I'm with KY Dan here. I change sports cars every 2-3 years and enjoy the process of getting to know the car in its "normal" state and then slowly doing (usually minor) mods to enhance the driving experience to just the way I like it.
I personally believe that the vast majority of sports cars offered on the market are not as fast, tight or loud as they could be due to: (1) the compromises that manufacturers make to broaden the appeal of the sports cars to people who are not going to drive them all out on cliff-hugging roads the way I do, and would rather have sports cars that look fast but are a bit softer, smoother, quieter and easier to live with (2) allowances manufacturers make for people doing things like putting regular gas into engines that need high octane gas (3) the desire to maximize gas mileage figures and (4) the need to obey the noise laws of various markets.
ECU tunes for example, can easily add 15-20% hp and torque by simply doing a very light reprogram that assumes you will always use high octane fuel and care more about performance than gas mileage, and though the addition of a freer flowing exhaust and intake system doesn't add as much hp and torque as an ECU tune, it has the additional benefit of allowing gear heads like me get to hear the engine wail a bit louder when I am going all out. Same goes for suspensions - while I was stunned at how well set up my Renault Megane Trophy RS was right out of the box, I have been quite disappointed by several other sports cars I've had - Did a ton of work on my old M3 (way too soft with too much roll) my old Alfa 147 GTA (way too front heavy) and my Golf Gti (adaptive suspension was pretty decent but needed some additional bracing to control the roll more in tight corners).
I tend to avoid modifications that are visible (except for an occasional wheel upgrade) and focus only on hidden ones that enhance handling, performance or sound. I am loving my JCW (my first Mini) but coming from a 320hp BMW M135, I did miss the explosive power I had in almost every gear and think that my first mod for the JCW, the NM Engineering Power Module, which adds 30-40hp and noticeably improves the pull in every gear was a very good one. Not sure what my next step will be, but probably something to enhance the sound of the JCW under load (either a carbon intake or the Remus muffler if they start offering the valved one in Japan).
Anyhow, all I can say is that I love cars, love driving them, love listening to them, and love trying to figure out ways to personalize and coax a little bit more out of them than we get off the assembly line...
