Hasegawa Kotaro Specialist - Japanese tuning company founded 1973. Famous for turbocharger systems, exhausts, and the iconic SSQV blow-off valve.
HKS is a Japanese tuning company founded in 1973 by Hiroyuki Hasegawa and Goichi Kitagawa (formerly engineers at Yamaha and Mitsubishi respectively). The name HKS stands for "Hasegawa Kotaro Specialist" (Hasegawa was the lead founder; Kotaro was Mr. Hasegawa middle name, sometimes referenced as a name suffix). The company has been one of the most influential JDM tuning brands for over 50 years.
HKS specializes in turbocharger systems, performance exhaust, intake systems, intercoolers, blow-off valves, and engine management. The HKS SSQV (Super Sequential Blow-off Valve) is one of the most iconic aftermarket BOVs ever produced, with its distinctive sound widely associated with JDM tuner culture. HKS turbocharger kits for the 2JZ-GTE, RB26, and 4G63T are benchmarks for serious tuning on those engines.
HKS has expanded beyond aftermarket parts into complete car builds and motorsport. The HKS Hyper Silvia (a heavily modified Nissan Silvia) is a benchmark drift car. The HKS Time Attack Civic was a benchmark FWD time attack car of the 2000s. HKS continues to develop products for modern Japanese performance cars (GR Yaris, GR86, Nissan Z, Supra A90), maintaining relevance even as the original JDM era cars age.