Within the last couple years, you will have undoubtedly noticed the growing abundance of aero parts from ASM in the US. Some of the top S2000 builds stateside all rep ASM aero and their influence on the S2K crowd is undeniable. Though the parts aren't exactly the most affordable to the most conventional Civic/Integra crowd, S2000 owners are definitely willing to dish out the dough for ASM products. Why? Well because true enthusiasts know that ASM designs and develops their goods with pure function in mind. They test them rigorously and even document the testing daily on their very own online blog. The style and beauty of their product just happens to be an added plus.
What many may not know about ASM is that their company name is actually an acronym for Autobacs Secondhand Market. Yes, the same Autobacs that we all know of in the States as the now defunct Super Autobacs that was once in Southern California. In Japan, they're better known for their endless supply of used automotive performance parts. At one point they were so popular that enthusiasts began requesting original parts from the Autobacs group and that ultimately gave birth to what is known today as ASM.
ASM gained popularity all over the world with their I.S. Design aero parts line and soon began building complete cars to challenge the Tsukuba circuit in Japan. Shinichiro Kanayama and ASM had one goal in mind; to build a track capable car with components that they deemed worthy to be competitive and that were completely streetable. When other companies failed to meet ASM's high expectations, they went the do-it-yourself route and developed their own.
The only other contributor that they worked closely with was TODA Racing. TODA not only has deep roots in JGTC but is world renowned for their development of championship-winning race engines. Building street-application components doesn't sound like something TODA Racing would do on a regular basis but they were more than willing to help Kanayama and ASM.
If you happen to have caught some images of the ASM S2000 online, you may have seen it in two different incarnations; the version that you see on these very pages and a much wider, more aggressive manifestation. They are two very different roadsters that serve their own individual purpose. The one with the full widebody outfit is the Tsukuba Special S2000 No. 2, whose destiny lies in destroying the N/A FR track record at Tsukuba circuit. The comparably more subtle Tsukuba Special S2000 No. 1 was built to showcase ASM's ability to create a competitive racecar with publicly available, street-ready products.
What makes this S2000 competitive is the power from the TODA Racing-built F20C and the weight-reduction made possible by the dry carbon armor that shrouds the entire chassis.
The TODA-spec F20C is a stroked, high-compression version of Honda's high-revving roadster engine. The cylinder head features TODA's Spec A camshafts, adjustable cam gears, and complete TODA valvetrain. Increased displacement comes by way of TODA Racing forged pistons, rings, crankshaft, and I-Beam forged connecting rods. Air flow is pulled into the head with four individual throttle-bodies while exhaust gases are expelled from an ASM -07 header and one-off I.S. Design Siren Circuit exhaust.
Aero-enhancements are the key to the Tsukuba Special No. 1's success. Not only does it lighten the load and get the AP1 around the track, the I.S. Design line is what single-handedly put Autobacs Secondhand Market on the worldwide map. The aggressive styling of the I.S. Design body panels, vented front fender, and rear over-fenders are pure function. OEM Grand Prix White paint also disguises the fact that every I.S. Design piece on this S2K was crafted in super lightweight dry carbon fiber. Every body panel removable was replaced with ASM I.S. Design dry carbon. The only metal that remains is the full stitch-welded and gusseted reinforced chassis.