Spoon Sports: The Honda Tuner With Yellow Ferraris in its Yard

Spoon Sports is not the largest Japanese tuner. It's not the most famous. It doesn't have a global dealer network or multi-million-dollar race teams. But if you ask any Honda enthusiast to name the greatest Honda tuner in history, they'll tell you: Spoon Sports, in Setagaya, Tokyo, founded by a former Honda R&D engineer named Tatsuru Ichishima.

Spoon's signature is yellow. The yellow body color on so many Hondas you've seen in tuner magazines? That's Spoon yellow — a shade Ichishima-san chose specifically because it made his cars easy to identify in crowded paddocks. It's now the most iconic color in Honda tuning, and Spoon's yellow NSX, Integra Type R, and Civic Type R builds are among the most photographed Japanese cars of the 1990s and 2000s.

Tatsuru Ichishima: The Founder

Tatsuru Ichishima joined Honda R&D in the 1970s and worked as an engineer on the F1 program in the 1980s, when Honda powered McLaren to four constructors' championships (1988-1991) and four drivers' championships (Senna in 1988, 1990, 1991; Prost in 1989). After a decade at Honda, Ichishima grew frustrated with corporate constraints and felt the need to build Hondas his own way.

In 1988, he founded Spoon Sports in a small garage in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. The name "Spoon" has multiple interpreted meanings — one story is that it referred to his preference for small-displacement engines ("a spoonful of engine"), another that it was named after the Spoon Curve at Suzuka Circuit. Ichishima himself has never fully clarified.

Spoon's mission from day one was clear: take road-going Hondas and extract maximum performance without compromising Honda's design philosophy. No forced induction (Spoon is almost exclusively NA). No cheating with different engines. Just better pistons, better heads, better balance.

Spoon's Tuning Philosophy

Spoon is built on a philosophy that few Japanese tuners share:

1. Respect the factory engineering. Hondas are already well-engineered. Spoon tuning amplifies what's there, not replaces it.
2. Naturally-aspirated first. Spoon rarely touches turbocharged cars. Honda made most of their performance cars NA, and Spoon believes that's how they should stay.
3. Every part has a reason. Spoon doesn't sell bolt-on kits for aesthetics. Every product has been tested, dyno'd, and refined.
4. Small batches, premium quality. Spoon parts are expensive and often limited. They're made in Japan by Japanese craftsmen.
5. Yellow paint is mandatory. OK, this isn't a philosophy, but Ichishima-san insists on yellow. It's his signature.

Signature Cars

Spoon Sports Type One NSX (1997)

The Spoon Type One NSX is arguably the greatest Spoon build of all time. Based on a 1991 NSX, Ichishima and his team:

• Rebuilt the C30A V6 engine with N1-race-spec blueprinting
• Replaced pistons, rods, and bearings with racing components
• Hand-ported the heads
• Fitted individual throttle bodies
• Installed a full Spoon exhaust and intake
• Upgraded suspension and brakes

The result: 320 HP NA from the 3.0-liter V6 (vs 270 HP stock), and a car that could lap Suzuka faster than a Type R NSX. The Spoon NSX has been featured in every major car magazine and won multiple time attack events.

Spoon Sports Civic Type R EK9

Spoon's most famous Civic build. Taking a JDM-only Civic Type R EK9 (B16B engine, 185 PS), Spoon modified it with:

• Hand-ported B16B head with Spoon N1-spec camshafts
• Individual throttle bodies from the Honda F3000 formula program
• Spoon suspension with custom spring rates
• Full roll cage
• Yellow paint (obviously)

The Spoon EK9 produced over 220 HP NA from 1.6 liters — an absurd specific output. It competed in All-Japan Touring Car Championship events and became the archetypal "tuner Civic."

Spoon Sports Integra Type R DC2/DC5

Spoon's DC2 Integra Type R builds are legendary in Honda circles. Their signature "N1" engine modifications (ported B18C head, modified cams, balanced rotating assembly) add 25-35 HP from the factory 200 PS with zero loss of drivability. The Spoon DC5 Integra Type R (K20A-based) continued the tradition into the 2000s.

Spoon Sports S2000

Spoon has built multiple F20C S2000 race cars that compete in Super Taikyu and Time Attack. Their S2000 builds typically feature 280-320 HP NA (from the factory 250 HP), revised suspension, and improved aerodynamics.

Spoon Parts: What to Look For

Signature Spoon product lines:

Spoon N1-Spec Engine Components

Pistons, rods, bearings, valves, and cam sprockets built to "N1 race" specifications — higher tolerance, higher durability, higher output capability than factory parts.

Spoon Sports Exhaust Systems

The Spoon N1 exhaust is a signature product — single-pipe, lightweight, Japanese-made. The exhaust note is distinctive and highly valued.

Spoon Carbon-Kevlar Intake

Lightweight carbon-kevlar intake pipe with a high-flow filter. Minimal performance gain but signature Spoon look.

Spoon Monocoque Bar

A brace that connects the strut towers through the firewall, stiffening the chassis. Named for its resemblance to formula car monocoque construction.

Spoon Calipers

Billet aluminum brake calipers in the signature yellow color. More a visual signature than a performance upgrade, but Honda enthusiasts covet them.

Spoon Dampers

Coilovers with Spoon-spec spring rates and valving. Designed for street performance, not track-only.

The Yellow Paint

Ichishima-san's decision to paint every Spoon car yellow is more than branding. In Japanese circuit racing, the fastest cars are often featured prominently in magazine photos, and a distinctive color helps them stand out. Spoon yellow became so associated with "fast Hondas at the circuit" that competitors began painting their cars yellow in tribute. This spread from Japan to Europe and the USA, and today, yellow is the unofficial color of Honda tuning worldwide.

Spoon Today

Spoon Sports remains a small, Tokyo-based operation. They have a single shop (with the Spoon Café where customers can eat next door), a modest website, and a handful of employees. They've never expanded globally, never franchised, never cheapened their product line. Yellow NSXs are still parked in the shop's parking lot.

For Honda enthusiasts, visiting Spoon Sports in Setagaya is a pilgrimage — a chance to see the yellow cars in person, meet the team, and buy parts directly from the source. It's as close to spiritual as automotive tourism gets.

Why Spoon Matters

Spoon Sports represents a version of tuning that the rest of the industry has almost forgotten: deeply engineered, philosophy-driven, focused on fewer cars done better. In an era of "stage kit" bolt-ons and turbo swaps, Spoon still makes parts by hand, still tunes naturally-aspirated engines to extreme levels, and still paints every car yellow. It's a rare thing, and a precious one. As long as Ichishima-san is willing to keep building, Spoon will remain Japan's most revered Honda specialist.