Vemac Car Company

{{Short description|Anglo-Japanese automobile manufacturer}} {{Infobox company | name = Vemac | logo = | logo_caption = | image = Mach_GoGoGo_Shaken_RD320R_2011_Super_GT_Fuji_250km.jpg | image_caption = [[Vemac RD320R]] | former type = | type = [[Limited company]] | traded_as = Vemac Car Company Ltd. | industry = [[Automotive industry|Automotive]] | genre = | fate = | predecessor = | successor = | foundation = 1998 | founder = Masao Ono Osamu Hatakawa | defunct = October 2019 | location_city = [[Chiyoda, Tokyo|Chiyoda]], [[Tokyo]] | location_country = [[Japan]] | locations = | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = [[Chris Craft (racing driver)|Chris Craft]] Luke Craft Richard Ward Vernon Fotheringham | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = | parent = Tokyo R&D [[Light Car Company]] Composite Group | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = https://www.tr-d.co.jp/vemaccars/index.html | footnotes = | intl = | bodystyle = }} The '''Vemac Car Company, Ltd.''', commonly known simply as {{Nihongo|'''Vemac'''|ヴィーマック|Vuīmakku}}, was a low-volume [[United Kingdom|British]]-[[Japan|Japanese]]<ref name=vemac>{{cite web |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/18-may-2000/the-team-is-behind-the-wheel-for-vemac/ |title=The Team is behind the wheel for Vemac |author= |website=[[Design Week]] |date=19 May 2000 |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> car manufacturer. The company is noted today for their construction of race cars used in the [[All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship]] (JGTC) and its successor, [[Super GT]].

==History== The Vemac Car Company was founded in 1998 by two employees of {{Interlanguage link|東京アールアンドデー|lt=Tokyo R&D|ja}}, Osamu Hatakawa and Masao Ono, who sought to make a road-going version of the Cadwell lightweight racing car designed by the company. Vemac was set up in 1998 with the help of Ono's close friend [[Chris Craft (racing driver)|Chris Craft]], a racing driver turned engineer. Vemac itself consisted of three parent companies, those being Tokyo R&D, [[Light Car Company]], and Composite Group.

With the help of businessman Vernon Fotheringham, the three designed a car that would be become known as the [[Vemac RD180]]; the name "Vemac" came about as a combination of the names of the three individuals who were involved in the car's design ('''Ve'''rnon, '''Ma'''sao, '''C'''hris), while the company's logo represents the nationalities of the three individuals. Around that point, the company appointed Richard Ward as their design director.<ref name="vemac" />

A sister company, Vemac Car Company Ltd., was later formed and led by Chris's son Luke to produce and sell the car in the United Kingdom; it was based in [[Chelmsford]], [[Essex]].<ref name="vcc">{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03256075 |title=VEMAC CAR COMPANY LIMITED|author= |website=Companies House |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> The RD180 was first presented in 2000;<ref name="vemac" /> described as a "neo-historic sports racing car", it used a [[Honda]]-sourced powertrain and entered limited production in the United Kingdom and Japan.<ref name="tg">{{cite web |url=https://www.topgear.com/node/314763 |title=Retro review: remember the Vemac RD180? |author= |website=[[Top Gear (magazine)|Top Gear]] |date=August 2002 |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> The successor to the RD180, known as the [[Vemac RD200|RD200]],<ref name="rd200">{{cite web |url=https://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/210341/vemac_rd200.html |title=Vemac RD200 |first=Justin |last=Gardiner |website=evo.co.uk |date=10 September 2007 |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> was introduced in 2004 and built by the Light Car Company.<ref name="rocket">{{cite web |url=https://www.motoringweekly.com.au/2019/03/29/vemac-rd180/ |title=Vemac RD180 |author= |website=motoringweekly.com.au |date=19 March 2019 |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref>

