"I went to Wal-Mart to do some shopping, and on my way out was walking across the parking lot and noticed three guys staring at my car," Cathy Paulk of Fredericksburg, Va., says. I went to get in, and I heard one of them say, 'Oh my god, it's a girl!"'
And so it goes for one of the East Coast's top female tuners - the truth is some guys just don't get it. But they are starting to, especially when the women start scoring top show points up and down the eastern seaboard.
"After Carlisle (2000), I attended over 10 events ... I won three Best of Show awards, Judge's Choice award, one Second Place, a Third Place, Best Two-Door, Best Honda/Acura, a Top 25 and a Top 75," Paulk notes. Pretty good resume considering she first entered competition just two years ago.
For Paulk, the tuner hobby is an everyday addiction that has evolved into a full-blown career.
Now a parts manager and assistant service manager for Autothority Performance in Fairfax. Va., she gets to work with Hondas, Acuras, BMWs, Volkswagens, Porsches and the occasional Audi. When working with her own car, however, she utilizes the talents of her husband, Mike, who supports her pursuits 100 percent. Her car, a 1998 Honda Civic EX, keeps getting better and better and gaining more and more attention. But the stereotypes persist.
"There have been numerous times that I have been sitting at shows beside my car and guys walk up and ask if this is my car. Then they repeat the question in disbelief. Or they direct questions to my husband and he tells them that it's 'her car' and points to me," Paulk says. "They say, 'it's her car?'"
A few years ago, Paulk began watching her brother-in-law customize his vehicles. She became interested and started,working on her own vehicles, a 192 Chevy Camaro, a 195 Ford -Ranger, and her Civic. By April 1999, the Civic had taken shape and taken home first prize in a local show at Thomas Stone High School in Maryland. From that successful beginning the car, which features an extensive modifications list, began its metamorphosis into a top caliber show car.
"I try to be as educated as I can about the car, the parts on it, how they perform and what they do for the car," Paulk says. "When I'm asked questions, I can answer them confidently ... without making anything up."
Experience can be a good thing. In Paulk's case, the need to succeed has a powerful pull.
"In the beginning, I was all worried about looks and sounds before anything else. I wanted (the car) to look good - with graphics, shaved door handles, moldings - and I wanted it to sound good with the stereo," she explains. "But then I wanted it to go fast with a motor swap and a supercharger. The day I purchased the car, I never thought I would be doing an engine swap only two years after getting it. The motor we took out was still under warranty!"
After the bulk of the 2000 show season was over, Paulk decided to put an Acura Integra GS-R motor and a Jackson Racing supercharger in the car. She talked her husband and their friend Manuel Agosto of Laurel, Md., into doing the engine work. With 18-inch tires on the rear and slicks on the front, she took the improved Civic to the track and Agosto ran a 13.8 quarter driving it for her.
Racing, showing, sounding off - it's enough to wear a girl out. Then add to that the fact that she drives it 120 miles a day to work and back. But Paulk says she loves her work at Autothority because she gets to help others realize their ambitions. She loves the aspect of thinking about her car all day. It doesn't hurt that she has a great support system.
"My friends love it. They think it's awesome that a female is this involved with her car and knows about the products on the car," she says appreciatively. "But my family, on the other hand, is opposite. They frown on it because they think I'm taking a perfectly good car and changing it. 'If it's not broken, don't fix it' is their motto, I guess."
Paulk has worked hard on obtaining sponsorships and getting recognition. She sites one example of displaying her car in the Focal Wheels booth at the NOPI Nationals after she spoke with company representative Paula Simms.
Her main goal in 2001 is to keep making heads turn to take a good hard look at her and her Civic.
"With a Civic, it's very hard to be different. Maybe in the future I'll just race it and purchase something different and start over," Paulk admits. "For now, I'm going to continue to show and race the car. And I'll try to keep it as different as I can."
Paulk is making her second trip to Carlisle this year.
