Autobacs Seven

Autobacs Seven Co., Ltd.

Native name	Kabushiki gaisha オートバックスセブン
Romanizedname	Kabushiki-gaisha Ōtobakkusu Sebun
Formerly	Suehiro Shokai (1947–1980)
Company type	PublicKK
Traded as	TYO:9832
Industry	Retail
Founded	February 1947 (incorporated on August 12, 1948)
Founder	Toshio Sumino
Headquarters	Toyosu,Koto,Tokyo,Japan
Key people	Yoshio Kobayashi(President,CEO&General Manager)
Products	Automobiles Automotive parts
Brands	Autobacs Super Autobacs
Website	autobacs.co.jp

Autobacs Seven Co., Ltd.(Kabushiki gaisha オートバックスセブン,Kabushiki-gaishaŌtobakkusu Sebun)(TYO:9832) is aretailerofautomotiveparts and accessories based inJapan,with branches primarily inAsiaand stores also located inFrance.

Super Autobacs in Nagoya

Etymology

Autobacs was given abackronymas follows, which reflects the products the company provided prior to its renaming to Autobacs in 1980:

• AUTO:Appeal,Unique,Tire,Oil
• BACS:Battery,Accessory,Car electronics,Service

"Seven" in the company name is said to reflect Autobacs's philosophy of searching for seventh products for customers.

History

Autobacs was founded by Toshio Sumino in 1947 inFukushima-ku,OsakaasSuehiro Shokai Co., Ltd.,which was reorganized intoFuji Shokai Co., Ltd.a year later.

In 1960, Sumino opened the Fuji Drive Shop, Japan's first large-scale automotive goods store, and in 1969 he became involved in motorsport sponsorship by sponsoring a car in theJapanese Grand Prix.

In 1974, the first of the Autobacs stores, the "Autobacs Higashi Osaka Store", was opened inDaitō,Osaka. The following year, Autobacs would run its firstfranchiseestore, the "Autobacs HakodateNakamichiStore "inHakodate,Hokkaidō.In 1977, Autobacs would start to develop and sell its ownmotor oilandtiresto be sold in its own stores. At the end of the decade, Autobacs opened its 100th store, and in 1984 opened its 200th store.The company's name was officially changed from Fuji Shokai to Autobacs in March of 1980.

On 11 July 2005, Autobacs entered a collaboration agreement with UK retailerHalfords.On 13 December 2005, Autobacs acquired 5% of the company (11,400,000 shares) at approximately ¥7.5 billion.

ASL

ASL Garaiya front, with door open

ASL Garaiya rear

In the late 1990s, specialty car manufacturerTommykairaran into financial difficulties as a result of theLost Decade.In 2001, it was acquired by Autobacs, which renamed its car manufacturing armASL(Autobacs Sportscar Laboratory), thus allowing the aftermarket parts manufacturer to continue trading with its usual name.

Autobacs Bar lobby (Roppongi,Tokyo) featuring an Autobacs Garaiya GT300 and the 1969 Carman-Apache

The first car planned to be produced by ASL was theGaraiya.As none were sold, there is not much known about ASL nor the Garaiya, only that it is a small sports car based on theTommykaira ZZ,with an output of around 180 hp (130 kW) from aNissanSR20VEengine and a weight of approximately 900 kg (2,000 lb).Customers would take part in the final development of their car's suspension to tailor it to their preferences or driving style.

A modified Garaiya was fielded in the GT300 class ofSuper GTfrom 2003 through 2012 byAutobacs Racing Team Aguri,a team formed by Autobacs and Japanese former F1 driverAguri Suzuki.After the Super GT rule changes in 2012 that prohibited low-volume production cars from entering races, the Garaiya is no longer able to race in the series.

Similarly, the Garaiya RS01 (also known as simply the RS01) was a second attempt at theZZII,which was to be a larger and faster accompaniment to the ZZ with a variety of engines ranging from 2.0 to 3.5 litres to fit various racing regulations, as it was designed to be anFIA-spec racing car with a road version and a target weight of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb).The prototype was fitted with a modifiedRB26DETTengine producing 542 hp (404 kW) and also featured theR34 Skyline GT-R'sATTESA-ETSall-wheel drivesystem.

External link

• Official website