In my small northern Canadian town, there's a random tommykaira 2door STI from the mid 90's, complete with tommykaira wheels and full interior, it's so insane to see
It'a awesome to see the recognition for TK now. I owned a M20b Tommykaira B4 Subaru Legacy - fully built engine and all. 2.2L Closed deck, MLS gasket, coolant and oil passage porting, forged rods and pistons, Abbey Road bits all over. God I miss it. One of probably 20 in the same spec - Rev D, full engine and suspension package, with no bodykit. Unfortunately it was stolen after I sold it, stripped out, and I still see parts pop up for sale here and there. The TK Ecu and ARC TMIC is currently for sale in NZ.
In the early 2000’s I was able to snag some TommyKaira parts for my P10 G20/Primera. I think everyone then thought it was ugly but I didn’t care. I loved it and it was so bespoke.
Based off of Tommy Kaira's social media presence and some subtle rumors, it seems as though Tommy Kaira wants to finally put the ZZ-II into production with a VR38 instead of the original concept's RB26.
Tommy Kaira ZZII was my favorite car in Gran Turismo. Surprisingly this particular Kaira was able to keep up with some GT1 and LMP2. Not sure in real life. Awesome youtube coverage 👏🏽
It's worth noting that the ZZII in Gran Turismo 2 and the ZZII from Gran Turismo 3 onwards are two different cars. The original 1999 ZZII from GT2 is based on a pretty obscure pre-production sketch (which looked more racecar-like), had around 600 horsepower and was rear wheel drive, while the one from GT3 onwards is what would become the ASL RS01 prototype, which had around 540 horsepower and the ATTESA all-wheel drive system.
I once had the opportunity to buy an r33 tommykaira around 2012... it was selling for $20k AUD here in Australia but couldn't get a loan on time.. by the time I had the funds about a week later the car was sold. I will always remember this as the most important missed opportunity I have experienced.
That hurts to hear, I'm sorry man. I missed out on a couple of cars a few years ago that I wish I got. A Plymouth Conquest (Mitsubishi Starion with different badges), and a VW Corrado. Both owners wanted around $3k for them, but the Conquest needed a turbo and the Corrado needed its AC worked on. I wasn't working on cars yet, so I didn't get either.. Two major regrets there. 24yrs ago, a friend was selling a VW Wagon from the 70's, it had a tight little Porsche engine in it, and it was only $600. Parents wouldn't help me get it, then it vanished. Those three are pretty damn valuable now, but mainly they were great cars.. I'm looking into a Suzuki Kei or a Suburu Vivio right now. Maybe an Alto Works or a Wagon RR, perhaps a Honda Beat or City Turbo or Today. Found a great Cima, and an awesome Nissan Cedric. Keep looking brother! Good luck!
I own 1997 Tommy kaira M20b wagon, serial #TK0747. I've owned it for 8+ years. It's my daily driver, while my 911 and 928 sit in the garage gathering dust. The car is NOT for sale. :)
My most favorite Tommy Kaira model is the ZZ/ZZ-S. An SR20DE powering 650kgs of mid-engined magic. You just don't need anything more than that. I fell in love with it back when I discovered it in GT PSP, I had such a great time with it beating my opponents in technical circuits like my all-time favorite El Capitan! I'd love to own this car someday, along with the ASL Garaiya! Lovely little cars these! 💗
Thank you for continuing to post stories about car culture. Ever since Donut quit doing Up To Speed, we've had a real deficit in this type of content, except for your videos!
Never was much a fan of the TK styling (like Veilside), too eccentric looking, but it’s always awesome to learn about these unique and vague companies that came out of the golden era of Japan automotive history.
I was quite confused about the TommyKaira-Rowen thing back then, and no wonder. It's sad that Tommy Kaira have to lean on its glorious ZZ II into one NFT they market...
