Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it, as well as customizing it. The original American version is hosted by rapper Xzibit. Recently, episodes from Pimp My Ride UK hosted by DJ Tim Westwood, which features cars being customised in the UK, and Pimp My Ride International, featuring cars in central Europe, hosted by hip hop artists Fat Joe and Lil' Jon as well as the related Trick My Truck have begun airing on MTV2. The font used in the title screen is a TrueType font known as PT Banana Split.[1]
Contents
1Format
2Notes
2.1Seasons 1-4
2.2Season 5
3Pimp My Ride worldwide
4Cars featured on the show
4.1U.S. Version
4.1.1Season 1
4.1.2Season 2
4.1.3Season 3
4.1.4Season 4
4.1.5Season 5
4.1.6Season 6
4.2UK Version - Pimp my Ride UK
4.3Pimp My Ride International
5Pop culture references
6Legal action
7Similar programs
8Rumors
9Criticisms
10External links
10.1References
10.2Official links
10.3Fansites and resources
Format
The show picks young car owners (requirements limit participants to ages 18-28, according to the recent audition rules on the GAS website--see below) living in the Los Angeles/Southern California area. An episode of Pimp My Ride generally begins with the participant showing his or her car off, and convincing MTV why it needs to be "pimped". After this segment, rapper Xzibit shows up at the participant's house, takes a look at the car himself, makes wisecracks about the particular things that are wrong with it, and promises the owner a complete makeover of the vehicle. The car and owner are real but the homes and wisecracks are mostly staged.
After examining the car, Xzibit takes it to a custom body shop, West Coast Customs (WCC) in Seasons 1-4; replaced by Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) in Season 5), where the shop team generally replaces most of the components and rebuilds the interior and exterior from scratch.
Each car is a custom "pimp", tailored to the personalities and interests of the owners. For example, a Need for Speed: Underground 2 fan had his car painted to look like one he customized in the game, while a bowler had a ball washer installed in his trunk, and a surfer got a full-size dryer (or at least one that fit) in the back of his Volkswagen van. Work usually includes new paint, accessories, chrome, tires and rims, and internal electronics (even, and especially, DVD players, video games, TFT screens of excessive size and other top notch gadgets). Most changes are only cosmetic, and mechanical work is generally only done to enable the car to run. However, the show has replaced entire engines with new high performance motors. Customization and extra gifts usually total around US$20,000 (though the show usually doesn't put much emphasis on costs). However, both WCC and GAS are well-known for putting their own whimsical touches in their work, such as the aforementioned dryer, or an electric fireplace in the trunk of another vehicle.
At the end of the show, a car is revealed to its owner, as well as all the details of the renovation and the custom features; in addition, the participant is usually given a gift somehow related to the car or the owner's hobby.
Notes
Seasons 1-4
On only three occasions did the show not "pimp" the automobile. In the first instance (the season finale of Season 1), the car-to-be-pimped was actually two halves of Ford Escorts welded together to make one car, a 'cut and shut', and was considered unsafe. In the second instance (Episode 8 of Season 2) the "Pimpee" was studying to be an auto mechanic, and WCC decided to let him "pimp" his car as a study project. In the most recent such incident (season finale of Season 5), Xzibit felt the "Pimpee's" car wasn't worth fixing, as heat from the car's engine was leaking into the cockpit. In all these cases, the "Pimpees" were given brand new cars, with extensive modifications to customize the new car for the owner. However, the cars are known to find their way to eBay eventually[citation needed].
Much of the appeal of the show comes from the personalities involved. The WCC employees are an eclectic mix of outgoing personalities, such as:
Owner Ryan (who was preceded by the good-natured manager Q),
Both host Xzibit and West Coast Customs have experienced boosts in business due to the show: Xzibit has gained wider attention for his music career (as well as hosting and movie gigs), and WCC had to expand their facilities, due to the international exposure Pimp My Ride gave their work. After the third season however, WCC manager "Q" announced that he would not be willing to take a role in the show anymore. It is also shown that Paint & Body's Buck was replaced by another person named 2Shae. Q cited a desire to expand the company's business with a customs shop in St. Louis, Missouri. Ryan Friedlinghaus, the owner of WCC, was featured in season 4 as the "lead" for discussions on what customizing will be done on the incoming cars.
