Just a little confused.

Hey there. I'm new to the whole VIP movement and I would like to clear up confusion. I know the VIP Style originates with the Yakuza in Japan and the whole Gangster / "Family" Lifestyle...but what I don't get about this particular style, IE: lowering of luxury cars, bigger rims with radical offsets, airbags...etc.

Why introduce it in 2007-2008 as "VIP-Style" when this has been happening in the US for at least 15 to 20 years with the Mini-Trucking / Car Club crowds since the early 80's? Hell every Rap artist has been lowering their high dollar rides, large rims, airbags, etc... since the early 90's.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I jumped on the Honda-Tuning bandwagon in the early 90's, and have owned Civic's, CRX's, Accords, and now an Element, but VIP-Style is not the hottest "New" craze...when this has been happening for the longest time with the California Car Club Culture for only God knows how long.

I'm not hating...and I am totally a fan of this look, but why call it something different now?

Ed.

Although a lot of the elements are used in different car modding cultures, you must remember that this style also has it's roots in earlier decades. 
 
To say that VIP is nothing new and is the same thing under a different name is just a generalization. Why stop there? why not say that all modding is a bastardization of hot rodding? or wait why not say that even chariots in the old Roman Empire were also modified to the liking of the chariot driver... hence that's where vehicle modding started? or wait better yet you can make the assumption that the body is a "vehicle" of sorts for our souls and that people have been into body modification since pre-historic times so that's where it originated?
 
When we generalize of course we will be able to diminish everything to it's lowest common denominator... this style is very particular.... you either get it or you don't, but if you see it as a generalization to start, chances are... you don't.
 
Welcome to the boards, read a bit and you'll hopefully see more than just everyday mods in these cars. :biggthumpup:

Something also that you need to understand is its not about any car having a certain look(lowered, single digit offsets, bags) its all about the platform. If it isn't a one of these distint platforms its not VIP period.

I respect every aspect of auto-modding as much as the next auto-enthusiest, and it seems pretty clear to me. Even the early 90s rage for sport compact tuning began in Japan years before hitting our shores. This style of modding luxury cars is not new, but because of current exposure some may express it in that light. However, it has evolved in many different ways. The acceptance of new platforms seems to be the largest step IMO, straying away from the org. ones. Also the infusion of traits in sport cars (Lux) and micro tuning (k-cars). At some point everything is borrowed, but will be used if different fashion. Today more then ever because of the affordability of luxury cars. Not to mention, but if I had the means to have done this earlier in life, I would have. N E wayz, welcome to the site, be open and try not to over anaylize cause you'll just end up killin it.

[quote=HellBent34;182820]Why introduce it in 2007-2008 as "VIP-Style"...[/quote]
 
It's not that its just now being presented as "vip style" it's that vip is just now gaining recognition in the u.s. it's my understanding that some of the older vsc members have been into this style since the late 90s. i have no time-frame as to the beginning of the concept of vip nor its origins. what i do know is its been around a while.
 
'97:
 
[IMG]http://tanetane92.web.infoseek.co.jp/014651.jpg[/IMG]
 
[IMG]http://tanetane92.web.infoseek.co.jp/014681.jpg[/IMG]
 
[IMG]http://tanetane92.web.infoseek.co.jp/014621.jpg[/IMG]
 
1990. at this point there seems to be a thin line between (whats i would call) early vip and boso style:
 
[IMG]http://tanetane92.web.infoseek.co.jp/006572.jpg[/IMG]
 
[IMG]http://tanetane92.web.infoseek.co.jp/006781.jpg[/IMG]

everyone here has a point... but what it really comes to down to is the US is a few steps behind Japan... I just had a photoshoot  done with my car for a luxury Japanese
magazine **LUXG** and all i can say is  Japan automotive industry has changed big time... The photographer quoted "VIP is soo played out and dead over there"...There all importing CADILLACS, 300c, Chargers over there now..... Everyone wants to go bigger rims and brighter color paint jobs....

BlackOnBlack, there isnt really such a thing as "boso style". There's the Bosozoku motorbike gangs and there is the Yankee cars they sometimes drive (older cars with ridiculous bodywork), its not just bosozoku that drive those cars though... Those cars you pointed out are all early vip styled cars
 
VIP started way back in the early 90s as simply a class of car styling that involved the "vip" class cars. This class of car is the big japanese sedans that were being built to compete with the euro luxury sedans. A bit like you have honda tuning (involving hondas), or Minitrucking (involving mini-trucks), it was just something to describe the people who choose to modify that class of car. I think it was "Young Car" magazine that first showed a Cima sitting on some oldschool BBS rims, and after that you started seeing more and more until they had their own magazines
 
Early styling followed European styles, such as those produced by AMG and Brabus, but the Japanese tended to exaggerate the stylings and by the late 90s it was all VERY out-there, massive widebodies, bright paint, mega dish; Basically taking the euro styling to caricature level extremes. I started noticing it around the early 2000s, and i loved the fact that they were doing this to luxury cars...
 
Since then it has been mellowing out, and a few distinct looks have come out of it; flush fitments, crazy camber and luxury accents (note i didnt just say big wheels and slammed; thats been done in every genre). The look became so distinct that "vip style" is now used on cars that are not vip class, but share these same styling accents.
 
Btw, this info is taken mainly from what i have read in the mags (notably Vip Car X, which has a great writeup on the history, and showing early magazine covers etc), online chat sites and also discussion with owners here
 
The fact that its only being introduced to the US now is a bit of a shame because lately the lines have been blurred, and the styling is not as distinct as it was before. I kinda see what the photographer was saying when he mentioned that it was played out; I see more fully tricked DUB cars on the streets here, than i do VIP cars (still far less than the tricked out vans which are everywhere :biggthumpup:), but the scene is still alive and its evolving. Please stick around and you will see from pictures alone that this styling is NOT just about cars dumped on big wheels...

this is a very good point because to be honest when i first started to see some pictures it did resemble some "rap music video cars" that did turn me off at first. i didnt want to be stereotype as a "thug, rapper, drug dealer, rich wannabe" (for those from or know MD they will know) but then i saw some CLEAN Japanese cars (old and new) with the vip theme  that totally caught my eye, real agressive stance cleanly done. how do you distinguish between VIP and the "thug, rapper, drug dealer, rich wannabe" style? and what separates the two?

Currently: The cars that it involves, and the origin of the parts
 
A year or 2 back: FLUSH fitment with smaller (<20") diameter but wider wheels
 
 
But to the uninitiated, probably not much. They wont be able to put their finger on it, but the VIP cars will make them stop and stare (happens all the time in Sydney!)

wow interesting info.. nice argument though, did think about it once.. time to get schoooled! =D

I'm glad to see some have cleared up the difference for me.

Althought there are endless threads on this lol 
 
 
Probally not stickied thou, glad the members was able to post about it thou

Fuk Japan! Yeh I said it.....Suxx we're so dependent on their products that we spend crazy money for these parts.

blasphmey(or how ever you spell it) im telling my mom.....