It’s a tough time out here in Los Angeles and I’m sure the rest of the country, even the world, is feeling it now. We lost a great man yesterday in Kobe Bryant. He was our “Superman”, you know? He was an icon lost way too soon. I found it so difficult to come up with the right words to say in this difficult time. As someone who has always been so good with words and expressing how I feel, I can’t seem to come up with the right words. I’m at a loss. Though I never met the man, he felt like losing a friend. He was such a big part of our lives here in Los Angeles and even as someone who could say that they didn’t always root for the Lakers, Kobe was the man. You couldn’t help but respect him and strive to have even the smallest bit of his drive. He wanted excellence not only for himself, but for everyone around him. And in his time after his NBA career ended, he continued to inspire through his words and by showing the future generations what it meant to be great. He lived such an incredible life—and just like that, he’s gone, along with 8 others who had so much life to live…

But we gotta move forward. If this tragedy has taught us anything, it has reminded us that life is so incredibly precious and so, so short. We have to make the most of the time we have left on this Earth and to be great at the things we are passionate about. Appreciate what you have because nothing is ever guaranteed…

I chose to separate this photo set from the chronological order in which it was shot. It felt weird for it to be sandwiched in-between the Tokyo Auto Salon coverage so I set it aside to be posted by itself. In reality, these captures came from the first day of TAS. As mentioned, I left the show early this year specifically to head to Type One to see Spoon Sports’ “Spoon Collection” event. It was only a two-day shindig and I wasn’t going to be around for it on the following Monday so we sat in quite a bit of traffic to make it there in time that Friday. There was so much traffic in Tokyo that we almost missed the entire thing. I think that’s why this photo set is so small because I literally had only 30 minutes to shoot whatever I could. I guess it’s a good thing that there wasn’t too much to see this time around…

Unlike the previous years, the Spoon event in 2020 wasn’t a “party” or social gathering of any kind. It honestly felt super weird to have a party at Type One because it seems like a forced gathering of people from all over the world who just happen to be visiting Japan for TAS. I’ve always enjoyed going to Spoon during my trips and liked just seeing Type One in its natural state. I liked watching the people work and then looking at whatever cars they had there. The party atmosphere just didn’t fit but I appreciate Tatsuru Ichishima from Spoon for coming up with the idea. It gave people the opportunity to meet him and to see everything that Spoon had to offer all at once. And people who were previously unsure whether or not they were welcome or had access to Spoon Sports could finally come and see it…

This year, Ichishima and Spoon decided to put together what they called the “Spoon Collection” where they put more emphasis on showcasing just the cars that Spoon Sports has put together over the years. People could meet Ichi at specific times and he would sign autographs, take photos, and chat. By the time I got there that late afternoon, he seemed pretty spent from meeting so many enthusiasts so I just ran around and shot all the photos I could until they told us we had to go…

We left Tokyo Auto Salon around 2 PM, thinking we could grab lunch still and then get to Spoon Sports by 4:30 PM or so. There were stretches of the drive that were just beautiful, with the sun-setting in front of us and all. Unfortunately, there was so much traffic that we literally sat still on the highway for sections of it…

While we drove by Tokyo Disneyland, we actually ran into some of the guys from Royal Origin who were heading back to the city after TAS…

There’s just something very special about the Tokyo highway system. The buildings in the distance, the incredibly clean roads, and depending on the time of day, you get view like this…

We eventually got to Type One about 5:30 PM. Much later than I expected so I quickly ran in so I could capture the cars on display…

Let me start off by saying that I am so thrilled that the Spoon Civics are back on Spoon SW388 wheels. I know people want to complain that they aren’t the original SW388s and look different now that they are being manufactured by TWS but I am happy with them just based clearly on the fact that they are those horrendous Spoon CR93 wheels. Those were by far one of the worst aesthetic decisions they could have made. I mean, they looked decent on some of the newer Hondas they worked on but hell, the EK and EG are iconic Spoon vehicles, let’s keep them on SW388, you know? The EK has changed a bit since I last saw it. It no longer has the Airwalker front or rear bumpers on it nor does it have the EC Works mirrors. They’ve gone back to a more traditional look now with factory bumpers and Spoon mirrors…

The Spoon Sports EG6 is looking good these days as well, now that it is on the SW388s. This isn’t an original Spoon EG of course. If you’ve seen my coverage of Spoon Sports in the past, you’ll remember that this is a build that came about within the last five or so years. I showed you some of the build-up photos of it when Spoon decided they wanted to build a new EG6 to display. This is a super clean iteration and I don’t believe it has ever been raced. Hell, I don’t even know if it has ever left Type One since they finished it…

They moved the display vehicles downstairs this year, which offered much more space for people to walk around. Usually when the cars are stored upstairs, they’re up on a second storage area or they’re crammed into a corner….

The Spoon Sports NSX and Spoon Super Taikyu S2000…

The S2000 made its way back from the USA after spending some time there. You may remember it competing at one of the Super Lap Battles in the past and also making an appearance at The Chronicles anniversary events…

A Spoon Sports-built C32A engine from an NSX running TODA Racing individual throttle bodies. This is another piece that you’d typically find upstairs but they brought it down to display next to their NSX…

This Civic is an interesting one. It’s actually a build that is being put together in collaboration with “Built By Legends”, a brand who has taken on the task of working with iconic tuning shops in Japan to create new projects. So far they have a BNR32 Skyline GTR being put together by MINE’S and this EG6 Civic which is being built by Spoon Sports. The outside is still relatively simple, with some moldings missing and a set of front fenders which have been altered and widened, though they still retain a very “OEM look”….

Inside the repainted engine bay is a Spoon Sports-built B-series engine with their iconic yellow valve cover. What stands out the most in the incomplete engine thus far is a custom titanium exhaust manifold right routes over the transmission…

There is still much work to be done but another thing that stands out is the carbon overlaid shock towers which have been reinforced with carbon fiber by Opera Performance. This is done to strengthen an area of the car which has been known to be a weak point structurally. No idea if they plan to paint that section or not or leave it in its carbon finish…

I ran upstairs to see what was happening up there and caught Ichishima walking around taking photos with guests. There were only two cars on display up there which were the new Spoon Sports FK8 Civic Type R…

…And the Spoon Sports E-AT Civic, which has spent a significant portion of time all over the world. It’s now back in Japan either parked at the Spoon Sports office or on display here at Type One…

I don’t know if you guys ever noticed but when they bought this EG6 to build, they actually purchased a Civic that had been modified and had shaved moldings. You can still see in the rear quarter area that it has been filled in, even though the fenders and doors do have the indentation for side moldings. Still looks great though and I’m glad they didn’t keep the shaved moldings all the way through…

The front of the Spoon Sports EK9 CTR with an OEM front bumper and lip. You can see the nozzle for the air jacks residing in the front grille area right at the center…

It wouldn’t be a Spoon Sports build without the yellow valve cover and you can catch a glimpse of it through the hood scoop of the EK…

The Spoon Sports EG6 and a new variation of the Spoon Sports EG6 coming soon…

That titanium header is truly a unique piece and such an unexpected piece for a Spoon Sports-build…

Took a look inside the Spoon Sports NSX and saw its carbon fiber dash and Spoon steering wheel…

Shifter console which is also made of carbon fiber with the plate covering the shifter which utilizes a classic Spoon knob…

It was a brief 30-minutes but I’m glad I got there just in time to see the display this year. Not sure what they have planned next year but it’s safe to say that I’ll be there, no matter how much time it takes…

Type One at a glance just before it closed. Thanks for looking. Plenty more content to come as I continue to unload photos and video here. Stay tuned!…