Some of the show's pimped rides have found their way onto eBay, including, but not limited to, the Chevrolet Caprice from season 3. It was auctioned off as a 1996 Chevrolet Impala from Pimp My Ride. [2]
The AMC Pacer from season 4 was also put on craigslist. [3]
Season 5
Beginning with the fifth season, the show moved to another garage, Galpin Auto Sports (GAS)[4], as Ryan, the WCC Owner, moved his shop to Corona, CA and has signed a deal with another television production company. However, the show retains Mad Mike [5] (who apparently is a free agent who freelances with other customizers), now dubbed a "car customization specialist". The new cast includes the employees of GAS:
"Owner" Beau Boeckmann (In reality, Vice President of Galpin Auto; the owner of Galpin Auto is his father, Bert Boeckmann [6])
Electronics Expert And "The Wizard of Wiring" Mad Mike,
The Wheels & Tires Specialist Gyasi,
Paint & Body Luis,
Accessories specialist Diggity Dave,
Interiors Rick.
Fabricator Cabe.
Pimp My Ride worldwide
Pimp My Ride is one of MTV's most popular shows in nearly all of its worldwide subsidiaries (numbering nearly 100), and also in the U.S., where it is second place to The Real World (which is generally much less known outside of the United States). Country Music Television, also owned by MTV parent Viacom, has a show called Trick My Truck that operates on the same principle, but only customizes semi-trailer trucks.
Canada's music network, MuchMusic, also aired the show until MTV Networks signed a deal with CTV, which resulted in MuchMusic losing their rights to MTV programs. MuchMusic's sister station in Quebec, MusiquePlus, airs the show subtitled in French under the title Pimp mon char ("char" is Quebec French for "car").
The German-language MTV Central Europe has three adaptions of the show called Pimp My Fahrrad (English: "Pimp My Bicycle") and Pimp My Whatever. On Pimp My Fahrrad[7], the bike shop Elbcoast Psycles redoes almost the entire bicycle, usually leaving only the frame intact. While the show could be seen as a parody of the American original, it is also a loving tribute, using all the elements of the American show with a bicycle twist (Germany's safety guidelines are among the strictest in the world, and getting a road permit for thoroughly customized vehicles borders on the impossible. Similar rules apply in most of continental Europe). It is hosted by German actor Oliver Korittke. In Pimp My Whatever[8] ElbCoast Psychos return once more to pimp anything from a bathroom and a doghouse to a Birthday party or even someone's brother. Pimp My Whatever is hosted by MTV presenter Patrice Bouédibéla. Both shows are located in Hamburg.
The original US Pimp My Ride is shown in English language with German subtitles.
MTV Italy also features a different version of Pimp My Ride, called Pimp My Wheels. Hosted by the Italian hip hop group Gemelli DiVersi, Pimp My Wheels turns old rusty motorscooters or motorcycles into brand-new shiny vehicles.
Pimp My Ride is currently broadcasting in almost all European countries with Pimp My Ride International, a European version of the show where cars are pimped from all over Europe in the Netherlands at All Stoff. The show is hosted by Lil' Jon and Fat Joe.
$20,000 of goods put into the Hi-Jet, painted in "Hi-Jet" blue with silver/grey flames. The "micro-van" was done with a Jet theme, including authentic airliner "fasten your seatbelt" plaques and a large spoiler/wing. The rear of the van included a wrap-around couch, wall mounted 15" TV and tiny fridge. Wyatt (tying to start a band) was given a preamp and guitar to be able to play music through the stereo system, and a mini camera was installed in the grill and displayed on the internal monitors.
Nile bought the car for $700 because it was "big and strong", and she wanted to show that big cars are "not just for guys, the girls can roll too." Painted in candy pink pearl and fitted with 20 inch wheels, the car had a see-through DVD changer in the dash and a plexiglas-encapsulated "river" (playing off the River Nile). And when the trunk opened, a shoe rack full of new shoes automatically extended (replacing the pile of old shoes Nile had stashed in her trunk).
The car was originally fitted with special exhaust pipes that shot out flames when the engine was started. However, due to concerns of the WCC owner Ryan that such devices could be illegal, they were quickly removed.
When the Trans Am was being pimped, some of the WCC crew made references to Smokey and the Bandit. This pimped-out vehicle had a coffee maker installed in a center console and a chandelier in place of the dome light.
This was two halves of two Ford Escorts welded and "gummed" together; therefore the car was considered too dangerous for him to continue to own. To replace this car, WCC and Xzibit procured a 2004 Scion xB and "pimped" that instead.