I kept waiting for you to mention the ZZ II, the GT/GT2/GT3/GT4/GT5/GT6 game is strong with this one (points to self). Been racing those cars since Gran Turismo put them in, and yes I'm that old (40 cough cough hackkkk cough)
Please remember to touch on the brilliant m103 when discussing the 190e! It’s not all about the cossy variants, there were some very interesting non-cosworth editions, as you touched on in this video
NIce video. In my opinion, the company didn't had good sales because the customers don't want to buy a highly tuned, over priced car that looked exactly like the others, but had a custom build, one off, with the latest hot parts. That's why companies like Mine's, Top Secret, RE-Amemiya, etc, worked so well. Each car was unique, built to the highest standars under the customer's directions. As a side note, and you forgot to mention it: the Autobacs built ZZ II was (weirdly) renamed Arta Garaiya, highly modified and raced VERY sucefully at Super GT, which is an amazing feat considering Super GT, both GT300 and GT500, is like the ultimate challenge for race cars and racing teams. So Tommy Kaira dream kinda came true, they built a one off car that raced and peaked in the hardest enviroment.
I knew a guy that worked at Z fever in Tampa who owned a Tommy Kaira R34 GTR with the Tommy Kaira Livery down the side. He sold it to a USF or FSU student back in 04 or 05 for like 90k back then.
Please drop a video on Signal Auto - their R33, R34 and sr20 swapped 350z have to some of the most holy grail jdm cars ever made. Such a wild style, always loved their wild paint jobs/decals and they made some seriously quick and competitive cars. Also one on Auto Select would be cool to see too!
Man, I recall browsing Tommykaira's online catalog years ago and thinking 'what the hell's happened to them? There's nothing here but LED kits and tacky plastic clip on body parts' Now it all makes sense since you've shed light on the Rowan scandal.
Being able to see and even sitting both the TommyKaira ZZ and ZZII in Bangkok Motor Show few months ago, I was amazed by how meticulous they are when it comes to the details, especially the dash of the ZZII (which you don't get to see that in Gran Turismo)! I'm really looking forward to what they have in store, especially the ZZIII (yes they're developing the successor)!
ZZIII already existed in Gran Turismo 2. It was a small sports car, just like the original ZZ. Like the ZZII (which is actually two different cars), it never went into production.
@@WTFHAX93 Well, yes. But this time, they're actually making the ZZIII into a reality and it's very different from what it was in Gran Turismo 2. I've seen the video from the booth where the 2 TommyKaira cars were exhibited, which the last part of the clip teased the front of the ZZIII.
As a matter of fact I managed to get myself a gauge cluster, trunklid with wing, rear bumper and sideksirts of an R33 TommyKaira R 2-3 years ago off YAJ. Stuff is as well made as NISMO stuff I'd say.
It might have just been a Kit Car that was made to look like the Tommy Kaira M30, but I saw one at a car local show not too long ago here in the states. Even if it was just a normal R31 made to look like an M30 it was still really cool to see. I honestly like the R31's more than I do the newer GT-R.
Thanks for the shoutout at 20:30! You guys should definitely listen when he says to join the Discord for Matrix stories, I’ve got an ‘03 XRS that I love and I’m always doing something to! 😂 Plus I’ve owned many other cars! I’ve got stories for days. 😎
My Carly ad is funny that they are working on a Porsche and they pop the front hood/bonnet and he shows a spark plug as if he's removed it from the engine......... But it's a Porsche dude, so you found a spark plug in the trunk did you? Wow if that plug was in the engine.......the driver best be glad he didn't die from spark through shot 🤪
Because of Gran Turismo 3 (Best GT ever), Tommy Kaira R-34 was one of my favorite Skylines on that game. Is there anyway you can do a video on the Mine’s tuning shop?
Hm.. Why's that? Tommykaira was sought after when I was young. I was a kid, that was before the internet... you just knew everyone wanted one! Any car enthusiast, anyways.
When the r31 GTS was launched, tomita and kaira (who were selling hartges) were asked by Nissan to help trim a special trim for some models, called "European collection". They chose the dark blue paint, the silver stripes and some interior pieces like the steering wheel. Then, he won the Japanese touring championship with a BMW 635 in 1985 and nismo made pressure to have him abandon Hartges, else he'd lose his collaboration with Nissan.
First tag me and like btw i love the 90s tuning era in japan,germany and america...etc albon vids are so good because he talkes about old tunning brands I never heard of or I forgot and racing championships cars and car companys Im watching his vids from early 2021 and I hope you reach 300k subs
Just imagine the torque of the car, and at that time and age Bugatti didn't even have that power to make that type of monster. That car is a Holy Grail of Japanese Tuning
Ohh, then i can concider myself lucky, because i was able to buy 2 tommy kaira branded recaro seats out of a skyline. It was an ebay auctuon for just 366€ back in 2010. The local tuner, from whom i picked them up from, bscause the skyline was upgraded there at that time, was very shocked to hear about the bargain i just made.
awesome story and really glad they at least didnt quite just hit a dead end, but still, EV? gotta say thats just lame for whats coming for actual car enthusiasts, could at least been a hybrid.
