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Revision as of 07:36, 10 May 2007
Bippu (pronounced vippu, or commonly known as V.I.P. or VIP Style in the west) refers to the modification of Japanese luxury automobiles to make them more fashionable and even more luxurious. Bippu cars are typically large, expensive, rear-wheel drive sedans, though automotive enthusiasts use other cars like minivans and Kei cars. Once associated with the yakuza, bippu modifications now are a subset of automotive modification.
History
Vip modifications and history have often been linked to the yakuza. It is claimed that vip came to be due to the risk of gangsters riding around in high-profile European sedans like the Mercedes S-Class or BMW M-Class. The attention could either bring about police action or retaliation from rival gangs. By using Japan domestic market cars with modifications associated with the creation of limousines, gangsters could avoid detection by the police and rival gangs.
Automotive enthusiasts caught onto these modifications, and adapted beyond luxury sedans, utilizing minivans and Kei cars. One advantage presented to enthusiasts is that such modifications can make a car luxurious without being expensive.
Characteristics
Cars associated with vip usually have common characteristics; usually large diameter rims (usually broad faced designs) with low offsets that sit flush with the fender, exhausts that stick out past the rear bumper (although not so much emphasized these days), a full bodykit or lip kit, glossy paint and a lowered ride height (usually with air ride or coilovers). It is not uncommon to see extreme negative camber on many vip cars. Traditional colors of vip cars are usually black, white, and silver.
Cars
Most vip cars are Japanese luxury cars like the Nissan President, the Toyota Celsior, the Toyota Aristo, and the Nissan Laurel, although many European cars are also known to be modified in such ways (most of them German luxury sedans such as the Mercedes S-Class). As automotive enthusiasts began to do their own versions of vip, everything from minivans like the Toyota Estima and Honda Odyssey, to keicars like the Suzuki Cappucino and Toyota bB have received similar modifications.
United States enthusiasts use U.S. domestic market (USDM) equivalents, such as the Lexus GS and LS series and Infiniti Q45.
Video games
In the arcade game Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune, Gatchan, one of the racers in the game, uses a Toyota Celsior as his street racing car. While regarded as a joke in the game, the car displays typical bippu modifications, including underglow neon and bodykits.
Notes
- Scott Tsuneishi, "Keepin' it Gangsta Homie-san", Import Tuner, December 2006 (#93).
- Chris Chase, "VIP Very Important Passion", Modified Luxury & Exotics, November/December 2006.