Since Ryan loves to surf, an automated surf rack was installed on the roof. Also a 40 inch TV was placed in the back, making it the largest TV WCC has ever put in a car. A fold-out stop sign that read "CHILL" (like the kind found on school buses) was put on the side.
The 19-year old owner was hoping to become a mechanic, so WCC and Xzibit decided to let him restore his car himself and procured a 2005 Toyota 4Runner to "pimp". This is the only time that the car intended to be pimped was returned to the person without being worked on, and the only time in three "replacement pimps" (to date) that the person got back the old car AND received a new pimped vehicle. (In both other cases, the old cars were discarded due to their un-repairable condition; see the last show in seasons 1 and 5.)
Formerly a Municipal Van, turned into a Limousine for the band that the owner played for. The hot tub in the rear was so heavy that hydraulic airbags were required to support it.
A digital projector was mounted on the trunk lid, which could pivot so that the projector faced forward and could turn any wall into a drive-in movie theater. A popcorn maker was also installed in the center console, and individual DVD players were also stuffed into the headrests so the rear passengers could each watch their own movie.
Since Tom is a skateboarder, WCC equips the Caprice with grind rail from the rear bumper, with Impala-like body kits, custom gold paint, and super hi-beam lights inside the trunk.
The car has been equipped with police lights via microphone. Tom also received a WCC skateboard.
To reflect his job as a baggage handler at the airport, the hatch area had three belts that simulated a baggage claim area. On each belt, was a Sony PSP.
Given a half/half paint job, where one side was one color scheme, while the other side was another color scheme.
The owner of the vehicle was studying to become a nutritionist. The car was fitted with a huge cloth sunroof, a rear wing with a solar panel to power the electronics, and a juicer in the trunk. The entire interior of the car was retrofitted with yellow shag carpeting, to which Xzibit humorously replied, "Who killed Big Bird?"
This car was infested with rat droppings; indeed, the mechanics found a live rat inside the car. Consequentially, Xzibit's gift to the car's owner was a cat, which Jessica had named "Pacer".
The car had suffered a lot of superficial body damage before it was "pimped". The reverse gear was also broken, which WCC had repaired. Intriguing features of this car included four liquid crystal displays mounted in the left and right of both front and rear bumpers.
Since being pimped, Josh wrecked the car, as he brought it to the "Where are They Now?" episode sans hood. Xzibit mockingly told Josh that they don't do Re-Pimps. Xzibit also revealed that, 15 minutes after giving Josh his rental car - MTV gives rental cars to the owners whose cars are being pimped - he also wrecked his rental car.
This truck was "pimped" so that the entire truck bed could come out at an angle. Also, the driver's seat included a special raise/lower feature, as Heather (a very short female) had difficulty seeing out the back.
The truck had its brakes nearly completely gone (which emits a very loud screeching sound); the show featured the truck hitting an egg (before the brakes were fixed), then rerunning the same stunt with fixed brakes, where the egg was not hit.
Since the owner was a full-time student who often slept in his car, the van was installed with a custom fully-reclining Maybach-style seat positioned between two waterfalls.
An all-new small-block Chevy V8 engine was installed in the car in order to live up to its reputation as a muscle car. Also, since the driver practiced magic, it also had its sound system concealed, only to be revealed by a secret incantation.
Alex revealed on the "Where are They Now?" episode that he wrecked the car the first day he got it back.
This car was fitted with memory foam seats for the comfort of the driver, and since the owner had aspirations to be a Hollywood stuntwoman, the trunk was fitted with a professional stunt cushion.
The Taurus's front door hinges were altered to swing upward (Lamborghini style) and the rear doors opened horizontally without hinges.
The WCC crew removed the backseats and replaced it with the MTX JackHammer, a 22" subwoofer weighing 369 lb. A decibel meter was installed in the dash to alert the driver to keep it down. Uniquely, due to wanting a retro 50's nature for the car, this would perhaps be the only car in Pimp My Ride's history to have flat black paint, and alloys replaced with regular steel wheels, whitewalls, and hubcaps.
The vehicle is the grand prize in Win Our Ride sweepstakes sponsored by MTX Audio and Circuit City. According to the sweepstakes website, the car is not street legal and is intended for exhibition purposes only. The winner has the option of accepting 20,000 USD instead.[9]
The car was listed on ebay in the latter part of 2005 whether it was sold or not is unknown at this point.[10]
Having stated that Calvin had seen a UFO (known as the Flying Saucer) after living in the desert, his car was painted silver with green glow-in-the-dark crop circles and featured doors that opened automatically via a remote control.
