| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Japan (1947) |
| Founder(s) | Toshio Sumino |
| Headquarters | Toyosu, Koto, Tokyo, Japan |
| Key people | Toshio Sumino, Founder |
Autobacs Seven Co., Ltd. (株式会社オートバックスセブン Kabushiki-gaisha Ōtobakksu Sebun) (TYO: 9832) is a retailer of automotive parts and accessories based in Japan with branches all over the world.
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The company was founded by Toshio Sumino, in 1947 at Fukushima-ku, Osaka as Fuji Syokai Co., Ltd. A year later he opened a second branch in Osaka. In 1960 Sumino opened the first large scale automotive goods store, the Fuji Drive Shop and in 1969 he was involved in motorsport sponsorship by sponsoring a car in the Japanese Grand Prix. In 1974 he opened the first of the Autobacs store "AUTOBACS Higashi Osaka Store" in Daito, Osaka. In the following year, Autobacs would run its first franchise store "AUTOBACS Hakodate Nakamichi Store" in Hakodate, Hokkaidō. In 1977 Autobacs would start to develop and sell its own motor oil and tire to be sold in its own store, and at the end of the decade opened their 100th store, and in 1984 opened their 200th store.
The specialty car manufacturer Tommy Kaira got into financial difficulties during the Asian recession in the late 90s and was bought out by Autobacs in 2001 which renamed the car manufacturing arm ASL (Autobacs Sports Car Laboratory). This allowed the aftermarket parts manufacturer to continue trading with its usual name.
The first car to be produced by ASL was the Garaiya. There is not much known about the company or the cars, besides that the Garaiya will be a small sports car based on the Tommy Kaira ZZ, with around 180 hp using the Nissan Primera's SR20VE engine and weighing approximately 900kg.[1]. Customers would take part in the final development of their car's suspension to tailor it to their preferences or driving style. [1]
A modified ASL Garaiya has been fielded in the GT300 Class of the SUPER GT race series in Japan since 2003 by Autobacs Racing Team Aguri, or "ARTA", a team formed by Autobacs and Japanese former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki
The RS01 - originally called the Tommy Kaira ZZII - was to be the larger, faster car with a variety of engines ranging from 2.0 to 3.5 litres to fit various racing regulations, as it was designed to be an FIA-spec racing car with a road version and a target weight of 1000kg. [2] The prototype was fitted with a modified Nissan Skyline GT-R (RB26DETT) engine producing 542 hp and also featured the R34 GT-R's ATTESA ETS all-wheel-drive system. Sadly, the car never saw production, remaining as a prototype.
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