The proverbial magic happens...
The proverbial magic happens here. Inside this temperature-controlled room, engines are torn down, prepped, and rebuilt. Inventory and engine parts are also stored here. This includes engines for everything from Super Taikyu race teams to customers looking for daily drivers.
There's no disputing that Spoon Sports is one of the most prolific names within the Honda world. The name, the logo, even the company's blue and yellow signature colors are enough to get the blood pumping through even the greenest of Honda fan boys' veins. Led by team principle and company president Tatsuru Ichishima, Spoon is synonymous with high quality, high standards, and a rich heritage in motorsports. During its 20-plus-year span, the company has participated in everything from one-make races to international GP events, but Spoon shines when it comes to endurance races, like the 24-hour Nuremberg, the 25-hour Thunderhill, and Super Taikyu events. Located in the greater Tokyo area and easily accessible by train, Spoon's headquarters serves as a Mecca of sorts for enthusiasts who are lucky enough to travel to Honda's home country.
 Despite the recession that's...  Despite the recession that's affected much of the world, even Japan, Spoon remains backed-up with engines. Each of these engines was sent in by a customer--oftentimes another tuning shop that doesn't handle its own engine building-- and sits in a queue, awaiting its rebuild. Once they're finished, they're shipped out or installed at the Type-1 facility. |  |  Engines are completely torn...  Engines are completely torn down and prepped to better-than-OEM condition. Spoon's engine builders take the time to individually measure and tag each part for processing and assembly. Extra attention is paid to minute details, some of which are often overlooked due to the nature of Honda's mass-production scale. A climate-controlled room down the street allows Type-1 technicians to perform engine and cylinder head assembly without having to make the 15-minute walk back to Spoon's engine room. |
 You know you're a true enthusiast...  You know you're a true enthusiast if red makes you smile. |  Using every square inch of...  Using every square inch of space at its disposal, Spoon even stores wheels outside on its third-floor balcony. |  19 years after its release,...  19 years after its release, the NSX's C-series engine is finally getting the attention it deserves from well-known Honda tuners like Spoon. The company has at least three C30A longblocks at its facility awaiting rebuilds. The question is: Why now? |
Spoon Co, Ltd is divided into two divisions: Spoon Sports and Type-1. Both shops are located no more than a quarter mile apart from one another, on the same street. The shops are close and, if you make the short trip on foot, you just might cross paths with Mr. Ichishima on his bicycle as he heads to Type-1. The Spoon side of the business handles the production operations, builds engines (anything from B-, to K-, to C-series), and has an extensive research and development program. Each camshaft, brake caliper, and chassis brace, is developed in-house at Spoon. Today, Spoon's expanded its research and development efforts even further, using its extensive track experience to assist Honda in new vehicle development. The Type-1 facility focuses on retail sales and offers service and maintenance to the public. Everything happens inside the Type-1 facility from oil changes and alignments to engine installations and race car preparations.
 Thinking ahead, Spoon developed...  Thinking ahead, Spoon developed this extended-length valve cover for boosted S2000 applications, which features additional baffling. They say it'll be released sometime later this year but we want one now. |  Due to the company's long...  Due to the company's long involvement in Group-N homologated racing (FIA class for showroom vehicles), Spoon's engine builders do not machine parts like pistons and connecting rods to achieve the perfect balance. Group-N regulations do not allow such machining, so Spoon's technicians weigh boxes of pistons and rods individually, and select the perfect match based upon weight. The process requires a massive inventory of brand new, OEM Honda pistons and rods to be on hand at all times. |  Engineers measure each piston...  Engineers measure each piston individually until they find a satisfactory grouping. Even piston pins undergo this meticulous process. The combined weight of the pistons, piston pins, and connecting rods must fall within a standard deviation set by Spoon for the engine to be considered "balanced." A standard deviation of approximately one gram may be typical elsewhere, but it's far less than that at Spoon. |
 Often seen as no more than...  Often seen as no more than a ricey addition to JDM-whore mobiles, Spoon's signature blue window banners actually let customers know that such cars are for sale. Spoon currently has three, race-prepped DC5 Integras wearing the blue banner and looking for new homes. Call for pricing. |  Not much more than your run-of-the-mill...  Not much more than your run-of-the-mill shopping car decked out in Spoon stickers but carrying your not-so run-of-the-mill parts. At any given time you can find this cart full of Spoon and Honda goodness that'll be enough to make any honest fan boy blush. |  The Type-1 Shop A mezzanine...  The Type-1 Shop
A mezzanine is put to work on the Type-1 shop's second floor, essentially creating a "third floor" and a place to store at least another five cars. The first floor's lift makes stops at the second floor and the second floor mezzanine. Visit the shop and you'll find a collection of legendary demo cars stored bumper to bumper in the workshop. |
Since Spoon's facilities are located in the center of Tokyo, space is at a premium, both physically and financially. The situation is not unlike what it would be like to open up a tuning shop in the middle of Manhattan. All of this meant that Mr. Ichishima had to get creative when planning the workspace. As such, every square inch of the Type-1 shop's two stories are utilized. Access between the two floors is made by a rising auto lift/platform, which transports anything from NSXs to pallets of engines to the second floor where you'll find things you'd never expect to find on a second floor, like lifts, rows of engines and transmissions, air compressors, a showroom that's integrated into the shop, and about a dozen Hondas. The lower floor features the company's alignment rack, more lifts, storage space, and a clean room for engine assembly that's positioned right against the sidewalk so passers by can get a glance at what's being assembled. K20A cylinder heads, F20C pistons, and expensive tooling line up along the top of the workbench, just inches away from the glass. Indeed, theft is not a problem in these parts.
 Old race car hoods are enough...  Old race car hoods are enough to make this garage legit. But two NSX-R conversions and a race-prepped AP2 make the whole experience nothing short of outrageous. Such is a normal day at Type-1. |  $9,000 carbon-Kevlar NSX-R...  $9,000 carbon-Kevlar NSX-R seats aren't exactly normal, in-stock items but, since Spoon began it's in-house NSX-R conversion program, there's a plentiful stock of these bad boys on hand at all times. |  Although K-series swaps are...  Although K-series swaps are commonplace in the U.S., such sacrilege simply isn't in Japan. Here, the B-series engine still reigns supreme amongst enthusiasts with non-K-designated platforms. |
 These have got to be some...  These have got to be some of the cleanest used transmission casings on Earth--just another testament as to how meticulous the prep work is at both of Spoon's facilities. |  |  |