Itashi
Itashi is a Japanese company, famous for their exceptional commercial and racing vehicles, and also by financial troubles. It is part of the BIF Group.
History
Established in 1911 by Ken Itashi, the company was called the KRM Motor Works, and in 1914, they made their first vehicle, the KRM 100. After several renames and purchases over the years, Ichisake Itashi, Ken’s son, reestablished the company as Itashi Corporation, and the name stuck since.
Itashi Corporation eventually became a zaibatsu, integrating several different small companies into them and eventually all turning into part of Itashi. In 1933, Itashi Motor Company was (re)established. In 1966, they acquired a small company called Horizon, and eventually merged the two companies, with the Horizon branding turning into a car name. The Itashi Horizon 100GT was the first car after this merge.
In the 1950s, Itashi Motor Corp began expanding, building factories all over the world, expanding their line-up of vehicles. This also left the company to create several subsidiaries to serve their other line-up of products, like batteries, lamps and the like. This was eventually named Itashi Electric.
While the 1970s and 1980s had the creation of the new Horizon lineup as well the Dengan and Karuda (known as the 15-5Z in other regions), Itashi faced multiple internal issues and lawsuits from recalls. While producing some of the most incredible cars in the 1990s, Itashi Motor faced several financial troubles, leading them to join Boulogne in a joint-venture called BI Group in early 1999. This proved to be what was needed to survive and after the release of the Horizon 350R in 1999, the company did a quick turnaround, as well having good sales of the popular Moment vehicle, in both its hatch and sedan configurations.
The Horizon lineup was decoupled from the R lineup in 2008, giving out a new name for it, Sunrise R. The Horizon remained dedicated to being coupe and sedans while the Sunrise R became the de facto supercar of the company.
In 2016, Itashi purchased over 40% of Fusehiro Motors' shares, turning them into a member of the group, now named BIF Group, where each company had the same amount of shares while 1% was destined to the public. In 2017, Itashi faced another internal scandal, where the former CEO Henrique Matias Silva was found under-reporting his income to the Japan government and was arrested for 50 days before paying. This led to a cascade of multiple CEOs keeping their jobs for less than a year until Henrique was arrested for gang formation and was sentenced for 40 years in prison.
Despite the setbacks and lack of innovation, Itashi Motor Company continued to be prominent in several markets. After several years, they introduced the next generation of the Karuda, called Karuda 400, also known as the 40-5Z outside of Japan, a proper sports car in its own right.
During late 2024 to early 2025, Itashi decided to sell part of the company to Hamamatsu. During the talks about integration, Hamamatsu wanted to outright buy Itashi but many company executives rejected the idea, and the BIF Group also disliked this notion. In early 2025, Hamamatsu ended their side of the deal unilaterally, citing that the ‘BIF Group was making it difficult for discussions to occur’.
SHIMO
SHIMO stands for Itashi Motorsport. SHIMO is a division of Itashi focused on motorsports and performance-oriented vehicles, sold all over the world. Created in 1964, SHIMO was originally called “Itashi National Motorsport”, who decided to sponsor several racing teams in the early days of the Japanese Grand Touring competitions. It was fairly successful and since then the company created their own SHIMO teams to go in JGT and FIMV competitions.
Due to its success, SHIMO has created multiple performance-oriented vehicles over the years, taking base models and tuning them up to the maximum performance they could get.
Featured Vehicles In Project Redline
Regular
15-5Z (1971)
The first generation Karuda or 5Z lineup was Karuda 100 or 10-5Z, but it went through a minor revision, leading to the Karuda 105 or 15-5Z. With a much needed refreshed look and sportier design, it was made as an homologation piece for JGT Group D races, and it went on to sell over triple digits in the USA alone. Some call it the most successful JDM car ever made.
This version of the 5Z comes with a 2.3L inline-6 engine in a FR configuration, and 5-speed manual transmission.
40-5Z (2022)
The latest generation of the Karuda, known as 5Z outside of Japan, arrived with the Karuda 400 or 40-5Z if you prefer. A new era sports car from Itashi, the 40-5Z comes right at the time where the company was starting to have troubles selling some of their vehicles due to underperforming designs. The design of the vehicle riffs off the classic Karuda 100/10-5Z and Karuda 105/15-5Z, while having elements from all cars during its multiple generations run.
