An 18-year-old man has been fined after allegedly driving a dangerously modified Ford Falcon from Shepparton to Chapel St, with tyres so large they were rubbing against the wheel arches and shedding tread.
Police say the lowered vehicle was losing so much tyre tread during the trip that it was deemed unroadworthy when inspected in Melbourne.
Officers immediately grounded the car and issued the driver an $814 fine for operating an unsafe vehicle.
The driver also had to cover the cost of having the vehicle towed from the inspection site.
The teenager was pulled over by Prahran Highway Patrol as part of a recent blitz to test for roadworthiness.
More than 400 vehicles were pulled over, with hoon drivers the focus.
The blitz ran across four nights in October and November and resulted in 259 defect notices being issued to drivers in hoon hotspots in St Kilda, Prahran and Windsor.
Vehicles suspected of being illegally modified were pulled over by local highway police and inspected by mechanics from the Department of Transport and Planning.
Police also targeted driving offences including drug and alcohol impairment.