=== Motorsports === Vemac entered the Japanese racing scene in 2002, competing in the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship with [[R&D Sport]], Tokyo R&D's racing team. Using a racing version of the RD180 known as the [[Vemac RD320R|RD320R]], powered by a [[Toda Racing]]-tuned [[Honda C engine|Honda C32B]] V6,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jalopnik.com/project-vemac-how-one-guy-is-resurrecting-an-obscure-j-1846862024 |title=This Guy Is Restoring An Obscure Japanese Race Car In His Home Garage With The Help Of Internet Car Weirdos |first=Adam |last=Ismail |website=[[Jalopnik]]|date=21 May 2021 |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> the Vemac's first foray into competition was at the first [[Fuji Speedway|Fuji]] race of the year in May, with R&D Sport campaigning a single RD320R.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://supergt.net/archive/classic/supergt.net/jgtc/race/2002/02r2/022entry.htm |title=JGTC 2002 Round2 |author= |website=[[Super GT]] |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> In its first season, the RD320R would score three wins and finish second in the Teams' Championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://supergt.net/archive/classic/supergt.net/jgtc/race/2002/02ranking.htm |title=JGTC 2002 Drivers Ranking |author= |website=[[Super GT]] |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> Development of the RD320R was conducted by Tokyo R&D,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/vemac-gt300/ |title=Vemac GT300 |author= |website=Racecar Engineering |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> with at least one road-going version produced for [[Homologation (motorsport)|homologation]] purposes.

The [[Vemac RD350R|RD350R]], a version of the RD320R powered by a [[Gibson Technology|Zytek ZV348]] V8, was introduced by R&D Sport for their campaign into the GT500 class in 2003;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://supergt.net/archive/classic/supergt.net/jgtc/race/2003/03team/03team_idx.htm |title=2003 Team |author= |website=[[Super GT]] |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> the team performed poorly, finishing 20th with two points and never competing in GT500 for a full season again.

The next year, the [[Vemac RD408R|RD408R]], a version of the RD320R powered by a [[Mugen Motorsports|Mugen MF408S]] V8, was introduced in 2004 for a single race in the GT500 class at [[Suzuka International Racing Course|Suzuka]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://supergt.net/archive/classic/supergt.net/jgtc/race/2004/04rd7/047entry.shtm |title=2004 Round 7 <nowiki>|</nowiki> Entry List |author= |website=[[Super GT]] |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> where it finished 13th. The RD408R campaigned by R&D Sport would win the Fuji GT race in 2006, while the team's RD320R finished third in the championship standings despite recording no wins. The RD408R would win again at Autopolis in 2007 and ultimately finish third in the championship; this would be the last win for a Vemac in the series.

Other teams, such as Team Mach, Team LeyJun, [[Direxiv|Direxiv Motorsports]], and [[Hisashi Wada|R'Qs Motor Sports]], would acquire Vemacs for their use. A [[Hybrid electric vehicle|hybrid]] version of the RD408R, the RD408H, was also produced for public sale in 2005 but found no buyers.

In 2012, Super GT's regulations were overhauled, phasing out JAF-GT Category C and D vehicles from competition (categories spanning prototype sports cars based on modified sports cars with minimal or no road-going counterparts) and thus barring Vemac's cars from competition. The company was dissolved in October 2019.<ref name="vcc" />

==Vehicles==

=== Road cars === *[[Vemac RD180]] (1998) *[[Vemac RD200]] (2004)

=== Race cars === *[[Vemac RD320R]] (2002) *[[Vemac RD350R]] (2003) *[[Vemac RD408R]] (2004) *[[Vemac RD408R|Vemac RD408H]] (2005)

==References== {{Reflist}} [[Category:1998 establishments in Japan]] [[Category:2019 disestablishments in Japan]] [[Category:Automotive companies of England]] [[Category:motor vehicle manufacturers based in Tokyo]] [[Category:Japanese racecar constructors]] [[Category:Car brands]] [[Category:Sports car manufacturers]]