VIP Style has been around in Japan since the early 1990s. This was a LONG time before drifting even caught on in the USA. Early VIP car styling evolved from the cars owned by street gangsters, or bosozoku. These were the guys who slammed their Toyota Crowns and Mark II sedans super low to the ground with 15x10J negative offset wheels, loud exhaust systems and crazy sounding melodic horns. Some of the cars looked cool and clean, but most of them looked pretty crazy, with exaggerated 6 foot long exhaust tips and things like that. It was nuts! Most people in the United States wouldn't understand the appeal of these outlandish looking cars to the groups of young Japanese guys that started the trend… but as these guys became older, they began moving up to higher class cars and refining the look of their vehicles. This is when VIP styling really began to catch on. The forefathers of the VIP car movement took new, large, late model Toyota and Nissan 4-door sedans (at the time, Lexus and Infiniti brands didn't exist in Japan) and slammed them to the ground with massive, low offset wheels with several inches of wheel lip. If the car owner had lots of money, he would do this with a Mercedes Benz or a BMW sedan. However, when most people think of VIP style cars, they think of Japanese sedans. When thinking about VIP styling companies, one of the first brands that comes to mind is Junction Produce from Osaka Japan. They have been developing parts since the 1990s. Junction Produce started out as a car crew as well. They created their own body kits because they wanted the kits to reflect their own automotive style. They had no intentions of selling their body kits at first, but because of overwhelming customer demand, they went into business. Attention to detail is required when pursuing perfection in a VIP sedan. Tuan Nguyen of TN Auto Inspired in Los Angeles, CA spent over six years building his VIP inspired 2000 Lexus GS300 to strict specifications. No expenses were spared in his goal of building a VIP sedan that looked as though it came straight from Japan. Tuan installed nearly every single part that Junction Produce offers on his GS400 to make it look authentic as possible. Some parts were not readily available for purchase in the United States, so Tuan had many pieces custom made by hand, like his VIP woodgrain tables for the dashboard and rear interior. A brief list of modifications would include the entire 13-piece Junction Produce body kit, roof and trunk spoilers, Junction Produce Scara wheels, Type 2 exhaust, non-LED tail-lights, and lots of accessories. Tuan's JP Lexus received the ultimate in recognition when the owner of Junction Produce, Takahiro Taketomi, asked if he could feature Tuan's black GS300 on the cover of Junction Produce's 2012 calendar. Matt Campos is another fan of Junction Produce's clean, classy aesthetic. He purchased this 1998 Lexus LS400, which was an actual Junction Produce demo car, making its debut in the United States at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in 2004. Although the exterior of the car was for the most part kept as Junction Produce originally built it, Matt decided to install an extremely sought after set of 19 inch Leon Hardiritt Orden wheels from Japan, and redo the interior of the car to his liking. He added several Junction Produce leather wrapped pads and cushions to the seating of the car, as well as LED lighting to illuminate the interior at night. The windows have been outfitted with Junction Produce privacy curtains with Swarovski crystals to set the mood when Matt's playing his favorite axebario music with the upgraded stereo navigation headunit and CD changer. Many VIP car enthusiasts would consider it a privilege to own a Lexus LS400 that was actually built by a premium Japanese VIP brand like Junction Produce. This being said, Matt is extremely careful driving his LS around on the streets of Los Angeles. To clear steep driveways, he utilizes an Air Runner suspension setup, which allows him to raise the car several inches so that his authentic aero doesn't crack. Modern conveniences like air suspension are definite necessities for fully kitted cars like Matt's LS and Tuan's GS when they're roaming the streets of Los Angeles trying to function. We can only hope that with future advancements in air suspension technology, it will become even easier to drive low, executive class sedans like these ones on a daily basis! -Antonio Alvendia
