Mighty Car Mods is a YouTube channel that focuses on DIY car modifications and car culture. Created by Blair "Moog" Joscelyne and Martin "Marty" 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 (within the law) 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 ("How to pimp your car for $500") 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
On 17 August 2026, a selection of the MCM videos was added to the National Film & Sound Archive alongside 9 other creators in a collaborative partnership with YouTube, this collection includes physical items from the channels history to be displayed in Canberra alongside the videos.
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 (HQ Holden), as well as near-new Japanese (Subaru BRZ) and European (Audi RS3, VW Golf R, Lotus Exige S240) 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 (budget or style of car), 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 950 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 (with his offsider, Ben "Woody" Wood) 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 carsThe year shown is when the project began.'''
+ Project Year Car Manufacturer Model Nickname/InformationFirst Appearance 2008 Nissan March Super Turbo 2009Ford Laser'TRDLZR'Mazda323Roof chopped to make a "Convertible"2010NissanPathfinder'Zombie Proof'2011SubaruLibertyNissanSilvia (S15)How To Buy a Japanese Car (In Japan)SubaruForester XT'MOOGARU'Subaru Forester XTDaihatsuCuoreBudget Show CarSubaru Fiori$50 DIY StereoDaihatsuCuore'The Blue Turd'HondaCivic2012Mitsubishi Galant'The Off-Brand Takumi'ToyotaCressida'Old Man Sleeper'Daihatsu CharadeSupercharged using Leaf BlowersVolkswagen Golf (MK3)'Budget Street Cred' 2013 Nissan 180SX First iteration of what becomes 'Tay Tay'Moog Buys Marty A CarMazdaMX-51990 MX-5 NANissanFigaro2014 Subaru Liberty (BG/BP) 'Supergramps': Revival of the first iteration of 'Gramps', a 2nd generation Liberty (Legacy) wagon (BG)/EZ36 H6-Turbo swap. Was colloquially known as "The 11 Second Car"Gramps – the 11 Second Car (BG) Supergramps – Part 1 (BP) 2015 Nissan Silvia (S15) 'Mod Max', General Motors LS engine swap Mini Cooper JDM model, with Honda B16B Engine SwapVolkswagen Beetle'Miss Daisy' Subaru EJ25 swap 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer '2SEXY'Nissan180SX'Tay Tay', 180SX project car from 2013 repurchasedMOOGS NEW CAR! 2017 Nissan 350Z '3FIDDY' Daihatsu Mira The 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.Kei to the City [Drift Feature Film – Japan] 2018 Holden Kingswood (HQ) Police Car livery, General Motors LS engine swap Mitsubishi Lancer '2TWISTD', Mitsubishi 4G63 engine swap Nissan 240Z Nissan RB26 engine swap, later the engine parts were upgraded, the turbo is reverted to a single Garrett G30660 single turbo rather than the original twin turbo configurationBuying a rare JDM 240Z from Japan - FINALE 2019 Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 Subaru Outback 'OUTFAP' Toyota Yaris 'Yaris Hilton'Introducing: YARIS HILTON Volkswagen Golf R (Mk7) 2020 BMW 3 Series (E30) 'Black Ch-Ops', General Motors LS engine swapBLACK CH-OPS Lotus Exige Sport 240 Daihatsu Hijet Tipper Full Custom turbocharger install Subaru Impreza WRX STi (2-door) Subaru BRZ Moog's New Car (Does Good Skids) Toyota MR2 'Mr. Poo'Turns out my 'super clean' Toyota MR2 turbo is a piece of ....SuzukiJimnyOur First 4X4 Build (SO MANY MODS!!) 2021 Honda Civic (EP) Mazda RX-7 (FB) 2022 Daihatsu Midget Nissan 180SX 180SX – DREAM BUILD Nissan March Super Turbo The main feature for 'Turbos & Temples 2'. A successor of Martin's first March Super Turbo in 2008Turbos & Temples 2 Subaru Levorg Impreza WRX STi engine and manual drivetrain swap/upgraded with an EZ30 H6-Turbo swap (known by Martin as 'Hypergramps' in lieu of 'Supergramps' and 'Gramps' prior) Toyota Hilux We Bought the CHEAPEST HILUX in Australia (then fixed it in ONE DAY) Toyota GR Yaris Volkswagen Golf R (Mk8) MK8 Golf R | Should you buy one? | The Good, The Bad & The UglyVolkswagenUpIt is converted into Up GTI configurationTrying to Guess Marty's New Car (Blindfolded!)2023SuzukiSwiftPeugeot206DaihatsuCuoreI Bought Marty a New Car (why doesn't he like it?)2024IsuzuGeminiBuilding Marty's first ever car. The fastest pizza delivery car in AustraliaMy First Car (but better) Isuzu Gemini Build Volkswagen AmarokWe Built The WORLDS BEST 4X4DaihatsuCopenA NEW CAR! it's the best JDM Convertible Sports car EVER MADEToyotaRAV4OUR NEW PROJECT CAR!NissanCubeMY NEW PROJECT CAR - SuperCharged!2025MazdaMX-5 (NC)My NEW CAR is FASTER THAN YOURS!Nissan Skyline (R32)I BOUGHT THE CHEAPEST GT-R IN THE WORLDFord Falcon (XR8) I BOUGHT THE CHEAPEST V8 IN THE COUNTRYMazdaRX-7 (FD)FD RX7 The Ultimate Rotary Sports Car2026SubaruImpreza'4DMILF'Buying A Modified Car Off Marketplace (Without Seeing It First)MitsubishiLancer'4DMILK'Buying ANOTHER Sexspec Car off Marketplace (SIGHT UNSEEN)Honda CityHonda City Turbo II, The Main feature for the film 'Kei to the City 2'KEI TO THE CITY 2 (Automotive Feature Film - Japan)MiniCooper'Mini Cooper S JCW'We Tried To Get SCAMMED on Facebook Marketplace Buying CarsMercedesE43'Mercedes-AMG E43 Wagon'I Imported the best value car of all time (from Japan!)BMWM140i'BMW M140i'I Finally Bought One (Yes It's Good)DaihatsuCharade'Mr Gold Charade'I bought the Cheapest Modified Show Car In The Country (Without inspecting it first)HoldenMonaro'Barranaro'I just bought the BEST V8 EVER MADE!SubaruLegacy'GTB E-Tune'My NEW Car will be the most powerful EVER
Reception Part of MCM's success stems from the hosts' relatability as everyman car enthusiast, as well as their humorous and laconic nature, and their desire to tackle complex tasks and learn new skills along the way. Their first feature-length film titled Turbos and Temples was well received by critics and motoring fans when it premiered at Hoyts Cinema, Fox Studios, in Sydney. So far their videos have garnered more than 950 million views on YouTube, with almost five billion impressions.
MCM used to publish a digital magazine, which is still available on their web store along with digital downloads of MOOG's music and show merchandise. In 2018, to celebrate their 10th anniversary, Mighty Car Mods released a limited-edition hardcover 128-page book titled The Cars of Mighty Car Mods, featuring illustrations of all the cars they worked on in their first 10 years. This was updated for 2019 with a further 30 cars added and The Cars of Mighty Car Mods: Modified Edition''.
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