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Pimp My Ride

Pimp My Ride

Overview
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

. Each episode consists of taking one car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 in poor condition and restoring it and customizing
Custom car
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been modified in either of the following two ways. First, a custom car may be altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission. Second, a custom car may be a personal "styling" statement, making the car look...

 it.
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Encyclopedia
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

. Each episode consists of taking one car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 in poor condition and restoring it and customizing
Custom car
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been modified in either of the following two ways. First, a custom car may be altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission. Second, a custom car may be a personal "styling" statement, making the car look...

 it.

The original United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 version was hosted by rapper Xzibit
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...

 (one episode featured guest host Chamillionaire
Chamillionaire
Hakeem Seriki , better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. Chamillionaire is also the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click...

). Recently, MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

 has begun airing episodes from Pimp My Ride UK hosted by DJ Tim Westwood
Tim Westwood
Timothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...

, which features cars being customised in the UK, and Pimp My Ride International, featuring cars in central Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, hosted by hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

 artists Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....

 and Lil' Jon, as well as the related CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...

 series Trick My Truck
Trick My Truck
Trick My Truck is an American reality television program that premiered on February 3, 2006 on Country Music Television. Created by Varuna Entertainment, the series features a group of vehicle fabricators known as the "Chrome Shop Mafia" who renovate the trucks of "deserving" drivers in response to...

.

Format


This show picked young car owners living in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 or elsewhere in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

 and customised their vehicles at no cost to them. An episode of Pimp My Ride generally began with the participant showing his or her car off, and convincing MTV why it needed to be "pimped". After this segment, the host (normally rapper Xzibit, but occasionally guest hosts such as Chamillionaire
Chamillionaire
Hakeem Seriki , better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. Chamillionaire is also the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click...

) arrived at the participant's house, inspected the car himself, made wisecracks about the particular things that were wrong with it, and promised the owner a complete makeover of the vehicle.

After examining the car, the host took it to the custom body shop West Coast Customs (WCC)
West Coast Customs
West Coast Customs is a car remodeling company started in 1993 by Ryan Friedlinghaus on a loan from his grandfather, Edward Cifranic. It was originally located in Orange County, then moved to Los Angeles, and now its current location is in Corona, California....

 in Seasons 1–4; (replaced by Galpin Auto Sports (GAS)
Galpin Auto Sports
Galpin Auto Sports is an American automobile dealership and automobile repair shop in Van Nuys, California that specializes in customizing cars specifically for the vehicles' owners. They also provide spare parts...

 starting Season 5), where the shop team generally replaced most of the components and rebuilt the interior and exterior from scratch, and in special cases the engine too.

Each car was custom modified, tailored to the personalities and interests of the owners. For example, a Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground is the seventh racing game in the Need for Speed video game series developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts in 2003...

fan had his car painted to look like one specially customized in the Need for Speed: Underground 2
Need for Speed: Underground 2
Need for Speed: Underground 2 is a cross-platform racing video game published and developed by Electronic Arts. Released in 2004, it is the direct sequel to Need for Speed: Underground, and is part of the Need for Speed series, available on Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance,...

game, while a bowler
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...

 had a ball spinner installed in his trunk, and a surfer
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

 got a clothes dryer in the back of his Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...

 Bus
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or Kombi informally as Bus or Camper , was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 , it was given the factory...

. Work usually includes new paint and accessories (such as racing car seats, a spoiler
Spoiler (automotive)
A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air...

, short shifter
Short shifter
A short shifter, also known as a short throw shifter, is the result of an automotive aftermarket modification of the manual transmissions' stick shift either by modification of the existing stick shift or, alternately, by the replacement of the entire part.The purpose of the modification is to...

, Weighted Gear Knob, LED head lights and tail lights, etc.) , chrome
Chrome plating
Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness.-Process:A component to be chrome plated will...

, tires and wheel
Wheel
A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...

s, as well as internal electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

 (DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 players, video games, and large TFT
Thin-film transistor
A thin-film transistor is a special kind of field-effect transistor made by depositing thin films of a semiconductor active layer as well as the dielectric layer and metallic contacts over a supporting substrate. A common substrate is glass, since the primary application of TFTs is in liquid...

 screens). While most changes were only cosmetic, and mechanical work was generally only done to enable the car to run, the show sometimes replaced engines. 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. There was a lot of humor involved from the body shop team and Xzibit himself, much of it self-deprecating. A typical conversion takes about 12 days.

