VIP style

VIP style (Japanese: ビップカー, lit. 'VIP car') is a car modification trend that translates from the Romanised Japanese term 'bippu.' It refers to the modification of Japanese luxury automobiles to make them lower and wider in stance, with more aggressive wheels, suspension, and body kits. VIP Style cars are typically large, expensive, rear-wheel drive sedans, although automotive enthusiasts sometimes use other cars such as minivans and kei cars.

Japanese-built Toyota Crown with VIP style modifications at the 2018 Osaka Auto Messe.

Japanese-built VIP style Toyota Crown Majesta at the 2016 Osaka Auto Messe.

American-built VIP style Lexus GS

An American built VIP style Lexus GS showing off common VIP interior mods such as diamond stitch seats, seat pillows and rear window curtains.

VIP cars were once associated with the Yakuza; however, VIP style modifications are now a subset of their own as automotive modifications. As a trend, it differentiates itself from the traditional origins of the term VIP otherwise associated with the concept of a "very important person".

The VIP style has become a loose appropriation of the term perpetuated amongst enthusiasts that goes beyond traditional VIP cars.

History

VIP modifications and their history have often been linked to the Yakuza. By using JDM cars with modifications associated with limousines, gangsters could avoid detection by the police and rival gangs.[1]

Both Osaka street racers and Kanto-area bōsōzoku gangs adopted styles in different ways. Osaka street racers, after suffering numerous police crackdowns on the Hanshin Expressway in the early 1990s, turned to sedans, after police targeted sport compacts, as a way to cruise while remaining incognito. The bōsōzoku in Kanto took a somewhat different approach by modifying sedans with cut coils and mufflers. The resulting cars were often bold and loud and known as "Yankee Style". Their styling cues were actually taken from Super Silhouette race cars of the 1970s and 1980s. They also drove recklessly, such as causing traffic jams and avoiding paying tolls. To mimic their Yakuza counterparts, they used large black sedans.

Characteristics

Cars associated with VIP style modifications usually have common characteristics, such as flashy "deep dish" wheels with low offsets that sit flush with the fenders, exhausts that stick out past the rear bumper, a body kit, glossy paint, and a lowered ride height. It is not uncommon to see significant negative camber on many VIP style cars. Traditional VIP style colours are usually black, white, grey and silver.

The appearance of these vehicles is regarded in Japan as conspicuous and attention-seeking, as owning this type of vehicle is expensive with regards to Japan's annual road taxes.

Cars used

The majority of VIP cars are Japanese Luxury sedans from major Japanese corporations such as Nissan Cedric/Gloria/Fuga, Cima/President, Leopard/Laurel, Nissan Cefiro from Nissan, the Toyota Aristo, Celsior, Century, Crown Majesta, Toyota Windom Mark X and Crown from Toyota, the Mitsubishi Proudia/Dignity, Diamante/Magna from Mitsubishi, the Mazda Sentia/929/Luce, Millenia, MS-8 from Mazda and the Honda Legend, Vigor/Inspire from Honda. As automotive enthusiasts began to put their own spin on VIP, everything from minivans like the Toyota Estima and Honda Odyssey, to smaller cars like the Suzuki Cappucino and Toyota bB, have received similar modifications.

United States enthusiasts use USDM Japanese sedans, such as the Lexus GS, Lexus LS, Infiniti Q45, Infiniti M45, and Acura RL.

Motorsport and aftermarket firm Impul is also well known for building kits for owners of VIP-style cars. Junction Produce[2] is also one of the most popular producers of VIP style parts, and their accessories are most commonly used in VIP-type builds.

Notes

1. Scott Tsuneishi, Keepin' it Gangsta Homie-san, Import Tuner, December 2006 (#93).
2. "JUNCTION PRODUCE WEB SITE". www.junction-produce.co.jp. Retrieved 2020-01-27.