Get 15% off your Carly purchase with code "Albon" (auto-applied) until June 30th, 2024 when you click: bit.ly/Carly_Albon
pause...did yall really pull a sparkplug out from the hood of a porsche and not expect anyone to catch that?
Wow. I remember loving Tommy Kaira stuff back when their cars were featured in Gran Turismo/GT2.
Same here. 👍
I knew I'd heard that name somewhere. More a German guy here.
I remember ⏪⏪⏩⏪🅱️. Different game tho, I think.
Yeah loved me a fully upgraded ZZ!
Yup😂
In my small northern Canadian town, there's a random tommykaira 2door STI from the mid 90's, complete with tommykaira wheels and full interior, it's so insane to see
😮
Pics or it didn’t happen…
Fake news
@@BabyJesus66 I tried to post a link to my Instagram, I have pictures of it, but RUclips auto deletes comments with links for some reason
Which town and what car lol
It'a awesome to see the recognition for TK now. I owned a M20b Tommykaira B4 Subaru Legacy - fully built engine and all. 2.2L Closed deck, MLS gasket, coolant and oil passage porting, forged rods and pistons, Abbey Road bits all over. God I miss it. One of probably 20 in the same spec - Rev D, full engine and suspension package, with no bodykit.
Unfortunately it was stolen after I sold it, stripped out, and I still see parts pop up for sale here and there. The TK Ecu and ARC TMIC is currently for sale in NZ.
Fun fact: That Stagea at 15:01 is my M25TW. 😂❤
Wow cool
Huph muckers be HATINNNNNNNN!😮
You livin the DREAM
make a youtube video
Yo that's amazing! Happy for you
The Porsche in the ad had a BMW chime.. I was daydreaming and that completely interrupted my train of thought.
PTSD
In the early 2000’s I was able to snag some TommyKaira parts for my P10 G20/Primera. I think everyone then thought it was ugly but I didn’t care. I loved it and it was so bespoke.
I had a B14 97 ,with a vq swap from a quest 240 hp na from a 115hp car
Got to see both the ZZ and ZZII in person 2 months ago, even got to see the RB26 in it. they still look awesome for their age
That car is so ahead of it’s time looks like modern McLaren mixed with Ferrari
Based off of Tommy Kaira's social media presence and some subtle rumors, it seems as though Tommy Kaira wants to finally put the ZZ-II into production with a VR38 instead of the original concept's RB26.
Somewhat correct 💯
Tommy Kaira ZZII was my favorite car in Gran Turismo. Surprisingly this particular Kaira was able to keep up with some GT1 and LMP2. Not sure in real life. Awesome youtube coverage 👏🏽
I hope they put it back in Gran turismo 7 in an update. .they just put in the r31 skyline
It's worth noting that the ZZII in Gran Turismo 2 and the ZZII from Gran Turismo 3 onwards are two different cars. The original 1999 ZZII from GT2 is based on a pretty obscure pre-production sketch (which looked more racecar-like), had around 600 horsepower and was rear wheel drive, while the one from GT3 onwards is what would become the ASL RS01 prototype, which had around 540 horsepower and the ATTESA all-wheel drive system.
@@WTFHAX93 i didn’t know until now that the ZZ ll had an rear mounted RB26, that’s so sick
I once had the opportunity to buy an r33 tommykaira around 2012... it was selling for $20k AUD here in Australia but couldn't get a loan on time.. by the time I had the funds about a week later the car was sold. I will always remember this as the most important missed opportunity I have experienced.