At the end of the show, the 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.

Auto Bild


In 2006 the German Car Magazine "Auto Bild
Auto Bild
Auto Bild is a leading German automobile magazine. It is published by Axel Springer AG, and first appeared in 1986.AUTO BILD with its worldwide licensed editions, of which more than 7 million copies are sold every month, is published in 36 countries. Foreign editions include France's Auto Plus...

" had the opportunity to interview the WCC team. At first Auto Bild had to wait about three hours to get into the building and during the first interview with "Mad Mike" they were kicked out for no reason. After that, according to "Auto Bild", an MTV assistant who took a break talked to them because he thought they were new employees. He told them that the whole show was faked. The ideas for the conversions were dictated by MTV, and WCC just had to make them look real. He also told them that the gadgets just had to function as long as the cameras were recording.

Seasons 1-4


Much of the appeal of the show comes from the personalities involved. The WCC employees are a mix of outgoing personalities, such as:
  • Owner Ryan Friedlinghaus
  • Manager Q
  • The heavily pierced tire-specialist Alex
  • Tough-looking interior and fabric maven Ish
  • Electronics (and outrageous engineering) expert Mad Mike (real name Mike Martin)
  • The appropriately named Big Dane
  • Paint Guys Aren, Jimmy, Buck, 2Shae, and Luis. The latter carried on into the following seasons.


After the third season, WCC manager "Q" announced that he would not be willing to take a role in the show anymore. Q cited a desire to expand the company's business with a customs shop in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 called Coast 2 Coast Customs. 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

Seasons 5–6


Beginning with the fifth season, the show moved to another garage, Galpin Auto Sports (GAS), as Ryan, the WCC Owner, moved his shop to Corona, California
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...

 and said that he yanked the shop's participation because he thought the show was too gimmicky with its ugly duckling-to-swan TV format
TV format
A TV format describes the overall concept, premise and branding of a copyrighted television program.The format is licensed by TV networks, so that they may produce a version of the show tailored to their nationality and audience. Formats are a major part of the international television market...

. He has signed a deal with another television production company for cable channel TLC, where they made Street Customs, which is now out of production; it is said to have a more realistic portrayal of how a custom car shop really operates. However, the show retains Mad Mike (who has quit at WCC and signed at GAS), now dubbed a "car customization specialist", but he retains himself as an electrician. The new cast includes the employees of GAS:
  • Owner – Beau Boeckmann,
  • Electronics Expert And "The Wizard of Wiring" Mad Mike' Michael Martin,
  • The Wheels & Tires Specialist – Gyasi,
  • Paint – Luis,
  • Accessories – "Diggity" Dave Aragon
  • Fabrication/Car Audio/Security/Motorization – Jason Ewing
  • Fabrication/Design – Zee
  • Upholstery – Rick

Replacement vehicles


On only three occasions — all season finales — did the show not "pimp" the original automobile:
  • In the first instance, the car to be pimped was actually two halves of two Ford Escorts welded together in a "cut and shut" job; the car was considered unsafe and replaced with a Scion xB
    Scion xB
    The Scion xB is a vehicle made by Toyota for the United States market and sold under their youth-oriented Scion brand. It is a box-shaped, 5-door compact hatchback.-First generation :...

    .
  • In the second instance the participant was studying to be an auto mechanic, and WCC decided to let him "pimp" his car as a study project, giving him a Toyota 4Runner
    Toyota 4Runner
    The Toyota 4Runner is a mid-size SUV manufactured by Toyota and sold throughout the world from 1984 to the present. In Japan it was known as the Toyota Hilux Surf...

  • In the most recent such incident, Xzibit felt the owner's car, a Nissan Pulsar
    Nissan Pulsar
    The Nissan Pulsar is an automobile that was produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978, when it debuted as a subcompact car, to 2007, when it was replaced in all markets by the Nissan Tiida. It was originally conceived as a replacement for Nissan's first front-wheel drive platform, the...

    , was not worth fixing, as heat from the car's engine was leaking into the cab. They had switched it with a Ford Mustang
    Ford Mustang
    The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...

