So yesterday my business partner and long time friend,
Daniel, rolled into the shop with a whole new look. He finally mounted his wheels, off his 350z, onto his daily transport-- a '98 Infiniti Q45. What's really crazy about it is that the wheels are
fuggen ginormous! As stated before, the wheels, being that they were meant for a 350z which has huge fender flares, are sized pretty aggressively (width and offset), so the fact that they even fit in the tiny wheelwells of the Q45 is mind-blowing.
A bit of a history lesson: The look and style of a modern day, upper class japanese sedan sitting on the ground with huge wheels, aero kit and bare minimum fitment, is called V.I.P. in Japan, or pronounced (with japanese accent) "Bee-Pu". The cars are usually a higher end, luxurious sedan with aero kits ranging from the extravagant to the subtle, sitting on huge wheels with massive polished lips in the rear. Now don't get this mixed up with no DUB shit. That shit is NOT cool, unless you're some rapper or athlete, which then is totally EXPECTED and pretty much LAME and cliche. The kicker of this is that it is a look that was popularized by the Yakuza, or the Japanese Mafia. Being that most of what the Yakuza represent in Japan is looked at as absurd and generally bad (the actual term "Yakuza" comes from a Japanese card game, called Oicho-Kabu and means "good for nothing"), the V.I.P. look has a certain appeal to it.
Although the yakuza often insist on their origins as Japanese "Robin Hoods" and protectors, some scholars trace their beginnings to the kabukimono (raving ones), also known as hatamoto yakko (servants of the shogun). These groups of rōnin (masterless samurai) adopted strange hair styles, dressed in an outrageous manner, spoke in vulgar and specialized slang, carried unusually long swords and harassed ordinary people. And the same can generally be said for modern day Yakuza. From the slicked back hair, to the full body suit tattoos, the cars speak the same extravagant language that is associated with their history and overall look.
Front:
Work Rezax II: 20x9
Rear:
Work Rezax II: 20x11
Although offset specs on wheels will remain secret, you can divulge in the pics ;)
FRONT wheel-- and YES! that IS a pack of Camel Lights for reference to the lip size....
REAR wheel...
Butter Fitment....