Mighty Car Mods


Mighty Car Mods is a YouTube channel that focuses on DIY car modifications and car culture. Created by Blair Joscelyne and Martin Mulholland in 2008, the show has focussed on car culture through Australia, with most episodes centred around buying, modifying and testing vehicles with various budgets.
While typically based in Sydney, Marty and MOOG have travelled extensively to showcase car culture from across the world, creating various extended episodes, as well as multiple feature-length films from these experiences. They have filmed in locations including Japan, Cuba, Germany, the UAE, United States of America, Switzerland, the UK and New Zealand. Marty and MOOG also host 'The Unicorn Circuit' on their MCMtv2 YouTube channel, which keeps fans up to date with automotive news and includes fan submissions.

History

In 2007, Long-time friends and car lovers Marty and MOOG decided to start making videos to show fellow enthusiasts the ease with which you can modify a vehicle, regardless of your automotive knowledge or qualifications. The aim was to educate and inform their audience with a dash of Aussie humour, allowing amateurs to feel confidence to modify their cars while achieving a sense of satisfaction and ownership from bestowing personality on a stock vehicle. Mighty Car Mods debuted on YouTube in January 2008, with the first video showcasing the pair completing basic modifications and upgrades typical to the period on MOOG's 2001 Daihatsu Cuore.
Outside of Mighty Car Mods, Marty has worked in the music/audio production industry and is a sound engineer by trade, while MOOG is a composer and music producer whose work can be heard in commercials for Telstra, Arnotts, Optus, Amex, Ford, BMW, Coles Supermarkets, Loveable Lingerie, IBM, L’Oreal, Heinz, OPSM, Subaru, Origin, Lexus, Jetstar, Touchstone Pictures, Visa Inc, Mazda, Cascade Brewery, Discovery Channel, Renault, Wrigley Company, and Village Cinemas. He has released a number of solo albums and he has been involved with a variety of different bands and musical projects.
In 2022, Mighty Car Mods opened a Collaborative workspace named 'Super Garage' in Sydney, Australia

Format

The general format for episodes involves buying different cars and modifying them in a particular style or for a particular purpose. Vehicles are typically from what is colloquially known as "late-model Japanese and European tuning" scene with cars ranging in age from the mid-1980s through the 2000s. However, MCM has also done builds on classic Australian cars, as well as near-new Japanese and European vehicles.
Episodes generally commence with a semi-animated introduction, created by Gavin Tyrell, followed by Marty and MOOG giving either an introduction to the project or a rundown of previous episode's highlights. Episodes vary in duration, from 15 to 60 minutes, but most will typically run about 20 minutes.
Sometimes Marty and MOOG will set a challenge to each buy a car with a particular constraint, and build it independent of each other. The goal of these series is to then battle head-to-head in a series of challenges. Recently MCM has also participated in "Catch and Release" episodes where vehicles are brought in for only one or two episodes, then moved on. Other builds run for months due to the complexity and scale of the modifications being undertaken.
Typically, cars featured in builds will be given a name—often a pun such as Yaris Hilton or Taylor Drift—to build an identity with viewers. The show was originally filmed on Marty's mother's driveway and garage, but was moved to a private indoor location in Sydney in 2015, following issues with people posting spoilers or causing traffic issues in the suburban street.
The MCM duo have released several critically acclaimed feature-length films documenting automotive-focused travel, such as Turbos and Temples, Kei to the City, Chasing Midnight, Turbos and TemplesII, ''The Cars of Cuba, and most recently; Turbos & Temples III. MCM are the first Australian-produced automotive show to be aired globally on Discovery Channel, and MCM also appears on Qantas in-flight entertainment.
Some vehicles that were featured in the films, such as the Daihatsu Mira TR-XX in 'Kei to the City', and the Nissan March Super Turbo in 'Turbos & Temples II' have eventually led to the duo making multiple extended series, after having them imported from Japan and remodified or retrofitted to comply with the safety regulations set by Australia's Road laws.
All music used in the show and associated films is composed and produced by MOOG, with editing and uploading handled by both he and Marty. The mix of technical content with irreverent humor and high production quality has found a fanbase among a wide demographic of people. This has led to Mighty Car Mods'' videos being viewed more than 780 million times, making MCM one of the most successful shows of its type on YouTube.