    .

In all these instances, the vehicles of the participants were replaced with brand new cars, with extensive modifications made to customize each new car for the owner.

Worldwide popularity


Pimp My Ride is one of MTV's most popular shows with nearly all of its worldwide viewers, and also in the US, where it is second place to The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...

(which is generally much less known outside of the United States). Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...

, also owned by MTV parent Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...

, has a show called
Trick My Truck that operates on the same principle, but only customizes semi-trailer trucks.

Canada


Canada's music network, MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...

, also aired the show until MTV Networks signed a deal with CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

, which resulted in MuchMusic losing their rights to MTV programs. MuchMusic's French-language sister station, MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...

, airs the show subtitled in French under the title
Pimp mon char ("char" is Quebec French
Quebec French
Quebec French , or Québécois French, is the predominant variety of the French language in Canada, in its formal and informal registers. Quebec French is used in everyday communication, as well as in education, the media, and government....

 slang for "car"). However in August 2008 MuchMusic regained their rights to re-air Pimp My Ride, but airing Season 5 and 6.

Europe


A UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 version of the show launched on 26 June 2005, presented by the DJ Tim Westwood
Tim Westwood
Timothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...

 (famously known only by his last name). Carisma Automotive
Carisma Automotive
Carisma Automotive is a UK-based automotive shop which specializes in customized interiors, paint, tyres, and other accessories. Though the company has existed since 1996, it has recently had increased exposure outside of the automotive world for its starring role in the UK version of MTV's "Pimp...

 are the customisers for the UK version. The employees in Carisma Automotive are:
  • A legendary boss Jamie Shaw
  • Old man bald head paint expert Ronnie
  • Bodywork king Martin
  • Designer chick Pinky
  • Accessories brawn Richie
  • Audio and Multimedia punk Bluey
  • Wiring and installation guru Matty
  • Wheels and tyres prince Junior (Stuart) – who left in 2008


On 1 October 2008 also the Baltic
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...

 version of the show was first launched. Highway nation was responsible for pimping all cars. Three vehicles were pimped in the Baltic version:
  1. Nissan Bluebird
    Nissan Bluebird
    Although Nissan's own materials indicate that the Bluebird name emerged in 1959, some records show that the name first adorned a 988 cc, four-door sedan in 1957, which was part of the company's 210 series...

     in Lithuania
    Lithuania
    Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

  2. Honda Civic
    Honda Civic
    The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...

     in Latvia
    Latvia
    Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

  3. Fiat Panda
    Fiat Panda
    The Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automobile manufacturer Fiat. The first Fiat Panda was introduced in 1980, and was produced until 2003 with only a few changes. It is now sometimes referred to as the "old Panda". The second model, launched in 2003, is sometimes referred to "New Panda"...

     in Estonia
    Estonia
    Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...



The German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

-language MTV Central
MTV Central
MTV Germany, is a 24- hour German speaking entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel was launched as MTV Networks Europe began to localize its brand throughout Europe in 1997. MTV Germany was launched on March 7, 1997...

 has two adaptations of the show called Pimp My Fahrrad (English: "Pimp My Bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

") and
Pimp My Whatever. On Pimp My Fahrrad, ] 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
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 of the US original, it is also a tribute, using all the elements of the US show with a bicycle twist. As Germany's vehicle inspection
Vehicle inspection
Vehicle inspection is a procedure mandated by national or subnational governments in many countries, in which a vehicle is inspected to ensure that it conforms to regulations governing safety, emissions, or both. Inspection can be required at various times, e.g., periodically or on transfer of...

 is among the strictest in the world, 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 ElbCoast Psychles return once more to pimp anything from a bathroom and a doghouse to a birthday
Birthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...

 party
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....

 or even someone's brother.
Pimp My Whatever is hosted by MTV presenter Patrice Bouédibéla
Patrice Bouédibéla
Patrice Bouédibéla is a German television presenter.In the spring 1996 Bouédibéla was discovered in a Berlin nightclub for the television show “MTV Road Rules” and toured with four other participants across Europe...

. Both shows are located in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

. The original US
Pimp My Ride is shown in English language with German subtitles.

