Let’s say you’re involved in organized crime. Would you want to draw attention to yourself while driving around? Probably not. You’d want to drive something sensible, forgettable, & something that would keep you anonymous. Right?
▴2 Well, the Yakuza interpreted anonymity a bit differently. Known for wearing custom suits to cover their beautifully ornate full body tattoos, rocking dark glasses at all times, and travelling in large groups, the Yakuza’s definition of anonymity was quite different.
â–´3 For transportation, the Yakuza decided against flashy attention grabbing colorful transportation like the bosozoku. Instead they would drive inconspicuous, boring, mundane and conservative colored sedans.
They believed the police would ignore you if you’re cruising along in a car that didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. But the Yakuza couldn’t help themselves and just drive a stock car.▴4 They had to add a little flavor to the car to make it distinctive. They wanted a distinctive car that would blend in. :shrug:
That distinctive look came in the form of nicer wheels and lowered suspension. With a quick glance, their car would look like an ordinary sedan, but if you looked closer, it was anything but ordinary.
Similar to the association of low-riders & gang culture, the Yakuza style inspired the modification of cars that normally wouldn’t be modified & calling this VIP style. And like most car cultures, the longer a trend exists, the more intricate the modifications become.
â–´5 - â–´10 At first, it was just air suspension, wheels, tint, and widebody kits on luxury sedans. Then it moved to ornate details like curtains on the rear windows, sake serving areas, wooden floor mats, custom upholstery, upholstered tissue boxes, and neck pillows.
A car trend that originated as a way to avoid attention, has transformed into a scene where cars are looking to garner all the attention.
📸Sources: | wikipedia | @moto_club4ag |