BMW followers in Japan are identified to be a very devoted neighborhood. Sporty M fashions, particularly, are sometimes tuned, and there’s no extra famend vacation spot for this than Studie AG in Yokohama. Proprietor Bob Suzuki is a legend in Asia, and never simply in the case of tuning BMWs.
Bob Suzuki: The Man Behind Japan’s BMW Tuning Mecca
There’s little magnificence to be discovered within the unassuming industrial park of Yokohama, and the intersections round Kishinecho are jammed from morning until night time. However for BMW lovers, Studie AG is automotive Mecca. Right here within the coronary heart of Yokohama, Bob Suzuki has been operating a tuning enterprise since 1995 that really packs a punch. Even the title “Studie AG” on the facade, paying homage to an authentic BMW dealership, appears distinctly German in Japan. Stepping via the double doorways, you’re greeted by a workshop atmosphere in any other case solely discovered on the Nürburgring or, at most, within the northern a part of Munich.
In every single place you look, the logos of German tuning and accent manufacturers shine brightly. A map of the Nürburgring stretches throughout the ceiling, and an illuminated map of the larger Munich space adorns the wall. Welcome to Studie AG – a Bavarian oasis within the coronary heart of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan space. German license plates, acquainted stickers, the imposing Nürburgring map, and a wide range of racing memorabilia adorn the store like a novel automotive shrine. It even features a sport console with racing seats and workstations with free Wi-Fi. The doorway: “Autobahn.”
The thirst for efficiency—this isn’t only a boon for BMW itself, but additionally, and particularly, for Bob Suzuki’s firm in Yokohama. “At Studie AG, we consider that the client expertise goes far past merely working with components,” explains the pleasant, smiling Bob. “It’s about making a deep connection between our prospects and their autos.” Thirty years in the past, the Japanese automotive fanatic opened his tuning store with the weird title “Studie AG.” The typical age of BMW lovers who store at Bob and his crew’s place is between 30 and 40.
From E36 Beginnings to a Full-Blown BMW Establishment
Bob Suzuki explains, “After I first opened, there merely wasn’t something like this in Japan. The primary vehicles we labored on have been E36s.” However modifications to the suspension, shocks, wheels, and exhaust programs shortly grew to become not sufficient. Clients needed an increasing number of, more and more specialised modifications, they usually got here from farther and farther away. Initially, components and contacts have been solely out there to Bob Suzuki’s crew in Germany. For the reason that mid-Nineteen Nineties, the proprietor of his personal racing crew has recurrently traveled to Germany, making detours to BMW headquarters in Munich after which visiting his second ardour: the Eifel area with its winding Nürburgring.
Haruto has simply parked his white BMW Z4 Coupé in entrance of Bob Suzuki’s store. “I come right here recurrently to purchase components or get work completed on my vehicles,” Haruto says, posing behind his tuned Z4 Coupé with its gigantic exhaust muffler. “I’ve six vehicles—together with a number of Z4s. I merely love these vehicles and recurrently go for drives.” He shortly pulls out his smartphone and reveals footage of current outings with different M lovers.
“For BMW components, there’s solely Studie AG for me,” he says and hurries off to the components counter, the place firms like Eibach, Bilstein, and KW are promoting their sport suspension programs. Proper subsequent to them is a certificates stating that Studie AG is an official companion of BMW tuner AC Schnitzer. A number of meters away, a model-making workshop with a silver Z3 and an entire arsenal of instruments seems to be like an automotive shrine worthy of veneration.
Tuning as a Means of Life in Japan
Although speeds on Japanese highways hardly ever exceed 120 km/h, tuning has cult standing right here – not only for BMW, but additionally for the native favorites Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Mazda. Nevertheless, the German manufacturers Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche take pleasure in a stellar repute with their fashions. Particularly on weekends, tuning lovers like to satisfy at freeway interchanges to share their custom-made vehicles with like-minded people.
Model envy? Not an opportunity! However at Studie AG in Yokohama, solely BMW aficionados are welcome. Amongst them are sometimes vacationers or Germans at present working in Japan, as a result of Bob Suzuki didn’t turn out to be a cult determine solely via Instagram and social media.
Past the Store: Bob Suzuki’s Favourite Roads and Racing Roots
His personal Studie AG racing crew has merely elevated his fame. “In my view, BMW’s passionate fan base in Japan is because of the alignment between the model’s values and the Japanese temperament,” says Bob Suzuki. When he’s not engaged on one of many world’s nice racetracks or in his store, he heads off to the corners about an hour and a half south. “Certainly one of my absolute favourite routes is the Hakone Turnpike,” he laughs, “a very exhilarating highway that’s good for my vehicles. 13 kilometers of fantastically sweeping curves and an elevation change of 981 meters.”
Stefan Grundhoff; press-inform / Pictures Courtesy Of Studie AG]
