VIP Style Cars - Origin and Definition

From the moment I got my first LS400, I learned about the VIP style. I had seen it on these cars but I had no idea there was a name for this style. VIP stands for Very Important Person but on cars, it has just become the designated term for this type of car.

It is really a style of modification and is called bippu in Japan. The style has its origins in the Yakuza and the LS400 (surprise!). When this car came out, it was perfect for them. It was big and had a powerful engine with rear-wheel-drive. It was just missing some things.

First of all, it's illegal to get dark tints on your car in Japan (maybe they changed it by now) so the Yakuza started putting curtains in their Lexuses for some privacy. You know, so they can do taxes, business, maybe some blow in the back with a... Let me stop. This is family friendly. Yes, those VIP curtains came directly from the desires of the Yakuza.

What else did they like?

Well they liked champagne and the aforementioned blow so they needed tables and cupholders. They come in small and large sizes and can be installed in the passenger seat or in the back. They fold down like in an airplane.

I think you get it by now. Imagine a VIP car as one that transports a Very Important Yakuza Person. It's luxurious to the point where you have all the comforts of home with the legroom to go with it in this car. The LS400 wasn't the only car though and not the first either. It is probably the one that made this style take off like it did, though.

Another common characteristic of these vehicles is stanced wheels. It's also a MUST that they are lowered. The bare minimum to qualify is a nice interior, exterior, and a lowered car. The lower the better in this case but I'm keeping mine high enough to not worry about speedbumps... Sorry Yakuza.

A lot of VIP cars have air suspension allowing them to drop down low and go back up higher to get over speedbumps and such. While a normal LS400 is extremely cheap these days, one that has gotten the VIP treatment sells for $10,000. There is a lot of time and money that goes into these vehicles.

This picture from Super Street is what initially inspired me when I got the black LS400. That interior is beautiful to me. There's some things I would change but man... Imagine your friend hopping in your new whip and this is what it looks like inside. Actually forget your friends, imagine a bunch of hookers doing blow in it.

That's one hot thing about these cars. Although some have thousands spent on the suspension and everything, you can't REALLY tell that the car is decked out until you step inside. This is when you're blown away. It's something you didn't expect. That's the 'Wow' factor of VIP cars. I take the first statement back a little bit. All of them look great from the outside. Nice big rims, paintjob... But some are low profile while some are obvious. Dropped to the ground, stanced... You probably expect a custom interior there.

The main brands people use are Infinity, Lexus, Toyota... Mainly Japanese luxury cars and some economy cars. This style IS Japanese. I don't even think a Lincoln (for example) can be VIP even if it has the same modifications... It's just not JDM. No, this doesn't make much sense but go with it, man.

On the flip side, there is always someone that will not like your car so do what you like. I'm sure a "VIP" Cadillac would be sick. I'm also sure they exist without the moniker of a VIP car.

I should mention that these are cruising cars. Some might have 400+ horsepower for when they need to catch a rival gang member or get the groceries super quick but these cars make you want to drive slow. They're for cruising around town. They have a strong presence. These are automobiles people notice. They're special because they're not Ferraris. They're even more special because to build one, you have to have passion. It almost becomes a lifestyle.

What attracted me to this is the fact that you can get into the hobby for pretty cheap. It will eventually cost you a lot of money to get your car where you want it but you can always take your time. And when it's finally in a state you want it to be, it will be that much more rewarding.

Buy a 90s luxury car for a couple grand and gradually add on to it. This is how it becomes a lifestyle. Obsessive people like me get addicted to this. Then we turn our Instagram into our car's Instagram and want to hurry and leave work to work on the car! Exercise caution. Especially going over speedbumps.