MTV Italy
MTV Italy
MTV Italy is the Italian speaking version of the popular 24 hour music and youth entertainment channel. Unlike its counterparts elsewhere in Europe, MTV Italia is a national channel available free-to-air on terrestrial television since September 1, 1997 and available on digital terrestrial...

 also features a different version of
Pimp My Ride, called Pimp My Wheels. Hosted by the Italian hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 group Gemelli Diversi
Gemelli Diversi
-Biography:Gemelli Diversi formed in 1997 in Milan when two Italian rap crews, La Cricca and Rima Nel Cuore, merged. Their first single was 1998's "Un Attimo Ancora", rapped over a sample of Pooh's "Dammi Solo un Minuto". The song and the accompanying album were hits in Italy, and the group...

,
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
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 at All Stoff. The show is hosted by Lil' Jon and Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....

.

A French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 version of
Pimp My Ride has started broadcasting on MTV France on September 2, 2009. It is hosted by Ramzy Bedia
Ramzy Bedia
Ramzy Bedia is a French actor of Algerian descent.After attending a business school, and working at a GAP Store. He started his career as a comedian in 1994 after meeting Eric Judor with whom he forms the duet Eric et Ramzy...

, a French comedian.

MTV Spain
MTV Spain
MTV España is the Spanish-speaking version of the popular 24-hour music and youth entertainment channel. MTV España is available on digital satellite Pay-TV offer Digital+, IPTV , many cable networks and from September 2010 on digital terrestrial television .-History:* MTV España was launched in...

 created a version of Pimp My Ride, called
MTV TUNING in Spain, presented by Spanish rapper Duo Kie, by pimping the most voted car on the list of cars at mtv.es resulting in more than 1400 videos sent to vote for on the website. The winner was a girl from Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...

 with a Peugeot 309
Peugeot 309
The Peugeot 309 was a small family car manufactured between 1985 and 1993 in England and France.The 309 was originally intended to be badged as a Talbot and, as development progressed, to be called the Talbot Arizona...

. The program was so successful that mtv.es has stated that they will do more chapters.

Middle East


Pimp My Ride is syndicated in Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

 on an Iranian music channel, Persian Music Channel
Persian Music Channel
PMC is a free-to-air satellite TV network owned by Persian Media Corporation and headquartered in Dubai Media City. Launched in 2003, the network is devoted to Persian music videos from ex-pat Iranian singers and also Iranian singers in Iran. Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish hit songs are also shown on...

 PMC

Pimp My Ride is also broadcasting on MTV Arabia
MTV Arabia
MTV Middle East, formerly MTV Arabia, is a free-to-air music television channel, and the Middle Eastern incarnation of MTV. As an addition to the MTV network, it is a joint venture between MTV Networks International and Arabian Television Network, a subsidiary of Arabian Broadcasting Network, and...

, the new MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 channel for the Arab world, although MTV Arabia
MTV Arabia
MTV Middle East, formerly MTV Arabia, is a free-to-air music television channel, and the Middle Eastern incarnation of MTV. As an addition to the MTV network, it is a joint venture between MTV Networks International and Arabian Television Network, a subsidiary of Arabian Broadcasting Network, and...

 didn't start the show from the beginning. Instead they started broadcasting the show from Season

An Arabic version has started broadcasting on MBC 1
Middle East Broadcasting Center
The Middle East Broadcasting Center Group is the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World which was launched in London in 1991 and later moved to its headquarters in Dubai in 2002. MBC Group provides multiple channels of information, interaction and entertainment...

 called
Dale' Sayaratak . A malt beverage
Malt beverage
Malt beverage is an American term for both alcohol containing and non-alcoholic fermented beverages, in which the primary ingredient is the grain, or seed of the barley plant, which has been allowed to sprout in a traditional way called slightly before it is processed...

 manufacturing company "Barbican" sponsored this show and they also "pimped" the cars and showed them in their commercials.

South America


MTV Brazil have started the Brazilian
Pimp My Ride version, hosted by rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 singer Jimmy London, from the group Matanza
Matanza (band)
Matanza is a Brazilian punk rock band from Rio de Janeiro. Their music is a blend of hardcore punk, country and heavy metal, thus forming the genre that the media titled countrycore.-Biography:...

.

