>>829155you have totally missed the point: the competition is not for the cars, but for the modifications. obtaining a car that somebody else modified would convey little to no social status because it reflects no personal skill, while the cars themselves are not scarce.
not to mention your example is simply ahistorical nonsense, which you totally ignored. a feudal landlord controls an actual scarce resource and derives his power from that, yet he is not bourgeoisie, he is an aristocrat.