Tommykaira


Tommykaira, originally founded as Tomita Yume Koujou, is a Japanese car tuning and manufacturing company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Minami-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The company was named after its two founders, Yoshikazu Tomita and Kikuo Kaira. Its parent company was founded in 1968 as Tomita Auto Inc.. Several of Tommykaira's custom cars have appeared in the Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport racing simulation video game series.
WWW Official Site

Car tuning

[Image:Tommy Kaira.JPG|thumb|left|The Tommykaira signature, which identifies the cars tuned by the company]
In 1987, Tommykaira unveiled a tuned Mercedes-Benz 190E which was renamed as the "Tommykaira M19". The company subsequently released the M30E, which was based on the Mercedes-Benz 300E. However, from 1988 onwards Tommykaira began to exclusively work on automobiles made in Japan, establishing successful contracts with manufacturers Nissan and Subaru. In 1988, the company tuned for the first time a Nissan Skyline R31, in 1993 the turn was for the Subaru Impreza and the Nissan March and, finally, in 1994 the first Subaru Legacy Wagon received attention from the Kyoto-based company. The company focused most of its efforts on mechanical and aesthetic modifications to four cars- the Nissan Skyline, Nissan March, Subaru Impreza and Subaru Legacy.
Other models modified have included the Nissan 300ZX, Nissan Silvia, Nissan GTR R35, Toyota Vitz, Nissan 350Z and several kei cars from various manufacturers. Tommykaira has consistently rebranded the cars as if they were completely manufactured by the company itself, with the consent of the parent manufacturers: for example, a Subaru Impreza is rebranded as Tommykaira M20b or a Nissan 350Z as a Tommykaira Z. This phenomenon is not unusual around the world as German manufacturers such as Ruf and Gemballa operate in a similar way with Porsche automobiles.
On the other hand, the rebranding process carried out by Tommykaira has evoked some controversy directly related to the status of the company as a car manufacturer. According to the information spot provided by the PlayStation video game Gran Turismo 2 about the Kyoto-based company, "in 1988 succeeded in introducing Tommy Kaira M30, Japan's first fully modified high performance car in 1997, manufactured and marketed its original sports car, the ZZ". In general terms, the 1988 M30 model is regarded as the first integrally tuned Japanese automobile, with tuning extensive enough to warrant rebranding the model it is based on. This fact acknowledged the capability of Tommykaira as an important aftermarket manufacturer and prepared the way for the launch of the company as a consolidated car manufacturer with the self-conceived 1996 ZZ model.
Image:Tomweb.jpg|thumb|A Tommykaira ZZ

ZZ Car manufacturing and economic crisis

By 1996, Tommykaira had solely modified pre-existing models manufactured by Nissan and Subaru; nonetheless, the heavy improvements worked out by the company on the cars made it gain recognition as a brand in its own right.
The company decided to develop its own original design, the ZZ. The ZZ was produced in Ironside way, Hingham, Norfolk, England, but the factory that manufactured the ZZ collapsed due to a blunder of the Japanese Ministry of Transportation which, in 1999, switched front impact requirements from European to US standards. In 2002, the car was relaunched as the Leading Edge 190 RT built by Breckland Technologies.

Rowen collaboration

At the height of the economic crisis in 2008, Tommykaira agreed on a partnership with Rowen to make parts under the Tommykaira brand. One stipulation was that all designs must be cleared by Tommykaira brand owner, Mr. Tomita, before Rowen could sell the products. From early-on, the agreement was breached when Rowen unilaterally capitalized the name "Tommykaira" as "TOMMYKAIRA". This was found to be one of many violations cited in court and led to the breakup of Tommykaira's collaboration with Rowen. Despite losing in court, Rowen continued to sell and produce Tommykaira branded products well beyond the court decision leading to an abundance of unauthorized Tommykaira products with the logo being in all-caps.

Regaining independence

By around 2015, the dispute with Rowen had ended and the Tommykaira brand was once again independent. In a chance meeting with JDM Parts Ninja co-founder, Mike Wyckoff, Tommykaira once again began producing and selling products for both domestic and overseas markets.
Tommykaira brand license holder, Threeek, rebranded to GTS in 2017 and sells Tommykaira brand products in Japan. JDM Parts Ninja is the exclusive distributor of the Tommykaira brand abroad.

Club international launch

In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a dwindling number of Tommykaira car owners in Japan, local chapters were disbanded in favour of a global subscription club called "Tommykaira Club International". The brainchild of Mike Wyckoff and GTS, the club, also known as TKCI, celebrated its launch in fall of 2020 and official first-year membership was 2021. The cost of a yearly membership starts at $88.
The logo was decided upon in 2020 by a group of Tommykaira enthusiasts that were asked to vote for their favourite Japanese kanji character from among a list of 5. The kanji is read "tamashi" and means "spirit" as in "Racing Spirit".