That hurts to hear, I'm sorry man. I missed out on a couple of cars a few years ago that I wish I got. A Plymouth Conquest (Mitsubishi Starion with different badges), and a VW Corrado. Both owners wanted around $3k for them, but the Conquest needed a turbo and the Corrado needed its AC worked on. I wasn't working on cars yet, so I didn't get either.. Two major regrets there. 24yrs ago, a friend was selling a VW Wagon from the 70's, it had a tight little Porsche engine in it, and it was only $600. Parents wouldn't help me get it, then it vanished. Those three are pretty damn valuable now, but mainly they were great cars.. I'm looking into a Suzuki Kei or a Suburu Vivio right now. Maybe an Alto Works or a Wagon RR, perhaps a Honda Beat or City Turbo or Today. Found a great Cima, and an awesome Nissan Cedric. Keep looking brother! Good luck!
How much you reckon its worth today?
I own 1997 Tommy kaira M20b wagon, serial #TK0747.
I've owned it for 8+ years.
It's my daily driver, while my 911 and 928 sit in the garage gathering dust.
The car is NOT for sale. :)
The ZZ-II was such a gorgeous vehicle. Wish they had long term success
My most favorite Tommy Kaira model is the ZZ/ZZ-S. An SR20DE powering 650kgs of mid-engined magic. You just don't need anything more than that. I fell in love with it back when I discovered it in GT PSP, I had such a great time with it beating my opponents in technical circuits like my all-time favorite El Capitan! I'd love to own this car someday, along with the ASL Garaiya! Lovely little cars these! 💗
Thank you for continuing to post stories about car culture. Ever since Donut quit doing Up To Speed, we've had a real deficit in this type of content, except for your videos!
Couldn’t agree more
Never was much a fan of the TK styling (like Veilside), too eccentric looking, but it’s always awesome to learn about these unique and vague companies that came out of the golden era of Japan automotive history.
A guy in my area owns two R34 TK’s, love to see them being driven around regularly!
😅
Where do you live tho
@@unknownspot1306 UK
@@unknownspot1306U.K
I was quite confused about the TommyKaira-Rowen thing back then, and no wonder. It's sad that Tommy Kaira have to lean on its glorious ZZ II into one NFT they market...
Just so you know, Tommykaira also developed a few much more affordable cars in 2000's, for example a Swift Sport ZC31s
The ZZ ll should’ve been a production model for the public.
That car is sick RB26 Supercar
They just made the Elise before the Elise.
The front engined 911 lol
I audibly lol'd
"officer this Porsche is electric because the engine isnt in the back."
The ZZII was my go to car in Gran Tourismo 6 as a kid.
I live in a small city in Norway, and there were two TommyKaira ZZs in my town for some reason, those things are so tiny!
I kept waiting for you to mention the ZZ II, the GT/GT2/GT3/GT4/GT5/GT6 game is strong with this one (points to self). Been racing those cars since Gran Turismo put them in, and yes I'm that old (40 cough cough hackkkk cough)
Please remember to touch on the brilliant m103 when discussing the 190e! It’s not all about the cossy variants, there were some very interesting non-cosworth editions, as you touched on in this video
I owned a 2.6 and 2.3, AND never knew of TK's involvement with the chassis. Thanks for the heads-up! I knew something was special about the chassis.
NIce video. In my opinion, the company didn't had good sales because the customers don't want to buy a highly tuned, over priced car that looked exactly like the others, but had a custom build, one off, with the latest hot parts. That's why companies like Mine's, Top Secret, RE-Amemiya, etc, worked so well. Each car was unique, built to the highest standars under the customer's directions.
As a side note, and you forgot to mention it: the Autobacs built ZZ II was (weirdly) renamed Arta Garaiya, highly modified and raced VERY sucefully at Super GT, which is an amazing feat considering Super GT, both GT300 and GT500, is like the ultimate challenge for race cars and racing teams. So Tommy Kaira dream kinda came true, they built a one off car that raced and peaked in the hardest enviroment.
They're very different cars, the garaiya is a ZZ underneath
You forgot that tommy kaira also worked on kei cars and small compacts. They also did a version of the nissan march/micra and the nissan primera.
I knew a guy that worked at Z fever in Tampa who owned a Tommy Kaira R34 GTR with the Tommy Kaira Livery down the side. He sold it to a USF or FSU student back in 04 or 05 for like 90k back then.
Please drop a video on Signal Auto - their R33, R34 and sr20 swapped 350z have to some of the most holy grail jdm cars ever made. Such a wild style, always loved their wild paint jobs/decals and they made some seriously quick and competitive cars. Also one on Auto Select would be cool to see too!