This new generation of the vehicle sports a 3.0L twin-turbo V6 in a FR configuration, with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Diana 5R (1999)
Sharing a platform with the Plata lineup, the last Diana went out with a bang. The Diana 5R brings the best of the R lineup, adding a turbocharger, and tightening the suspension and diferential to be much safer and suited for track racing. To complete the look, new bodywork and wheels from Roll Automotive.
The Diana 5R comes with a 2.0L Turbocharged engine, with a 6-speed manual transmission and FR layout.
Horizon 350R (1999)
After the lukewarm Horizon 300 series, Itashi went back to the drawing board with a new design that would be one of the most iconic ever. The tenth generation of the Horizon series was released in 1998 and in 1999, the new SHIMO tuned 350R made its debut. It received minor updates until 2002, when it was discontinued, leaving a hole in the hearts of JDM lovers. Its popularity was well deserved, as it was one of the best cars that Itashi had produced until then.
Sporting the same engine as the previous generation, the Horizon 350R carries a 2.6L twin-turbocharged inline-6 with a F4 configuration with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Horizon 350R JGT (1999)
The racing-only version of the Horizon 350R is an instant classic and a winner of many JGT races from 1999 until 2005, taking all the wins in 2003, its best year. A complete domination over the rivals, this legendary vehicle stands out from being endurance capable, as it finished second in the 2000 24H GrinVits Ros circuit.
The 350R JGT carries a 2.6L twin-turbocharged inline-6 with a FR configuration with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Horizon 400 Sedan (2019)
With the release of the Sunrise R, Itashi repositioned the Horizon to be sedan only, and only minor increments in its name. The end result is the 400 Sedan, a refreshed version of the 400 released in 2014. With a more aggressive look in comparison to its original debut, the 400 Sedan remains a fantastic option to commute through Japanese roads. It is sold outside of Japan as the Lux S400-3.
This new version of the car comes with an engine change, a 3.0L twin-turbo V6 in a F4 configuration, with a 7-speed automatic transmission.
Plata 18X (1994)
Sharing a platform with the Diana lineup, the Plata 18X was sold in different markets as the Plata 20X and Plata 24X but the car remains the same no matter the location. An unapologetically good car, that looks simple and frail but carries an engine with a turbo, making it a remarkable unremarkable car. Usually the start car in video games for a reason, it’s the entry-level JDM experience and it shows.
The Plata 18X comes with a 2.0L Turbocharged engine, with a 5-speed manual transmission and FR layout, making it perfect for beginner drift racers.
Sunrise R (2022)
While many called Itashi short-sighted for separating the Horizon higher trim into its own car, the company got the last laugh as the Sunrise launched in 2008 and remained on the company’s portfolio until 2025. The “Road Monster” as it’s known is the fastest Japanese supercar that survived just about everything thrown at it and continued to thrive. In 2022, Itashi finally gave it a new R trim, with minor changes to its aesthetics. Over 50 thousand units of the Sunrise R were sold in its 17-year run.
This trim of the vehicle is powered by a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V6, with a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission in F4 layout.
Sunrise R JGT (2012)
The new generation of supercars needed a new champion and the Sunrise R JGT was exactly that. Made to replace the aging Karuda 300/30-5Z JGT, the “Road Monster” dominated the Japanese Grand Touring Group C competition. Not only was it fast, it was also reliable, with the same vehicle finishing several races, including endurance races, in a year without engine or suspension damage, a feat no other car had done before or since.
The vehicle is powered by a 3.4L V8, with a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission in FR layout, standard for competitions.
Custom
Sunrise SHIMO (2023)
The car that refused to die got a special treatment from SHIMO, getting a new carbon filled package. While not much changed engine wise, it is a visual treat for those that want a refreshed look to their favorite vehicle.
Horizon 350R Westsiders (2000)
A custom legend of the streets, the Horizon 350R Westsiders is a perfect recreation of the Horizon 350R used in a famous videogame series, with everything being replicated from its widebody kit to its custom decals. Legends say that its original owner is still telling racers to go home.
Azuma Stahl 350R-AZ (2000)
Azuma Stahl, a Japanese customization company, took the Horizon 350R and turned it into its own car, the 350R-AZ. Major differences include a new aggressive look, an all-black color, and better tuning of its engine.
Kiwako 40-5Z (2022)
Kiwako is a Japanese tuning based company specialized in parts and accessories, and they took the newly released Karuda 400 and made it into the Kiwako 400. Its popularity prior to release was so high that Kiwako started selling kits for the 40-5Z made outside of Japan, and even custom tune any 40-5Z that arrives at their door.