Models

  • 1987
  • *M19 - I4 1996cc SOHC, 153 PS / 188 N⋅m
  • *M30E - I6 2960cc SOHC, 225 PS / 279 N⋅m
  • 1988
  • *M30 - I6 3000cc DOHC, 240 PS / 294 N⋅m
  • *M20 - I6 1998cc DOHC turbo, 220 PS / 255 N⋅m
  • 1989
  • *M18Si NA - I4 1809cc DOHC, 150 PS / 177 N⋅m
  • *M18Si/Si R - I4 1809cc DOHC turbo, 205 PS / 240 N⋅m
  • *M30C - V6 2960cc DOHC turbo, 280 PS / 392 N⋅m
  • *M30 - I6 3030cc DOHC, 280 PS / 294 N⋅m
  • *M20 - I6 1998cc DOHC turbo, 250 PS / 275 N⋅m
  • *M30Z - V6 2960cc DOHC turbo, 350 PS / 456 N⋅m
  • 1991
  • *M30 MC - I6 3030cc DOHC, 280 PS / 294 N⋅m
  • *M20 MC - I6 1998cc DOHC turbo, 250 PS / 275 N⋅m
  • 1992
  • *M20t - I4 1998cc DOHC, 175 PS / 196 N⋅m
  • *M20Si NA - I4 1998cc DOHC, 175 PS / 196 N⋅m
  • *M20Si/Si R - I4 1998cc DOHC turbo, 235 PS / 289 N⋅m
  • *R/R Sport - I6 2568cc DOHC turbo, 350 PS / 353 N⋅m
  • 1993
  • *M20b - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 265 PS / 329 N⋅m
  • *m13 - I4 1300cc DOHC, 90 PS / 113 N⋅m
  • 1994
  • *M25 - I6 2498cc DOHC turbo, 330 PS / 400 N⋅m
  • *M20b Wagon - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 265 PS / 329 N⋅m
  • *M20tb - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 270 PS / 322
  • 1995
  • *R - I6 2568cc DOHC turbo, 400 PS / 420 N⋅m
  • *m13 Blister Version - I4 1300cc DOHC, 90 PS / 113 N⋅m
  • *M20b MC - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 265 PS / 329 N⋅m
  • *M20tb MC - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 270 PS / 322
  • *Tommykaira ZZ - I4 1998cc DOHC, 195 PS / 196 N⋅m
  • 1997
  • *M20fb - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 295 PS / 380 N⋅m
  • *M25tw - I6 2498cc DOHC turbo, 280 PS / 305 N⋅m
  • *M20b Wagon MC - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 265 PS / 329 N⋅m
  • 1998
  • *25R - I6 2498cc DOHC turbo, 300 PS / 363 N⋅m
  • *m13c - I4 1300cc DOHC, 96 PS / 127 N⋅m
  • *tb - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 295 PS / 346 N⋅m
  • *B4 - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 295 PS / 346 N⋅m
  • 1999
  • *R/R-s/R-z - I6 2700cc DOHC turbo, 530 PS / 534 N⋅m
  • 2000
  • *m13/m13 Blister Version - I4 1300cc DOHC, 90 PS / 113 N⋅m
  • *tb-2.2 - Flat-4 2149cc DOHC turbo, 315 PS / 394 N⋅m
  • *B4-2.2 - Flat-4 2149cc DOHC turbo, 315 PS / 394 N⋅m
  • *P-tune - I4 658cc DOHC supercharged, 83 PS / 105 N⋅m
  • 2001
  • *M20b-2.2 - Flat-4 2149cc DOHC turbo, 355 PS / 441 N⋅m
  • *Baby Gang - I4 1496cc DOHC, 109 PS / 142 N⋅m
  • *Boxy - I4 1994cc DOHC, no tuning
  • 2002
  • *m13 - I4 1240cc DOHC, 105 PS / 140 N⋅m
  • *Z - V6 3496cc DOHC, 304 PS / 397 N⋅m
  • *tb6 - Flat-6 2999cc DOHC, 270 PS / 341 N⋅m
  • *B6 - Flat-6 2999cc DOHC, 270 PS / 341 N⋅m
  • *fb-2.2 - Flat-4 2149cc DOHC turbo, 283 PS / 394 N⋅m
  • *ist - I4 1496cc DOHC supercharged, 140 PS / 174 N⋅m
  • *wR - I4 658cc DOHC turbo, 70 PS / 99 N⋅m
  • 2003
  • *tb - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 296 PS / 346 N⋅m
  • *B4 - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo, 296 PS / 346 N⋅m
  • *Z Type-II - V6 3496cc DOHC, 304 PS / 397 N⋅m
  • *Cruze - I4 1328cc DOHC, no tuning
  • 2004
  • *m08 - I3 796cc SOHC, 70 PS / 93 N.m
  • *tb 220 Sport - Flat-4 2147cc DOHC turbo, 315 PS / 378 N⋅m
  • *B4 220 Sport - Flat-4 2147cc DOHC turbo, 315 PS / 378 N⋅m
  • *Z Type-III - V6 3496cc DOHC, 320 PS / 402 N⋅m
  • *M20b - Flat-4 1994cc DOHC turbo
  • 2007
  • *GT - V6 2496cc & 3503cc DOHC, no tuning
  • *S-Ss - I4 1586cc DOHC, no tuning
  • 2018
  • *R Concept - V6 3799cc DOHC turbo, no tuning
  • *m14 (Suzuki Swift Sport ZC33S - I4 1373cc DOHC turbo, 193 PS / 299 N.m

Prototypes and production figures

[Image:Tommykaira ZZ by GreenLoadMotors front.jpg|thumb|The Tommykaira ZZ, EV model.]
  • ZZ-S
  • ZZII
  • ZZIII
  • Impreza GC8/GF8 M20b
  • R32 R & R32 RL
  • R32 M20
  • R32 M30
  • R33 R & RL
  • R33 M25
  • R34 R, R-S & R-Z
  • R34 25R
  • GT-R R35 Tommykaira Edition

Built under Rowen

The following cars were built under Rowen's short-lived partnership with Tommykaira.