Man, I recall browsing Tommykaira's online catalog years ago and thinking 'what the hell's happened to them? There's nothing here but LED kits and tacky plastic clip on body parts' Now it all makes sense since you've shed light on the Rowan scandal.
Being able to see and even sitting both the TommyKaira ZZ and ZZII in Bangkok Motor Show few months ago, I was amazed by how meticulous they are when it comes to the details, especially the dash of the ZZII (which you don't get to see that in Gran Turismo)! I'm really looking forward to what they have in store, especially the ZZIII (yes they're developing the successor)!
ZZIII already existed in Gran Turismo 2. It was a small sports car, just like the original ZZ. Like the ZZII (which is actually two different cars), it never went into production.
@@WTFHAX93 Well, yes. But this time, they're actually making the ZZIII into a reality and it's very different from what it was in Gran Turismo 2. I've seen the video from the booth where the 2 TommyKaira cars were exhibited, which the last part of the clip teased the front of the ZZIII.
I love that Tommy Kaira took my favorite R31 shitbox an turned it into a beast lol
LOL Carley popped the frunk to change the sparkplugs on a Porsche. WTF. Yes get that app, they know what they're doing.
As a matter of fact I managed to get myself a gauge cluster, trunklid with wing, rear bumper and sideksirts of an R33 TommyKaira R 2-3 years ago off YAJ. Stuff is as well made as NISMO stuff I'd say.
its "Do-Meh", not Dome.
Came here to say this.
Do me
It was due to Tommy Kaira I fell in love with GTR and the passion to drive
Turtles symbolize wealth in Japan. Oddly enough, the word “Tomi” in Japanese translates to “wealth”
The more you know…
How was the M19 taillights different from the oem?
Bro....brings me back to Gran Turismo 2😮😮😮
Always always been fascinated about Tommy Kaira great vid as always albo
I STILL want one and i WISH they survived and were able to build the ZZ-II
wow, i completely forgot about tommy kaira. i just realised that they were suddenly gone LOL. thx for the story
Bring the GT2 ps2 vibe back. Thanks for the nostalgia. Good 👍 video.
It might have just been a Kit Car that was made to look like the Tommy Kaira M30, but I saw one at a car local show not too long ago here in the states. Even if it was just a normal R31 made to look like an M30 it was still really cool to see. I honestly like the R31's more than I do the newer GT-R.
ALBON what do u think about R32 HKS Zero R Skyline they are more rare than a 400R ! We definitely need a video about that car !
We did a video on it! Hks fanboys over here
Mic drop 😂
Thanks for the shoutout at 20:30! You guys should definitely listen when he says to join the Discord for Matrix stories, I’ve got an ‘03 XRS that I love and I’m always doing something to! 😂
Plus I’ve owned many other cars! I’ve got stories for days. 😎
That Kaira R33 GTR is just pure SEXINESS!!!
They kinda screwed the pooch with those R34 designs, they made it look like subarus 😂😂
My friend used to own Impreza Tommy Kaira.
Another fantastic video guys, big thank you for the efforts, I await every next video with excitement.👍👍👍
Thank you! Hopefully we won’t keep you waiting too long
It's Tommy Ka-Ira, not Tommy Kayra.
Thats why its in english.
@@Atengu24 It's a Japanese name, American English is not English, it's just trash.
My Carly ad is funny that they are working on a Porsche and they pop the front hood/bonnet and he shows a spark plug as if he's removed it from the engine......... But it's a Porsche dude, so you found a spark plug in the trunk did you? Wow if that plug was in the engine.......the driver best be glad he didn't die from spark through shot 🤪
I love your content albon, could we get to see some civic/crx history.
All motor/turbo civics showing the true potential of what lies in honda motors.
Nice to see the sr20de getting some love lol. Takes me back to the days with my old 97 200sx se-r. Such a fun and peppy little car to daily
That Lada Niva at 0:12 looks interesting between the Mercedes' . :]
16:40 it exists in Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift on the PlayStation 2 ❤
No lie that car was so tough to beat.
please make a video about MOVE Tuning Factory!
MOVE closed down like 20 years ago honestly there isnt much to see apart from them tuning mid night cars and some other special cars
Because of Gran Turismo 3 (Best GT ever), Tommy Kaira R-34 was one of my favorite Skylines on that game. Is there anyway you can do a video on the Mine’s tuning shop?
