The Chick Magnet

Does the chick magnet exist? Can a car make a man more attractive? 

“Chicks must go mad for guys driving those”.

Those were the words of a friend of mine after I showed him a picture of a tangerine Ford Focus ST. Some guys seem to think all it takes to woo the ladies is a double exhaust, lurid body colour, 18-inch alloys and the mighty roar of a throttle. Are they correct? Can a man’s choice of car somehow make him more attractive and appealing to members of the opposite sex?

This notion sent me on a quest to find out if the chick magnet does exist. To find out I needed to ask some real women if a man’s choice of car could somehow give him greater pulling power (and we don’t mean by just how much torque the engine has).

I think it’s fair to say that most women will pay attention to a man’s choice of car, but not all will make judgments or rate attractiveness based on that. “I would notice the car but it probably wouldn’t influence me too much on what I thought of the guy,” says Marie from Cavan.

Louise from Shankill tells me that she doesn’t care what sort of car a man drives. But she does admit to having a soft spot for a man driving an Audi A6. “I do take note of an Audi A6. I’m totally drawn to them. For me they are masculine and very sexy. And the men that drive them are usually as red hot as the car they are driving!” says Louise.

While I can’t confirm that all men who drive Audi A6s are as gorgeous as Louise describes them, it is interesting that it is a masculine-looking car that catches her eye.

I’m inclined to think that the more a woman is interested in cars the more likely she is to rate prospective partners on their choice of car. Suzanne Keane, self-confirmed petrolhead and a regular contributor to www.wheelsforwomen.ie, says a car can make a man more attractive. She even operates a sort of points system to measure attractiveness based on some of her own criteria:

“I’d be interested in a guy driving an older, big-engined shiny beast but if he had a brand new Micra forget it,” says Suzanne. “A shiny car wins points, a big engine wins even more and having a cool, non-feminine car gets you bonus points!”

But for Suzanne there are other factors that come into play aside from the make and model of the car, for example, the condition and cleanliness of the car, the man’s driving ability and how he handles the car, and just showing passion for his motor can be an aphrodisiac too. “It’s one thing to go out and buy a car because someone told you it was cool, but it’s a very different thing to know all about its history and specification and actually be interested in your car,” says Suzanne.

Louise from Carlow says that she wouldn’t rate attractiveness based on the type of car a man drives but she thinks it can be an insight into his lifestyle.

“I think a car can be a bit like a choice of clothes. By that I mean maybe it can give you an insight into the kind of thing a guy does, or how he might see himself,” she says.

“For example, something like a Land Rover Defender might say to you this guy works on the land or on sites or shops in Avoca. It depends on your point of view then whether that’s a turn on or not!”

In the same way a new model Mercedes or BMW might suggest a different kind of lifestyle, says Lou.

So does the chick magnet exist? At the very least, we women do tend to judge a man based on his choice of car. Will you be more attractive if you drive a Porsche or a Bentley? It depends on the chick I would think. Luxury cars like that denote wealth and success in the same way that hot hatchbacks and butch saloons denote masculinity and daring, so yes there will always be women who are drawn to these attributes!