The Galant was painted sky blue with a white sun on the hood and doors. The GAS crew swapped the rear seat for a chaise longue, featuring 6 LCD monitors and a laptop which could be pulled out.
One of the more notable features was a scrolling LED marquee installed on which Monique could display her spoken word poetry.
This was the first actual business vehicle to be pimped, which means Dante could receive a tax deduction if he gets taxed for everything put into it.
The truck was painted sapphire blue with icicles on the side. Ice cream-related features included a touch screen order system, a robotic arm which can dispense the ice cream to the customer at a kid level, and a full stock of ice cream.
The GAS crew found a family of eight mice in this van when stripping it.
Having been completely stripped of all parts and stolen, only the actual frame and cabin remained (he still can drive it because California state law says that in order to drive a car, it must have working headlights, which it has). Other than a complete "pimping" of his car, Jason also received a Yamaha Raptor 660 All Terrain Vehicle which was also pimped. The GAS crew put two LCD monitors and a DVD player on the ATV. Mad Mike explained, "Now you've got DVD, on your ATV." Then Xzibit added "By X to the Z."
Xzibit was stopped by a LASD policeman while driving the car to the GAS garage.
Having replaced the divider with a 50 inch plasma monitor, a Pneumatic Tube system was installed so the passengers could communicate with the driver.
A rumble seat was installed in the trunk, with a 28-inch plasma TV that flipped up from the roof. Joe was warned not to drive the limo with anyone sitting back there.
Given typical ricer mods like Lambo-style doors, bodykit, outrageous paint scheme and other related modifications.
Installed in the trunk was an Apple PowerBook laptop with 2 terabytes of hard drive space, via external hard drives. It could also be controlled with a 7-inch touch screen in the front.
In the console, GAS gave Shawna an iPod Nano and a Palm Treo cell phone, which Shawna did not know how to use, as she had never owned a computer or a cell phone.
Xzibit finds the graphics on the SUV and he does not know what kind of graphics these are.
The Range Rover was given an orange paint job with a white stripe. In the rear a water bed and water machine were installed. On the roof GAS installed a satellite dish which could connect to the internet from anywhere in the world.
Xzibit finds a car marked with claws that Ellyn explains was attacked by a bear while she and her friends were camping.
The GAS crew equips her car with green and orange tear graphics and the muffler-like salmon cannon in order to prevent a bear from attacking her car again.
Car painted black base with canary yellow racing stripes. GAS also installed a 450 hp Roush racing motor. Special feature was the 32 foot inflatable projector screen
Car's Aztec-style paint scheme by street artist Man One; interior seats done up with Aztec pyramid designs; trunk made to hold art supplies for Xilomen's art classes; car can "paint" via paint guns in each tire's wheel well.
A football fan's El Camino becomes the ultimate tailgating machine. Metallic purple paint job with yellow flames. New 350 cubic inch, 350 hp engine with birdcatcher blowers. Satellite TV with five plasma monitors, 5000 W audio amplifier, and Playstation 2. Also includes a propane grill and Wunder Bar condiment dispenser.
In addition, Tyler received tickets to the 2006 Oakland Raiders season opener, as well as a Randy Moss NFL jersey.
Tyler's grandfather had won this car playing poker and had given it to him.
Car's body parts placed with the Porsche and Ferrari body kits by the GAS crew.
The car's theme was "Hair Force One". This is due to the fact that Lawanna was a hair stylist who was about to enter the air force. In the trunk in the car's front was installed a sink with shampoo and conditioner dispensers, as well as waterproof speakers and an iPod nano. Inside the car was a high-power hair dryer which got air via a scoop on the car's roof.
The cockpit featured airplane-style gauges and a flight navigation system. Xzibit also gave her a plane toy that includes flight lessons in order to fly a real plane.
Due to the high temperatures the engine was giving off to the cockpit, Xzibit replaced the Pulsar with a brand-new Ford Mustang GT to be pimped.
This is only the third time in the series history, and the first time using GAS as the customizer, that the vehicle was replaced rather than pimped.
The new Mustang GT was painted bright green with chrome on the front end. The interior featured 17 monitors between the pillars, sun visors, dashboard, and head rests. In the trunk were three additional monitors, including a 20-inch monitor which could pop out, tilt, and spin around. This is a PMR record for most monitors installed (20 total).