6:36
That's pretty damn cool looking😊
Japanese tuners are on another level. I still pine after those RUF Porches.
Ruf is a german company.
Ruf is French though. Alois ruf. Google that shizz.
@@BullySmasher The company was founded, and still is, in pfaffenhausen germany. Google it;) where the family is originaly from is another matter.
@@BullySmasher The company was founded in, and still operates from Pfaffenhausen, Germany. Google it my friend;)
@@BullySmasher The company was founded in, and stil operates from Pfaffenhausen, Germany. Google it my friend;)
A very interesting video to watch. Thanks !
TK is building ZZ's again.
This video made me subscribed. Great work!
You always have great videos man! I hope you're doing well. 👍
I watch these guys just for the adds. Great work!
0:12 Ultimate 88' Lada-2121 Tommy Kaira Edition
I think i have yet to see a tommy kaira jdm car i would't want to undoo some of their mods from.
I'm visiting Kyoto soon I'm gonna go check out that 1 of 1 ZZ2
Is that an AW11 behind you??
Not going to lie but that was the smoothies ad transition
I never thought someone would make a video like this on Tommy Kaira
Hm.. Why's that? Tommykaira was sought after when I was young. I was a kid, that was before the internet... you just knew everyone wanted one! Any car enthusiast, anyways.
I attempted to make one. Will revisit it once I complete different videos though.
@@SupraSav thats what it means to us newer car people only know tommy kaira for the r34 gtr or just dont know them at all
Did that mechanic pulled a spark plug from a 911s front boot. 😂😂
The ZZ2 was the pinnacle
7:01, what the hell does a Hartge steering wheel doing in R31? xD
When the r31 GTS was launched, tomita and kaira (who were selling hartges) were asked by Nissan to help trim a special trim for some models, called "European collection". They chose the dark blue paint, the silver stripes and some interior pieces like the steering wheel. Then, he won the Japanese touring championship with a BMW 635 in 1985 and nismo made pressure to have him abandon Hartges, else he'd lose his collaboration with Nissan.
It's a shame that underhanded business practices from a company like Rowen ruined Tommykaira's reputation
thanks to gran turismo i love tommy kaira
Can’t believe the March M13 was never mentioned
This video is pretty informative and accurate. But I got a video with one in it!
First tag me and like btw i love the 90s tuning era in japan,germany and america...etc albon vids are so good because he talkes about old tunning brands I never heard of or I forgot and racing championships cars and car companys Im watching his vids from early 2021 and I hope you reach 300k subs
Just imagine the torque of the car, and at that time and age Bugatti didn't even have that power to make that type of monster. That car is a Holy Grail of Japanese Tuning
0:12 lol lada niva(it still in production)
The EV looks a lot like the Renault Sport Spider.
I got to see that Tommykaira R at Craftsports because I bought my Evo 5 from them!
he keeps saying "tooner" and "tooning" 🤣
Ohh, then i can concider myself lucky, because i was able to buy 2 tommy kaira branded recaro seats out of a skyline. It was an ebay auctuon for just 366€ back in 2010.
The local tuner, from whom i picked them up from, bscause the skyline was upgraded there at that time, was very shocked to hear about the bargain i just made.
Only of i do know all these stuffs in the 90s, I could be the coolest in my hood! But back then im on bmx and less than 1 meter tall.
haven't heard the Tommy Kaira name in a long time
amazing vid!
4:58 ludwog
Their car reminds me of the spiderman dune buggy lol😅
Wonderful Story.. Aaaand then came the EV part 😣
Sparkplug in porsche frunk lol
Nice vid y'all 👍
Proud to own VIN #1 of the R34 GTRs. It’s a RZ spec as well.
Upload a vid to ur channel with it, I can't believe it 😂😂
Says a crypto investment channel with no content…
You guys ever think of making a video about auto garage tbk?
For Fffffff sake SOMEONE MAKE THE ZZ-II 😂
awesome story and really glad they at least didnt quite just hit a dead end, but still, EV? gotta say thats just lame for whats coming for actual car enthusiasts, could at least been a hybrid.
Cool channel, I just subscribed 😊
You kidding me? taking out spark plug from the trunk?