sporty88au Avatar
      sporty88au

      The standard small flares look good, but the wider L34/A9X flares look better:
      <img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5307/5591844738_542c28949c_z.jpg&quot; width="600">

      1. dr zero Avatar
        dr zero

        That was what I was after, but I was lazy with my GIS.

  26. ansonchappell Avatar
    ansonchappell

    My newest purchase. I blame "Wagon Wednesday" for this lapse in judgement.
    <img src="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152727835405707.1073741825.869010706&type=3&quot; width="600">

  27. YKallroad Avatar
    YKallroad

    Sorry, trying again.
    My newest purchase. I blame "Wagon Wednesday" for this lapse in judgement
    <img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ansonchappell/8701143322/in/photostream&quot; width="600">