American version

TitleRegion 1Region 2 Extras
The Complete First Season March 22, 2005 February 6, 2006 TBA
The Complete Second Season November 26, 2008 May 21, 2007 TBA
The Complete Third Season November 26, 2008 TBA TBA
The Complete Fourth Season November 26, 2008 TBA TBA
The Complete Fifth Season November 26, 2008 TBA TBA

Pop culture references


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.

As part of a 2006 advertising campaign, Volkswagen created a series of television commercials called VDub
VDub
VDub was a parody tagline, used in a short series of commercials for German car manufacturer Volkswagen. As part of a 2006 advertising campaign for Volkswagen, advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky created a series of three television commercials directed by Jonas Åkerlund, starring Swedish...

, starring Swedish actor Peter Stormare
Peter Stormare
is a Swedish film, stage, voice and television actor as well as a theatrical director, playwright and musician.- Early life :...

 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 the video distribution service, YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

.

Xzibit appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...

, and a sketch was shown called "Pimp My Bride". The sketch shows a typical bride forming into a lingerie-bearing bride, with an LCD screen attached to her back (which is very common in the MTV program itself). The sketch was filmed in the same style as the show, most notably the camera angles.

Additionally, due to his association with the show Xzibit has attained popularity as an Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...

, whereby his picture is juxtaposed with recursive statements beginning with "Yo Dawg" and following the format of "Yo dawg, I heard you like Y-ing so we put an X in your car so you can Y while you drive", where Y is an action able to be done with/by X, like X=pool and Y=swim. One example is "Yo Dawg, I heard you like cars so we put a car in your car so you can drive while you drive." Xzibit isn't too thrilled with this trend, however, he does find some of the pictures to be quite funny, and even made an attempt at creating a joke himself, which went: "YO DAWG, I hear you can't hear, so I put a hearing aid in yo hearing to listen while you're listening".

Legal action


Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...

, 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. The website Pimp My Snack is now known as Pimp That Snack
Pimp That Snack
Pimp That Snack is a website which received media attention during April 2006. The website features guides on creating giant versions of everyday snacks...

.

Similar programs


Thematic variations
  • Monster Garage
    Monster Garage
    Monster Garage is a television show for the Discovery Channel hosted by Jesse G. James. Each episode is an hour in length and was conceived and produced by Thom Beers.The show aired the series finale on June 12, 2006. Jesse G...

    : Also features outrageous custom engineering of vehicles, albeit within an entirely different program format.
  • NASCAR Angels: Rebuilds cars (cosmetic, and mechanical) for needy, or deserving fans.
  • Overhaulin'
    Overhaulin'
    Overhaulin' is an American automotive reality TV show that ran for five seasons on TLC between 2004–2009. The show remains available via re-runs and syndication.-Hosts:...

    : 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.
  • Ride with Funkmaster Flex
    Ride with Funkmaster Flex
    Ride with Funkmaster Flex is a TV show that was produced by MTV Networks. The show aired from 2003-2004, lasting approximately one year. and was originally shown on Spike TV and RedMoxie. It was also broadcast on MuchMusic and ESPN with licensing agreement to MTV Networks.-Format:The show was...

    : Produced by MTV, reviews interesting cars.
  • Trick My Truck
    Trick My Truck
    Trick My Truck is an American reality television program that premiered on February 3, 2006 on Country Music Television. Created by Varuna Entertainment, the series features a group of vehicle fabricators known as the "Chrome Shop Mafia" who renovate the trucks of "deserving" drivers in response to...

    : CMT's equivalent to Pimp My Ride features the Chrome Shop Mafia customizing semi-trailer truck
    Semi-trailer truck
    A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...

    s for lucky fans.
  • Unique Whips
    Unique Whips
    Unique Whips was a television show that aired on Speed Channel from 2005–2008 and then on Spike TV in 2010. It is similar in concept to other automotive shows such as West Coast Customs and Modern HotrodZ. The show follows the work of Unique Autosports based on Long Island, New York as they...

    : The East Coast equivalent of West Coast Customs


Foreign versions
  • Pimp My Car (MTV Indonesia) a version of Pimp My Ride.
  • Pimp My Room (MTV, The Netherlands) features some friendly competition between three students to see who will win the university student bedroom or apartment overhaul. Subsequently the room is "pimped".
  • Pimp My Wheels (MTV, Italy) in which mopeds and motorcycles are customized.
  • Meke My Waka (New Zealand) A similar program shown on Māori Television.
  • All the Gear No Idea! (British) for Men & Motors
    Men & Motors
    Men & Motors was a men's lifestyle television channel in the UK. It was the last remaining station operated by the former Granada Sky Broadcasting joint venture, set up by Granada Television and satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting in 1996...

