What makes a vip car

First I will say that in my opinion, the whole debate over what is VIP or not is pretty unnecessary. The exact origins of the term itself are not well known and seeing the other strange terms that Japanese have come with before, I don't think one should try too hard on setting standards for what "VIP" is. Trying to put a textbook definition on what a VIP car should be is like trying to define what a "Hot Rod" is.

While some have said that the Yakuza Japanese mafia or high ranking executives use VIP style cars, I think that is primarily untrue and I have seen nothing that leads me to believe those sorts of people actually roll around in slammed Celsiors with huge wheels, aero kits and loud exhausts.

Instead, most of the VIP-type cars that I see in Japan are owned by regular "non-VIP" people who simply enjoy the cars and the camaraderie that comes with them. While I have read some things that have claimed that "real" VIP cars can only be one of a handful of different models and even can only be certain colors, I have to disagree with those "rules". I have seen all sorts of cars in Japan's VIP magazines that do not fit those standards.

In my opinion many different cars can be done in "VIP" style as long as the right attention to detail is put forth. When looking at this late 70's Toyota Mark II, you can see that the aggressively sized wheels, stretched tires, negative camber, and low ride height were all carried over into what is considered today as VIP style.

When they got older and got more money they moved onto Cimas and Aristos, but still wanted to modify them. Some have also said that VIP type cars started to get popular when Osaka area street racers switched to the stealthy sedans from their high profile sports cars in order to avoid attention from the law.

The VIP roots also continued through the '80s as seen as above. Cookie Settings Accept All. Manage consent. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.

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Necessary Necessary. Functional Functional. Performance Performance. Between increasingly stricter speed limits, heavier policing, and speed cameras in some parts of the world, extracting some fun out of sporty, exciting cars is just getting harder.

But what if there was a way to still feel cool while never feeling compelled to break the speed limit? The answer is VIP. This often controversial style that is slowly becoming more widespread outside of its homeland has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, and it has inspired what I hope to be the first in a series of appreciation posts for various worldwide car culture scenes.

But first, how did this scene come to be? As ever with a custom car subculture that came from Japan, its birth wasn't without an association with crime. While there is some debate, it's said that the trend kicked off in the 80's and 90's. Although often associated with the Yakuza the Japanese mob , it's usually said that street racers turned to big sedans to cruise in, after the police cracked down on sportier cars.

Either way, the renaissance of this style came after, with the rise of the Japanese luxury car. At the end of the 's, Toyota showed the world that the Japanese could do luxury cars just as good as the established German brands, when they launched the Lexus LS globally. With its competitive pricing, industry-rivaling features, and reliability far better than the competition, it was a massive success for Toyota, and kicked off the Japanese luxury revolution, with Infiniti and Acura also gaining huge success overseas.

Back in Japan, the LS was marketed as the Toyota Celsior as they wouldn't get Lexus-branded cars until the mid 's, but its arrival was arguably the catalyst for the modern VIP scene. Toyota's smaller sibling to the Celsior, the Aristo the Lexus GS to all you non-Japanese folks had an equally massive impact on the style.

Also, although more expensive when new, the ultra-luxury Toyota Century, used for transporting high ranking executives, government officials, and the Emperor of Japan, also became a popular choice for the VIP scene, as did established models such as the Toyota Crown.

Some cars normally more associated with the drift scene, the Toyota Chaser, Mark II, and 2-door Soarer, as well as the Nissan Laurel began to be used as well. Some more creative minds turned from big sedans to even vans, like the egg-shaped Toyota Previa or the Nissan Elgrand, or even kei cars like the Suzuki Wagon R. Obviously as time goes on, the people in this community get their hands on increasingly new machinery, and now even the latest models are fair game.

With a creative mind, it's possible to turn almost anything into a VIP-spec build, and the limit is simply the builder's imagination.

It's not any more ridiculous than Donks. Don't hate. Besides, VIP style isn't about being taken seriously. The Yakuza have enough things going on that are way more serious. It's about looking good, dude. And who doesn't like to look good? Yeah, I can tell. You smell kinda funky, too.

You should maybe think about getting some style. The A. By Michael Ballaban. Shop Early Black Friday Deals.