Spoon Sports occupies an almost "purist" position within the realm of Honda tuning. Established in 1988 by former Honda test driver Tatsuru Ichishima, its core philosophy has never been about chasing outright horsepower, but rather achieving factory-grade reliability, balance, and sustainable, repeatable high performance through precision engineering.
Founder Tatsuru Ichishima's background as a works test driver for Honda provided Spoon with a unique engineering perspective: decoding the design intent behind every engine and chassis directly from within Honda’s R&D framework. The brand takes its name from the iconic Spoon Curve at Suzuka Circuit—a challenging left-hander demanding full-throttle commitment and pinpoint precision—serving as a fitting metaphor for Spoon's tuning ethos. From the outset, the outfit enjoyed support from both Honda and its official motorsport arm, Mugen, endowing it with a distinctive "semi-works" pedigree.
Spoon's engineering methodology boils down to the "Building up of small elements". Its renowned "1/1,000 theory" posits that shaving 1 kg off a 1,200 kg machine cuts lap times by 0.01 seconds on a 120-second circuit, yielding a 1-second gain over 10 laps and 2 seconds over 20 laps. As such, Spoon avoids over-stressing individual parameters. Instead, it aggregates dozens of meticulous refinements—such as reprofiled combustion chambers, blueprint-matched reciprocating components, and optimised piston ring tension—to enhance engine smoothness, throttle response, and rev-happy characteristics without compromising durability. This approach ensures a Spoon-tuned powerplant "may not push the highest peak output, but offers unmatched throttle response and an eagerness to rev right up to the redline."
Spoon’s technical expertise spans Honda's core performance portfolio, guided by a philosophy that balances "Total Technology" with "Real Comfort".
Powertrain and electronics form the backbone of Spoon. Its hand-built crate engines (such as the F20C and K20A) focus heavily on precision balancing of pistons and conrods across all four cylinders, aiming to distill and elevate the authentic "Honda VTEC character" rather than chasing sheer boost or power numbers. In terms of engine management, Spoon began dissecting and mapping race ECUs back in 1989, laying the groundwork for its proprietary engine tuning programmes.
Braking systems remain one of Spoon's most iconic offerings. Its signature blue brake calipers feature a monobloc (Monocoque) opposed differential-bore design machined from a solid billet of aerospace-grade aluminium. This setup enhances structural rigidity whilst saving unsprung weight, engineered to integrate seamlessly with Honda’s standard ABS and proportioning valves for dependable braking confidence and linear pedal feel.
Induction and exhaust systems are engineered around the principles of exhaust pulsation. Spoon explicitly advocates retaining the stock airbox with a high-flow drop-in filter element to preserve crucial mid-range torque, rather than pursuing top-end dyno figures. Meanwhile, exhaust systems undergo extensive track and touge validation on dedicated Honda models to establish optimal pipe length, bore diameter, and layout.
For drivetrain and suspension, Spoon tunes its limited-slip differentials (LSD) with street usability in mind, eliminating low-speed chattering and binding—a clear departure from aggressive, track-only setups. Its suspension components aim for "optimum damping control with minimal friction", prioritising chassis communication and mechanical grip over outright stiffness.
Chassis stiffening has emerged as a major focus for Spoon in recent years. Its patented Rigid Collar system slots into the subframe mounting points to eliminate minute tolerances between the subframe and chassis, significantly improving structural rigidity without altering factory suspension geometry—marking Spoon's first product line developed for non-Honda applications.
Spoon’s reputation is forged entirely through motorsport results rather than marketing campaigns. Its competitive track record includes campaigns in the Super Taikyu Series, Nürburgring 24 Hours, Tsukuba 9 Hours, 25 Hours of Thunderhill, and the VLN Championship.
A prime testament to this philosophy is the Spoon Super Taikyu S2000, which claimed outright victory at the 2015 Fuji 8 Hours whilst running a factory-standard engine. The win was secured purely through chassis development, suspension setup, and racecraft rather than outright straight-line speed—perfectly demonstrating Spoon's core belief: balance and reliability are speed in themselves.
Spoon continues to campaign actively under the TEAM SPOON banner in the Super Taikyu Series. For the 2026 season, the outfit fields the FL5 Civic Type R in the ST-2 class. The season kicked off in dominant fashion with consecutive class wins at Twin Ring Motegi and the Suzuka 5-Hour race, the latter achieved from pole position with a lights-to-flag victory and a commanding 53-second lead. The squad has since turned its focus to the Fuji 24-Hour enduro, bolstering its driver lineup with young ace Hibiki Komatsu alongside his father, lead driver Kazuomi Komatsu.
On the commercial front, Spoon has partnered with KW Suspensions to co-develop the Spoon Sports Coilovers, blending Spoon’s circuit telemetry with KW’s damper expertise to calibrate bespoke spring rates and valving. Concurrently, Spoon’s European network continues to gain momentum, with Torque GT serving as the official UK and European distributor, showcasing the Spoon Super Taikyu S2000 race car alongside an officially authenticated FK8 Civic Type R demo build at Japfest 2026.
Within the JDM tuning hierarchy, Spoon sits comfortably between Mugen's factory-backed heritage and J's Racing's raw, circuit-focused aggression. It avoids the four-figure horsepower arms race of HKS as well as the widebody aesthetics of Liberty Walk. Instead, Spoon appeals to discerning Honda enthusiasts who believe that "reliability is performance"—drivers who want a machine capable of laying down blistering lap times on track day and driving back home without a hitch. This refined "OEM+" discipline remains the very reason Spoon holds an irreplaceable status in Honda car culture.
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