Cast

Marty typically shows more hands-on mechanical experience in videos, while MOOG will often handle creative tasks involving design or aesthetics. Due to their background as amateur mechanics Marty and MOOG will sometimes enlist the help of industry-qualified experts for complex builds.
Special guests include Miles "Dose Vader" Stinton, Scott "Tuning Fork" Hilzinger, Benny "Mechanical Stig" Neal, and Alan "Turbo Yoda" Butler. Typically, these guests are known by their nicknames, with Turbo Yoda now hosting The Skid Factory from his home in Queensland, while Mechanical Stig fronts the Benny's Custom Works channel. Tuning Fork works at Haltech, while Dose Vader runs AM Auto in Noosaville in Queensland.

Project cars

The year shown is when the project began.
Project YearCar ManufacturerModelNickname/InformationFirst Appearance
2008NissanMarch Super Turbo
2009FordLaser'TRDLZR'
2009Mazda323Roof chopped to make a "Convertible"
2010NissanPathfinder'Zombie Proof'
2011SubaruLiberty
2011NissanSilvia
2011SubaruForester XT'MOOGARU'
2011DaihatsuCuoreBudget Show Car
2011SubaruFiori$50 DIY Stereo
2011DaihatsuCuore'The Blue Turd'
2011HondaCivic
2012MitsubishiGalant'The Off-Brand Takumi'
2012ToyotaCressida'Old Man Sleeper'
2012DaihatsuCharadeSupercharged using Leaf Blowers
2012VolkswagenGolf 'Budget Street Cred'
2013Nissan180SXFirst iteration of what becomes 'Tay Tay'
2013MazdaMX-51990 MX-5 NA
2013NissanFigaro
2014SubaruLiberty 'Supergramps': Revival of the first iteration of 'Gramps', a 2nd generation Liberty wagon /EZ36 H6-Turbo swap. Was colloquially known as "The 11 Second Car"
2015NissanSilvia 'Mod Max', General Motors LS engine swap
2015MiniCooperJDM model, with Honda B16B Engine Swap
2015VolkswagenBeetle'Miss Daisy' Subaru EJ25 swap
2016MitsubishiLancer'2SEXY'
2016Nissan180SX'Tay Tay', 180SX project car from 2013 repurchased
2017Nissan350Z'3FIDDY'
2017DaihatsuMiraThe Main Feature for the film 'Kei to the City' – An Australian-market model, retrofitted with the then imported JDM Mira TR-XX X4 from the film to comply with Australia's Road laws.]
2018HoldenKingswood Police Car livery, General Motors LS engine swap
2018MitsubishiLancer'2TWISTD', Mitsubishi 4G63 engine swap
2018Nissan240ZNissan RB26 engine swap
2019MitsubishiMitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9
2019SubaruOutback'OUTFAP'
2019ToyotaYaris'Yaris Hilton'
2019VolkswagenGolf R
2020BMW3 Series 'Black Ch-Ops', General Motors LS engine swap
2020LotusExige Sport 240
2020DaihatsuHijet TipperFull Custom turbocharger install
2020SubaruImpreza WRX STi
2020SubaruBRZ
2020ToyotaMR2'Mr. Poo'
2020SuzukiJimny
2021HondaCivic
2021MazdaRX-7
2022DaihatsuMidget
2022Nissan180SX
2022NissanMarch Super TurboThe main feature for 'Turbos & Temples 2'. A successor of Martin's first March Super Turbo in 2008
2022SubaruLevorgImpreza WRX STi engine and manual drivetrain swap/upgraded with an EZ30 H6-Turbo swap
2022ToyotaHilux
2022ToyotaGR Yaris
2022VolkswagenGolf R
2022VolkswagenUpIt is converted into Up GTI configuration
2023SuzukiSwift
2023Peugeot206
2024IsuzuGeminiBuilding Marty's first ever car. The fastest pizza delivery car in Australia
2024VolkswagenAmarok
2025MazdaMX-5
2025NissanSkyline
2025FordFalcon
2025MazdaRX-7