Japfest 2026 was a proud moment for Torque GT. Representing Spoon Sports, we aimed to please Spoon fans on the day and that we did. We brought the official Spoon Sports EU presence to the UK's largest Japanese car show, including the president of Spoon Sports himself Takuya Kai. The response from the community told us everything we needed to know about where this is heading.
Here is the full story of what happened on the day, including an announcement we kept quiet until the very last moment.
The Stand: A Proper Pit Lane Presence
We were set up in a pit lane garage at Japfest, which gave the whole thing a different atmosphere to a standard show stand. It felt like a proper paddock, which suited the cars and the brand perfectly. The twin centrepieces were the Spoon Sports Super Taikyu S2000 race car and David Wright's FK8 Civic Type R, with more on David's car to come later in this post.
The Spoon Sports Super Taikyu S2000 race car drew attention from the moment the gates opened. For a lot of people at the show this was their first chance to see the real thing up close, and for many it was an opportunity to sit in it which we were happy to make happen. Sitting in a car that has raced at that level, built by the people who wrote the book on Honda performance, is not something you forget quickly.
We had some of the best Spoon Sports products on display across the stand, with the Spoon Sports B series engine cut in half and on full show. With its signed cover from Ichishima himself, it made for something a bit more special. People gathered around it throughout the day. It is one thing to know Spoon builds serious engines. It is another thing entirely to see one opened up and presented like the engineering artwork it is.
We also had official Spoon Sports Honda licensed merchandise available on the day and some commemorative pins produced in collaboration with Leen Customs. The Spoon Sports S2000 pins, limited to 500 units worldwide, went the way you would expect limited pins to go at a show full of people who care deeply about S2000s and Spoon Sports. A lucky few managed to get their pins signed by Kai too.
Meeting Takuya Kai: The Signing Session
The midday signing session brought a huge crowd to our stand. Takuya Kai, President of Spoon Sports Japan, was there in person, and the line of people waiting for a photo and a signature told its own story about what Spoon means to this community.
One moment that stuck with the team was meeting a young EP3 owner who had come to Japfest specifically because Torque GT and Spoon Sports were going to be there. He told us afterwards that the Torque GT stand made his entire trip, and that getting Takuya to sign his steering wheel and a few other parts was something he had not expected to walk away with. That is exactly what these events should feel like.
"The Torque GT team at the Spoon Sports stand made my trip. Meeting Takuya Kai was an amazing experience. Getting him to sign my steering wheel and other bits was something I never expected." — EP3 owner, Japfest 2026
It was also genuinely encouraging to see so many younger fans at the stand who had a detailed understanding of Spoon's heritage and were equally interested in what the company is doing in current racing series. The knowledge in that crowd was impressive.
People also brought their own Spoon parts along to be signed: authentic JDM DVDs, parts boxes, gear knobs, steering wheels, valve covers and more. Seeing the collection of genuine Spoon hardware that made its way to that stand across the course of the day was a reminder of how seriously the UK community takes this brand.
"It was great to see so many Spoon Sports fans flock to our stand. It seemed like everyone got something meaningful from the day, whether it was seeing the cars, picking up some exclusive merch or meeting Takuya." — Torque GT
Exploring Japfest with Takuya Kai
We spent part of the day walking the site with Kai, giving him a proper look at the UK JDM scene. He was genuinely taken aback. Not just by the scale of the event and the quality of what was on show, but by what each car said about the person who built it. He made a point of how every build was clearly a reflection of the owner's passion and their personal relationship with the car.
The track displays and the overall organisation of the event also made an impression. Credit to Japfest for putting on something at this scale with the attention to detail they bring. It is the right environment for a partnership like ours to have its moment.
The Surprise: Europe's First Official Spoon Sports Dealer Certified Build
This was a well kept secret that the team had been hiding from David Wright for some time.
He brought his FK8 Civic Type R to Japfest as he has done at previous events, proud of the build and happy to talk people through it, not expecting anything beyond a good day at a show he loves. What he did not know was that Torque GT and Spoon Sports Japan had been working behind the scenes to make his car the first ever officially Spoon Sports Dealer Certified Build in Europe.
Takuya Kai presented the plaque to David in person on the stand. It was the kind of moment that does not happen often at a car show.
David's Build: How It Came Together
In 2024 he took stock of where his FK8 was heading. He had been running a mix of Mugen and other quality parts, as plenty of people with serious FK8 builds do. But he recognised there was something more focused available to him: the opportunity to build one of the only full catalogue Spoon Sports FK8s in the UK and across Europe.
The reference point for the build is Spoon Sports' own FK8, which sits in their Type One factory in Japan. That car is the benchmark. David has been working methodically towards it, addressing every system on the car with genuine Spoon components and ensuring each one earns its place in the way Spoon-ism demands. Not parts for the sake of parts, but a coherent and considered build that makes the car better as a whole.
The signed rocker cover on David's engine is a detail worth pausing on. Ichishima signing a component on a customer car is not something that happens casually. It is a mark of genuine recognition from the man who founded Spoon Sports, and it reflects the standard the build was held to.
