Unless you built, souped up, or simply paid a fortune for your car, chances are your vehicle is -- first and foremost -- just a way to get around. Let's face it, for the vast majority of us, the car we drive means little more than an easier way to get from point A to point B, as well as a couple of payments at the end of each month.

I mean, would you honestly be comfortable telling people that your car is an extension of you, a representation or culmination of what you have accomplished, or an expression of your individuality? I won't generalize and presume to know how each person feels about what they drive. I am confident that most people, however, when talking or thinking about their car, are happy just to be able to say that it is paid for and that it rarely, if ever, gives them problems. This is, no doubt, a depressing notion when you consider that the automobile is one of the defining characteristics of 20th century American culture. Fortunately for car lovers everywhere, there are a few people in Houston who aren't willing to adopt and accept this attitude.

The art car -- a motor vehicle, which a car artist alters in a way that suits his or her own aesthetic -- is nothing new to the United States. In recent decades, we have seen the phenomenon express itself in the form of hot rods, classics, low riders and hippie vans. All of these represented an effort to express an identity, belief or passion in one way or another. It is that concept -- turning a factory-made commodity into a personal statement or expression -- for which one now need look no further than the streets of Houston.

Just over a decade ago, Houston established itself as the site where art cars from all over the United States convene annually to display their 1985 Dodge mutated into a 13-foot shark's fin, their station wagon disguised as a fruit bowl, or their motorized living room, among others. For many involved, the event, or movement, is a way to bring artistic expression and individuality to an industry that has succumbed to corporate uniformity. Last year, more than 200 vehicles cruised slowly through downtown Houston to gather at a multi-story car park to begin a night of festivities, capped off by the Art Car Ball, an annual extravaganza. The celebration takes place amidst a diverse collection of vehicles, whose content and meaning may express political, social, personal or purely decorative objectives.

The dramatic growth in popularity and participation served as the impetus for the creation of the Art Car Museum, also known as "Garage Mahal." Founded in 1998, the Art Car Museum is a private institution that serves as an exhibition for lesser-known local, national and international artists. Its emphasis is on art cars, other fine arts and artists, who otherwise get ignored by cultural institutions.

The museum is truly a sight to see, both inside and out. The exterior, describes Marty Racine of the Houston Chronicle, looks like a "multispired temple to some bizarre cult wrapped in tinfoil." On the inside, the Art Car Museum is both an art gallery as well as a garage. At any given time, small inside rooms feature about 40 impressionistic prints of the art-car phenomenon.

While the prints offer a unique and aesthetically pleasing representation of the movement, the real draw of the museum is the fleet of art cars. Most of the cars, draped by black backdrops, belong to the permanent collection of Houston art-car enthusiasts and patrons Jim and Ann Harithas. The couple owns a wealth of creations, which they store in a downtown garage that has become a work area for aspiring car artists. Every so often, the museum rotates its displays from the collection, so even long-time visitors have good reason to come back to ogle some more.

The following art cars are on display during the summer of 2000: