Tommy Kaira
Encyclopedia
, formally , is a Japan
ese car tuning and manufacturing company founded on May 1, 2002 and headquartered in Minami-ku
, Kyoto
, Japan
. The company was named after its two founders, Yoshikazu Tomita and Kikuo Kaira. Its parent company was originally founded in 1968 as . Several of its Tommy Kaira's custom cars have appeared in the Gran Turismo
series of video games
since Gran Turismo 2
, as well as Forza Motorsport
for the Xbox and Forza Motorsport 2
for the Xbox 360.
190E which was renamed as the "Tommy Kaira M19". The company subsequently released the M30E, which was based on the Mercedes-Benz
300E. However, from 1988 onwards Tommy Kaira 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 (rebranded as Tommy Kaira M30), in 1993 the turn was for the Subaru Impreza (M20b) and the Nissan March (m13) and, finally, in 1994 the first Subaru Legacy Wagon (M20tb) 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. Tommy Kaira 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 Tommy Kaira M20b or a Nissan 350Z as a Tommy Kaira 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 Tommy Kaira has arisen some controversy directly related to the status of the company as a car manufacturer. According to the information spot provided by the PlayStation
videogame Gran Turismo 2
about the Kyoto-based company, "in 1988 [Tommy Kaira] succeeded in introducing Tommy Kaira M30, Japan's first fully modified high performance car [...][while] in 1997, [it] 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, an integral tuning that implied rebranding of the original model. This fact acknowledged the capability of Tommy Kaira 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.
The company made the decision to develop its own original design, the 'ZZ'. The ZZ was produced in Norfolk
, England, but the factory that manufactured the ZZ collapsed due to the majority of sales being in Japan. In 2002, the car was relaunched as the Leading Edge 190 RT built by Breckland Technologies.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese car tuning and manufacturing company founded on May 1, 2002 and headquartered in Minami-ku
Minami-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Its name means "South Ward." It was established in 1955 when it was separated from Shimogyo-ku. As of April, 2008 the ward has an estimated population of 98,320 people. The Kamo River and the Katsura River flow through...
, Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The company was named after its two founders, Yoshikazu Tomita and Kikuo Kaira. Its parent company was originally founded in 1968 as . Several of its Tommy Kaira's custom cars have appeared in the Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo (series)
is a popular and critically acclaimed series of racing simulation video games developed by Polyphony Digital.Developed exclusively for PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo games are intended to simulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, nearly all of which are licensed...
series of video games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
since Gran Turismo 2
Gran Turismo 2
is a driving simulator / racing game for the Sony PlayStation. Gran Turismo 2 was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 1999. The games serves as a sequel to Gran Turismo...
, as well as Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport's received rave reviews from such media outlets as 1UP.com, IGN, Eurogamer and more.The game was also featured in the June 2004 issue of Popular Science.- External links :*...
for the Xbox and Forza Motorsport 2
Forza Motorsport 2
Forza Motorsport 2 is a racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox 360 console. It is the second title in the Forza Motorsport series, and is the sequel to the original Forza Motorsport and is followed by Forza Motorsport 3 .The box art features a tuned Nissan 350Z...
for the Xbox 360.
Car tuning
In the 1987 Tommy Kaira unveiled a tuned Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
190E which was renamed as the "Tommy Kaira M19". The company subsequently released the M30E, which was based on the Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
300E. However, from 1988 onwards Tommy Kaira began to exclusively work on automobiles made in Japan, establishing successful contracts with manufacturers Nissan and Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
. In 1988, the company tuned for the first time a Nissan Skyline R31 (rebranded as Tommy Kaira M30), in 1993 the turn was for the Subaru Impreza (M20b) and the Nissan March (m13) and, finally, in 1994 the first Subaru Legacy Wagon (M20tb) 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 Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
, Nissan March
Nissan March
The Nissan Micra, known in Latin America and in most of Asia as the Nissan and in North America as the Nissan Versa , is a supermini produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 1982.-Micra K10:...
, Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza
Introduced in November 1993, the Impreza was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door sedan/saloon or five-door station wagon/estate. According to a Motor Trend article written March 1992 on page 26, the name of Subaru's new compact was, initially, to be...
and Subaru Legacy
Subaru Legacy
The Subaru Legacy is a mid-size car built by the Japanese company Fuji Heavy Industries, and manufactured by its division Subaru since 1989, and is available as a sedan or wagon. Part of the original design goals for the Legacy model was to provide Subaru a vehicle in which they could compete in...
.
Other models modified have included the Nissan 300ZX
Nissan 300ZX
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the US only. The 300ZX, as its predecessors, was known as a Nissan in other parts of the world. This continued in the US until 1985 model year when Nissan standardized their brand name worldwide and dropped...
, Nissan Silvia
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...
, Nissan GTR R35, Toyota Vitz
Toyota Vitz
The Toyota Vitz is a line of three- and five-door hatchback subcompact cars produced since 1998 by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Now in its third generation, the name "Toyota Vitz" has been used consistently in Japan, with most international markets receiving the same vehicle under...
, Nissan 350Z
Nissan 350Z
The Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan from 2002 to 2009 and marks the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model. The first year there was only a coupe, as the roadster did not debut...
and several kei cars from various manufacturers. Tommy Kaira 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 Tommy Kaira M20b or a Nissan 350Z as a Tommy Kaira Z. This phenomenon is not unusual around the world as German manufacturers such as Ruf and Gemballa
Gemballa
Gemballa is a tuning company based in Leonberg near Stuttgart, Germany, which was founded by, and named after, Uwe Gemballa in 1981. They provided aftermarket parts mainly for Porsche. In May 2010, the Gemballa factory was seized by German authorities and shut down following the disappearance of...
operate in a similar way with Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
automobiles.
On the other hand, the rebranding process carried out by Tommy Kaira has arisen some controversy directly related to the status of the company as a car manufacturer. According to the information spot provided by the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
videogame Gran Turismo 2
Gran Turismo 2
is a driving simulator / racing game for the Sony PlayStation. Gran Turismo 2 was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 1999. The games serves as a sequel to Gran Turismo...
about the Kyoto-based company, "in 1988 [Tommy Kaira] succeeded in introducing Tommy Kaira M30, Japan's first fully modified high performance car [...][while] in 1997, [it] 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, an integral tuning that implied rebranding of the original model. This fact acknowledged the capability of Tommy Kaira 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.
Car manufacturing and economic crisis
By 1996, Tommy Kaira 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 made the decision to develop its own original design, the 'ZZ'. The ZZ was produced in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England, but the factory that manufactured the ZZ collapsed due to the majority of sales being in Japan. In 2002, the car was relaunched as the Leading Edge 190 RT built by Breckland Technologies.
Models
- Z
- ZZ
- ZZ-S
- ZZII
- The ZZ II was a $90,000 sportcar 2 door coupe production car with a mid mounted tuned RB26DETT (Nissan Skyline GT-R motor) rated at 550 PS (542 hp) with 6pot front and 4pot rear brakes. It also featured front and rear aero diffusers, and a fully built roll cage.
- ZZIII
- Z33
- R34 R
- MT3
- GT
- TB
- B4
- Subaru ImprezaSubaru ImprezaIntroduced in November 1993, the Impreza was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door sedan/saloon or five-door station wagon/estate. According to a Motor Trend article written March 1992 on page 26, the name of Subaru's new compact was, initially, to be...
M20b - Subaru ForesterSubaru ForesterThe Subaru Forester is an all-wheel drive crossover wagon manufactured since 1997 by Fuji Heavy Industries and sold under the Subaru brand...
M20FB - Silver Wolf Edition (R35Nissan GT-RThe Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
)