The Full Build Specification
| Category | Part |
|---|---|
| Engine | Spoon Sports Rocker Cover (signed by Tatsuru Ichishima) |
| Spoon Sports Oil Filler Cap | |
| Spoon Sports Coolant Cap | |
| Spoon Sports Aluminium Radiator | |
| Spoon Sports Thermostat | |
| Spoon Sports Carbon Air Duct | |
| Spoon Sports Carbon Plug Cover | |
| Spoon Sports N1 Exhaust System | |
| Spoon Sports Throttle Body | |
| Suspension | Spoon Sports Lowering Springs |
| Spoon Sports Rear Anti Roll Bar | |
| Spoon Sports Rigid Collars Front and Rear | |
| Spoon Sports Full Engine Mounts | |
| Spoon Sports Stiff Plate | |
| Spoon Sports Motion Control Bean Front and Rear | |
| Spoon Sports Zero Bump Steer Kit | |
| Brakes | Spoon Sports Brake Lines |
| Wheels | Spoon Sports SW388 Forged Matt Black 19×9.5 ET45 |
| Spoon Sports Cone Lug Nuts | |
| Interior | Spoon Sports Steering Wheel |
| Spoon Sports Shift Knob | |
| Spoon Sports Steering Wheel Boss and Control Bracket | |
| Exterior | Spoon Sports Aero Front Bumper with Carbon Lip |
| Spoon Sports Aero Rear Bumper with Carbon Diffuser | |
| Spoon Sports 3D GT-Wing (crane-neck) | |
| Spoon Sports Aero Mirrors |
What Is Spoon Sports and Why Does Any of This Matter?
If you are new to Spoon Sports, or if you only know the name from parts catalogues and forum threads, here is the fuller picture. Understanding where this brand comes from is the only way to understand why a Spoon Sports certified build means something.
Tatsuru Ichishima founded Spoon Sports in Tokyo in the late 1980s. The company was never built around a catalogue of parts. It was built around a philosophy: if you want to make a Honda better, you need to understand it completely first. That means racing it. Developing it in real conditions at real speed. Finding out what actually matters when the car is under load at Tsukuba or Suzuka, not in a manufacturer's press release.
They called this approach Spoon-ism. The idea that every component on a car should earn its place, not by adding power on paper, but by making the car more complete as a whole. Better balance. More precision. A deeper connection between the driver and the machine. The philosophy is grounded in a simple but demanding question: does this part make the car better in a way the driver will actually feel? If the answer is no, it has no place on a Spoon Sports build.
That thinking shows up everywhere. In the way Spoon develops components through racing before they ever reach a customer. In the way a Spoon-built car feels more consistent rather than simply faster. And in the way Ichishima has always talked about the car as something to be understood deeply rather than modified quickly. Horsepower is a byproduct of the process. The relationship between driver and car is the goal.
The Racing Record
Spoon's racing history is not background noise. It is the entire point. They began competing in Japan's N1 Endurance Championship in 1992 with the EG6 Civic, eventually earning Honda's official acknowledgement for what they were achieving with the company's own cars. From there the programme grew. The S2000 became the car most associated with their global reputation, taking first in class and second overall at the Tsukuba 9-hour race in 1999 and competing at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Their class win at the 25 Hours of Thunder Hill in California remains one of the most significant results ever recorded by a naturally aspirated Honda in international endurance racing.
Every generation of the Civic Type R has gone through Spoon's hands, from the EG6 that started it all through to the FL5 that competes in Super Taikyu today. The DC2 Integra Type R was a key platform in the N1 series and remains one of the most natural fits for a Spoon tribute build. They even ran the Fit in smaller endurance classes, applying the same depth of development to a 1.3-litre hatchback that they brought to everything else. The platform was never the point. The approach was.
Spoon-ism is the belief that a car should be an extension of the driver. Every component is there because it earns its place. Not because it looks good in a build thread and not because it adds a number to a dyno sheet.
Why Torque GT as the EU Distributor
Torque GT is the official Spoon Sports EU distributor. That relationship exists because it was built the right way, through a genuine shared understanding of what Spoon stands for and a commitment to upholding that standard in the European market. Every part we supply comes directly through official Spoon Sports distribution channels. Every certification we put forward goes to Takuya Kai and his team in Japan for final approval. We are not an intermediary. We are the authorised European home for Spoon Sports.
Buying Genuine Spoon Sports Parts
Spoon Sports has one of the strongest reputations in Honda performance and that reputation is worth protecting. All parts supplied by Torque GT come directly through official Spoon Sports distribution channels, which means full authenticity, proper warranty backing and the knowledge that what you are fitting has been developed and tested to the standard Spoon-ism demands. If you want to build something that genuinely reflects the philosophy, it has to start with the right parts.
If you have a question about any Spoon Sports part or want to talk through a build, contact us directly. We would rather answer the question properly than see someone end up with something that does not do the car justice.
Torque GT is the official Spoon Sports EU distributor. All Spoon Sports parts supplied by Torque GT are sourced directly through official Spoon Sports distribution channels. The Spoon Sports Certified Build programme is subject to review and final approval by Takuya Kai, President of Spoon Sports Japan.
