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mroe Wahyudi, Pujiyono Wahyuhadi and Bondan PJ are not related by blood, college or workplace. But they are bound by their common interest in four-wheeled vehicles.

Their passion for automotive pursuits is obvious when they are talking about their cars. Their eyes are widening, they are blushing and they talk excitedly.

The men are members of the Forum for the Communication of Automotive Club and Community (FK3O), a forum which boasts around 90 car clubs in its membership. Established in November 2008, the forum has organized car-related events, such as a car race at Sentul International Circuit, Bogor, a try out at the Karawaci Circuit in Tangerang, Banten and a safe driving seminar.

They also have monthly events in shopping mall fX on Jl. Jendral Sudirman to showcase modified cars. In January, the theme was Back to Nature, featuring cars fit for off-road, touring and adventure activities.

February observed Romantic Cars, bringing in two-seater cars made for couples. March will have Premium Cars, while April will focus on Women on Top.

"The fun side of this forum is that we can get information about where we can get spare parts for our cars. We can have new friends and get help if we get trouble on the road," Amroe, the forum's leader, said.

A member of Indonesia Getz Owner (Inago), Amroe said that he decorated and modified his cars, a 2002 Timor sedan and a 2004 Hyundai Getz, according to his preference especially regarding the car's speed.

For his Timor sedan, Amroe replaced the steering wheel with the racing model. He also added on several speed-related knick-knacks, such as tachometer and lubricant temperature meter.

For the Hyundai Getz, the 42-year-old puts some accessories such as hood pin, racing rim and Tarmac rally tires so that his car looks like a rally auto.

Another speed modification is applied by Bondan, 34, an employee at an insurance company and owner of a Honda Accord. The modification focuses more on the engine, by remapping the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) into the one applied on racing cars.

For the exterior, Bondan lowered the suspension. While a standard car uses lubricant for its suspension, his car uses gas, just like a racing car.

"From the outside, it looks just like another Honda Accord. But if you ride it, you can feel the difference because it can run faster than the normal Honda Accord," he said.

Meanwhile, Puji created a retro car out of his Suzuki Karimun car. He painted the car in the duo-tone of white and orange and incorporated many Volkswagen (VW) Beetle accessories, such as lamps, rear mirrors and rims, into his car. Puji also changed the grill into the retro-styled one and applied white wall tires.

"I have put so many VW accessories into the car that if I bring my car into the Suzuki workshop, the mechanics will wonder what a VW is doing there," the employee of an IT company said.

Some people also have strange ideas for car modifications. According to Puji, there are three or four Karimun owners in Karimun Club Indonesia that have created a taxicab style out of the cars, by putting a black-yellow checkered pattern on the sides and a taxi flag headlight on top.

When asked about how much money they spent on modifications, they refused to disclose.

Puji said that there were a wide range of modifications possible, from interior to engine to sound system. Therefore, he added, the amount of money needed would be different from one car to another.

"I have a friend who buy his cars for Rp 60 million, but the modifications amount to Rp 40 million because he has added a state-of-the-art sound system to his car," Puji said

"I consider modifying cars as priceless. In some cases, the amount of money to modify the car can reach the amount needed to get married again," Bondan said, laughing.

"Car modifications are expensive because the parts are imported, so it really depends on the exchange rates. I have spent between Rp 50 million and Rp 70 million on car modifications," Amroe said.

With the ever-changing trend in automotive, the hobbyists simply have to find a style that they like most. Amroe said that while there were many people modifying their cars, there was a group of people who restored their old car to its prime condition as when it was rolled out from the assembly line.

"For those who like to restore cars, the challenge is to find the original spare parts. I have a friend who tries to restore his Mitsubishi Lancer, and he's been working hard to find the original Enkei Compe rim," Amroe said.

Bondan said that the current automotive trend is Hellaflush, in which the car is made as low as possible and had rims as wide as possible. As a result, the car will look wide and bloated. He predicted that the trend would return in 10 years from now.

However, Puji added, the forum not only has helped members on car modifications and information, but also strengthened the users' bargaining position.

"We can lobby car garages or lubricant producers to give special discounts for specific brands. In return, we give feedback to them," he said.

For more information on FK3O, there's the official website www.fk3o.org, mailing list fk3o@yahoogroups.com and Facebook fan page FK3O.