Spoon Inc.
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Spoon Inc., commonly known as Spoon Sports, is a Japanese company specializing in
engine tuning Engine tuning is the adjustment or modification of the internal combustion engine or Engine Control Unit (ECU) to yield optimal performance and increase the engine's power output, economy, or durability. These goals may be mutually exclusive; ...
and aftermarket parts designed to make
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
cars high performing vehicles. The company's Type One showroom has helped Honda vehicles become major contenders in
motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of Car, automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and Aircraft, powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific term ...
s competitions. These included the models that participated in the Tsukuba 9 Hours Endurance Race, the
Super Taikyu Super Taikyu (スーパー耐久, ''Super Endurance''), formerly known as the Super N1 Taikyu Series prior to 2005 and N1 Endurance Series prior to 1995, and currently named the Eneos Super Taikyu Series Empowered by Bridgestone for sponsorship ...
, and
Nürburgring 24 Hours The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a 24-hour annual touring car racing, touring car and Grand tourer, GT Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing event that takes place on a combination of the Nordschleife ("North Loop") and the GP-Strecke ("Gr ...
.


Background

In 1988, Spoon Inc. was founded by Tatsuru Ichishima, who previously worked for Honda as a
race car Race, RACE or The Race may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
tester and driver. His decision to set up the company had the backing of Honda and Mugen. Honda's support came in exchange for racing
data Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted for ...
. The startup originated from the Honda Civic E-AT, which Ichishima owned and modified. This vehicle became the basis of Spoon's racing concept and philosophy that guide the company until today. The company caters to car owners who seek higher performance lacking in their vehicles amid Honda's shift towards eco-friendly technology. Spoon Inc. is known for its tuning parts, which - like those produced by
Toda Racing TODA RACING Co., Ltd. is a Japanese automotive parts supplier and racing engine constructor. It also operates its own racing team. History Founded in 1971 by Yukio Toda. Since it was founded, the company has been tuning Honda engines, so it has ...
- are popular for their
naturally aspirated A naturally aspirated engine, also known as a normally aspirated engine, and abbreviated to N/A or NA, is an internal combustion engine in which air intake depends solely on atmospheric pressure and does not have forced induction through a turboc ...
performance. This type of tuner is noted for its aggressive side and the requirement for
valvetrain A valvetrain is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) into the combu ...
upgrades. The company is also known for producing aftermarket parts such as
powertrain In a motor vehicle, the powertrain comprises the main components that generate engine power, power and deliver that power to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the internal combustion engine, engine, transmission (mechanics), trans ...
,
suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Car suspension * Cell suspension or suspension culture, in biology * Guarded suspension, a software design pattern in concurrent programming suspending a method call and the calling ...
, aero-parts (supplemental pieces added to the body to improve
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
or
aerodynamics Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...
), wheels,
drivetrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the driv ...
,
braking system A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...
, and cooling system.


Notable modifications


Race cars

Spoon has been credited for making Honda a contender in motorsports through its racing modifications. In Japan, Spoon Sports is particularly recognized as a leader in time attack and performance using Honda vehicles such as the Integra Type R, NSX, the S2000, and the Civic. The very first racing car attributed to Spoon Sports was Ichisima's own Honda Civic E-AT. The vehicle, which became the basis of Spoon, participated in the Japan Touring Car Championship. It held the distinction of the first Honda Civic to join the race. In 2008, Spoon launched the Spoon Honda NSX-R GT, which is based on the first-generation, 2002 Honda NSX-R. This vehicle was modified to meet the requirements of the Japanese Super GT racing regulations. In 2017, Spoon Sports fielded the Unlimited Class FD2
Honda Civic Type R The is a series of hot hatchback and sports sedan models based on the Honda Civic, Civic, developed and produced by Honda since September 1997. The first Civic Type R was the third model to receive Honda's Honda Type R, Type R badge (after the ...
, which set a record lap during the Global Time Attack at the
Buttonwillow Raceway Park Buttonwillow Raceway Park is a motorsports park in Kern County, California, north of Buttonwillow, California, the town of Buttonwillow and northwest of Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Opened in 1995, it is owned and operated by the Ca ...
. The company modified this vehicle as a front-wheel-drive racing car with
Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
-style center-seating position. In the course of its 20-year racing history, Spoon has distinguished itself in endurance racing, excelling in events like the 24-hour Nürburgring, the 25-hour Thunderhill, and Super Taikyu. Spoon-themed race cars are distinguished by a combination of blue and yellow livery while road cars are typically in white. The race car color scheme, however, is increasingly getting more diversified after Spoon raced the S2000 in 2012.


Aftermarket parts

Spoon has also produced iconic aftermarket parts such as the Spoon SW388, a lightweight aluminum forged wheel. This wheel is comparable to the Volk Racing TE37 in terms of popularity, and is noted for its five-spoke design. The company is also known for its more radical synchronized gear kits for vehicle transmission, noted for its extremely close ratio. The Momo steering wheel, which it developed with the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
car accessories company
Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), Cameroon, a division of Northwest Province * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, Italy People Given name or nickname Athletes * ...
, is another popular Spoon product around the world. These aftermarket parts also extend to aerodynamic body kits, with the very aggressive crane-like front end to signify their brand name of spoon. The most clear example of such would be the FK8 Civic Type-R, when looked at certain angles it can resemble a crane as well as their Wing being trademarked as a Crane-styled Wing. Spoon is more focused on the balance of a car on the track rather than making extreme power.


Racing

Spoon has been racing Honda cars throughout its history. The company's achievements include winning the
Super Taikyu Super Taikyu (スーパー耐久, ''Super Endurance''), formerly known as the Super N1 Taikyu Series prior to 2005 and N1 Endurance Series prior to 1995, and currently named the Eneos Super Taikyu Series Empowered by Bridgestone for sponsorship ...
ST-4 class championship, class wins at the
Nürburgring 24 Hours The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a 24-hour annual touring car racing, touring car and Grand tourer, GT Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing event that takes place on a combination of the Nordschleife ("North Loop") and the GP-Strecke ("Gr ...
, Tokachi 24 Hours, 25 Hours of Thunderhill, and
Tsukuba is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of January 1, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 256,526 in 121,001 households and a population density of 900 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 wa ...
9 Hours, as well as class podiums at the
Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix (; ) is an annual motorsport road racing event for automobiles and motorcycles held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. The event includes the Formula Regional and Motorcycle Grand Prix title races, with other races for Touri ...
.


Type One

Spoon's headquarters is mainly used as the main office, stocking of parts, and distribution. The company opened Type One in 2001 according to a differentiation strategy where Spoon functions as a research and development of parts and tuning while Type One serves as a tuning shop for servicing and tuning cars. All of Spoon's products are on display at the Type One showroom and factory as well as the race cars that it has fielded through the years. Engines are modified in this facility to be beyond factory specifications. Spoon also buys and resells Honda vehicles at Type One, turning these into bespoke cars such as the left-hand-drive NSX Type Rs. The company provides maintenance and repair services at Type One.


References


External links

{{Commons category
Spoon Sports

Type One

Rigid Collar
Japanese brands Honda Auto tuning companies Automotive companies established in 1988 1988 establishments in Japan Companies based in Tokyo