Season 6
"Where are They Now?" Episode
Xzibit revisited the pimped cars of "Big" Ron (Cadillac El Dorado), Dante (Ice Cream Truck), Josh (Toyota Corolla), Nile (Cadillac DeVille), Ryan (VW Bus), Christine (Honda Civic), and Alex (Chevrolet Chevelle).
Two of the cars have since been wrecked: Josh's Corolla and Alex' Chevelle.
Bethan wanted her car pimped so it could be her wedding car. The headrests had custom embroidered "Mr." and "Mrs." (Mrs on the driver's side, naturally), as well as a matching love seat in the boot. Surfboards were resting on a new roof rack, and since Bethan was "really into" photography the garage install a laptop, printer, digital camera, plus a cell phone to upload pictures on the go.
Lana had been a flight attendant and was trying to earn a Private Pilot License at the time of the filming. The car was fitted with actual Boeing 747 seats.
As Lawrence was a fan of 1950s culture, the car was pimped in the style of a 1950s hotrod. An American style diner was installed in the boot. It was advertised for sale in the March 2007 issue of Custom Car Magazine.
The car was owned by identical twins, who lived together in Sweden and were in a heavy-metal band. The car was modified to give a 'goth' appearance. Unique touches included plastic human body parts embedded under leather on the car's bonnet and roof, and a grille to scare off forest trolls.
Since the show's debut, Pimp My Ride has been referred to numerous times by other television shows and comedic acts; several similar shows have aired on other networks. Other companies, including MTV itself, have spoofed the series on their own shows, acts, or television commercials. For examples of references to this show, see Pimp My Ride in popular culture.
As part of a 2006 advertising campaign, Volkswagen created a series of television commercials called Un-Pimp My Ride, starring Swedish actor Peter Stormare as an effete German engineer named Wolfgang. The ads were created as a parody of the Pimp My Ride TV Show. The three 30-second spots became something of an internet phenomenon when popular automotive news website Leftlane News uploaded the ads to video distribution service YouTube.
Legal action
Viacom, the owner of the Pimp My Ride franchise, has made legal threats against a number of small business owners over the use of the words Pimp My... in business names. Businesses using the names Pimp My Pet and Pimp My Snack have been threatened with legal action for an alleged breach of a trademark owned by Viacom. Pimp My Snack is now known as Pimp That Snack.
Similar programs
Monster Garage: Also features outrageous custom engineering of vehicles, albeit within an entirely different program format.
Overhaulin': Like Pimp My Ride,Overhaulin' features automobiles in poor condition being restored to show-quality. However, Overhaulin' places emphasis on performance enhancements, works with a set time limit (usually a week), tricks vehicle owners into parting with their cars, and is aimed for a more mature audience. Although ostensibly a competitor of Pimp My Ride, one episode featured a WCC paint job.
Pimp My Room: Like Pimp My Ride, is affiliated with MTV in The Netherlands, and features some friendly competition between three students to see who will win the university student bedroom/apartment overhaul. Subsequently the room is 'pimped'.
Pimp My Fahrrad: a German Parody on Pimp my Ride, where bicycles are pimped by ElbCoast Psycles.
Pimp My Whatever: also a German Parody where everything could get pimped.
Rumors
It is commonly believed that many aspects of the show are staged; particularly the sequence of events. For example, when Xzibit reaches the car owners home, they are always in and are always the one to answer the door. As well, footage of the owner with their car is in the television film format, rather than a home video, suggesting it was filmed after camera crews had already arrived, therefore the footage of Xzibit at the door would have occurred first. One belief is that contestants are informed of Xzibit and camera crew's arrival time, allowing them to be home with the car in the driveway. However, what happens is that many of the homes shown are not the car owner's homes but instead are homes rented out by MTV.
The employees of both shops also have scripted lines, mostly catchphrases and one liners, often added as setups to comical garage hijinx. The scripting and acting has certainly increased from season to season.
Criticisms
The pimped vehicles are still substantially the same car. No question is made of road-worthiness of the vehicle. Many of the modifications may also be impractical; in one episode, a car is made out to be a hair-dressing salon, with a wash basin in the bonnet, and in another episode, a 2003 Toyota Corolla was installed with LCD monitors in the front bumpers. Another "half-baked" case is that of a pimped SUV of a young mechanic, in which another set of LCD monitors were installed at the bottom of the truck, so that "he could watch TV while working on his SUV". They said monitors doesn't seem to be designed for such abuse, as it might fail when used on such extreme applications. Questions of road safety seem ignored.
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