    , but mainly deal with motorcycles which the bike get shipped to US customiser LA County Choprods for a customisation, unlike other motor-makeover shows, its owner receives a makeover.
  • Fire Hjul Og En Overhaling (Danish) for "four wheels and an overhaul" a team pimps the owners car, but has to be inspired by 3 different items from the house of the owner.
  • Tuneame la Nave (México) a similar programa broadcasted on TV Azteca
    TV Azteca
    Azteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...

     and aired on Azteca 7
    Azteca 7
    Azteca 7 or El 7 is a network owned by TV Azteca, with affiliate stations all over Mexico all of which are owned and operated by TV Azteca. Azteca 7 uses Mexico, Distrito Federal's XHIMT as its flagship station and its channel as part of its name. Azteca 7's programming is available in HD and is...

    . It's hosted by Daddy Yankee
    Daddy Yankee
    Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez , known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican Reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball,...

    .
  • Pimp My Fahrrad (German) where bicycles are pimped by ElbCoast Psycles.
  • Pimp My Whatever (German) where anything can be pimped.


Parodies:
  • Pimp My Kettle (MTV Australia) a series of short mini-documentaries about pimping kitchen kettles (also hosted on the website). The website also includes pictures of real kettles pimped by artists and professional car customizers.
  • Chav My Motor (UK) satire, based on the boy racer
    Boy racer
    Boy racers refer to people, usually males in their late teens or early twenties, who "cruise" around in vehicles modified with loud exhausts and stereos, or modified body kits. This behavior is frowned upon by members of the public irritated by the noise and the criminal behavior associated with...

     culture of car modification amongst Chav
    Chav
    A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...

    s.
  • Skanger me Banger (Irish), hosted by 'Colin Farrell', who skangers 'Damos' Honda Civic. This is an obvious parody with Irish trance tunes and set in inner city.
  • Pimp My Sleigh (Ukraine)
  • Pimp My Chair (Canadian) A parody by the Loading Ready Run crew involving pimping out an old chair
  • Pimp My Sister (US) Robot Chicken Episode
  • PC Tuzing Anniversary (Slovakian) PMR Styled parody about tuning computers, or just turning them to scrap.
  • Pimp my PC (Germany) A parody by the German gaming magazine GameStar
    GameStar
    GameStar is a monthly released PC computer game magazine, published by the IDG Entertainment Media GmbH in Germany. In 2008 it had an average monthly circulation of 250,000 copies and is therefore the best sold PC computer game magazine in Europe. It is also being published in Hungary, the Czech...

     in their DVD series "Die Redaktion" (translation: editorial department)
  • The webcomic Unshelved
    Unshelved
    Unshelved is a daily comic strip most notable for being set in a library. Published by Overdue Media, the web comic was created by writer Gene Ambaum and co-writer/artist Bill Barnes, and has been appearing at the rate of a strip per day since February 16, 2002, with a virtual circulation in...

    hosted a Pimp My Bookcart contest from 2006 through 2010.


Other
  • Darius Goes West
    Darius Goes West
    Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life is a documentary by Logan Smalley about Darius Weems, a teenager afflicted with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who embarked during the Summer of 2005 on a 7,000 mile road trip across the United States to promote awareness of the fatal disease Duchenne muscular...

    A documentary that has won over 25 international film awards. In the summer of 2005 a group takes their friend who was Duchenne muscular dystrophy
    Duchenne muscular dystrophy
    Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a recessive X-linked form of muscular dystrophy, which results in muscle degeneration, difficulty walking, breathing, and death. The incidence is 1 in 3,000 boys. Females and males are affected, though females are rarely affected and are more often carriers...

     on a journey from Athens, Georgia
    Athens, Georgia
    Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...

     to Los Angeles
    Los Ángeles
    Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

     in hopes to have his wheelchair
    Wheelchair
    A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...

    modified on Pimp my ride. In addition, the journey documents wheelchair accessibility, Darius' first time leaving his home town and the various stops along the journey.