Tegiwa in Japan – Day 5: TOM’S Racing, WedsSport, Tomei, DAMD Design & a Hidden Subaru Haven!
Tegiwa in Japan – Day 5: TOM’S Racing, WedsSport, Tomei, DAMD Design & a Hidden Subaru Haven!
Day 5 was an absolute whirlwind of adventure! We squeezed in visits to no less than 4 legendary Japanese companies, each one a treasure trove of performance parts and iconic machinery.
Our first stop was TOM’S Racing, a name synonymous with the blisteringly fast Castrol Supra that dominated the 90’s racing scene and of course Gran Turismo. After a chat about business, we explored their showroom which showcase some of their parts, merchandise, and historical motorsport memorabilia.
The real stars of the show, however, were the TOM’S demo cars. The first, a GR Yaris, showcased a tasteful OEM+ approach.
But the real showstopper was the stunning Toyota GR86 in Ignition Red. This machine, adorned with a full TOM’S body kit and their iconic quad-barrel exhaust, was a true head-turner. The guys at TOM’s even went the extra mile, moving the car out for epic street side photos – now that’s hospitality!
Next on the agenda: WedsSport HQ. While the office itself wasn’t a showroom, the meeting held a special treat – a sneak peek at some prototype wheels! The first was the TC-105X DSR, a masterpiece in matte blue, expected to be released later this year. They also unveiled the multi-spoke SA-62R, a versatile wheel available in various sizes and already gracing the shelves of Tegiwa.com – big thanks to the WedsSport crew for their hospitality and the amazing Super GT experience!
We then ventured to Tomei Powered Inc. This is a brand that we were familiar with, but not one that we have had any business with. Interesting fact; Tomei are named after the expressway that there facility is located on.
Stepping into their facility was like entering a petrolhead’s paradise. One of Tomei’s technician took us on a tour of their restricted zones. Witnessing their engine room filled with legendary RB26s, one even roaring to life on the dyno with its signature turbo flutter, was pure magic.
The tour continued through the machining room where camshafts were meticulously crafted. Engine parts were everywhere you looked, from a VQ35 block to a collection of gleaming titanium exhausts. A hidden gem awaited us in the old dyno room – a vintage 1300cc engine with massive trumpets, pushing out 150 horsepower!
Outside, two hidden gems awaited a dramatic reveal. The first cover peeled back to unveil a top-spec drift machine – a Toyota Chaser packing a monstrous 1,000 horsepower 2JZ engine. Lurking beneath the other cover was a Nissan R35 GTR, a development platform for Tomei’s upcoming VQ35 parts line. This beast boasted premium upgrades like AP Racing brakes, Bride bucket seats, and a Tomei titanium exhaust system that blessed our ears with a glorious rev.
The tour concluded with a visit to their warehouse, a place of immaculate order with no box or part being out of place.
Our final stop of the day: DAMD Design. These guys are well known for their recent body kits for the new Suzuki Jimny (think Lancia Delta Integrale and Renault 5 Turbo throwbacks). Parked outside were those very Jimny’s, their attention to detail – like the quirky “non-turbo” sticker on the Renault-inspired one – was second to none.
Another mind-blowing fact: DAMD Design was the mastermind behind the iconic green Evo 7 driven by Paul Walker in 2Fast 2 Furious! Though the car’s designer wasn’t in, we scored a sweet model for our YouTube video – a win in our book!
With the official visits complete, we headed for a parking lot to stash our minivan before catching the bullet train (Shinkansen) to Osaka. We descended a couple of levels and to our absolute surprise, we were greeted with supercar heaven. You name it, it was there. Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren etc.
This parking lot was essentially being used a storage facility for anybody who had a nice car. It wasn’t hard to see why either when we learned that it only cost £5 for 48 hours parking!
As we did a few laps of the car park taking it all in, we came across something we did not expect. Nearly 4 rows packed full of the worlds rarest and quirkiest Subaru’s. A Spec C, 22B, a Colin McRae Impreza, a 360 Sedan Deluxe and a Samba just to name a few. Then, plot twist. We were told all of these Subaru’s were all owned by one collector (he goes by the name of Mr Boxer)! We worked out that he pays around £27,000 in storage fee’s to keep them all here. If you want to know (we certainly did), then check out this post on the Top Gear website.
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So, that was day 5 in a nutshell. Arguably our craziest yet. Stay tuned for day 6 as we encountered even more cool stuff in Japan!