‘AKI-YOUTH’
I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason, that you don’t meet people by mere chance.
Two years ago, when I was at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand to cover the Idemitsu Super Endurance Southeast Asia Trophy 2023, a cheerful Japanese lady by the name of Aki Irie approached me and gave me her business card. Aki—the general manager of Toyota Motor Corp’s Public Affairs Division—was part of the delegation of Toyota Motor Corp. chair Akio Toyoda, who at the time was competing as his racing alter-ego “Morizo” in the 10-hour endurance race.
Aki was warm and cheerful. She laughed a lot, which may have distracted me into losing her biz card. I may have lost her number, but not the impact of our meeting. I found out later that the word “aki” in Japanese meant “born in the autumn,” and also “bright,” or “sparkle.”
And that brings me to pay tribute to Aki’s name by making it the kicker to this story—a story about a car museum, a place where history is on display, but also hard at work securing its brightest hope for the future by welcoming in the youth.
You see, the R garage in Bauang, La Union is not just your ordinary car collection. It’s a museum dedicated solely to classic Toyota cars, and it’s the biggest collection of such cars anywhere in the world outside of Japan.
But that’s just half the story. Its president and co-founder Richmond Glenn L. So, who opened R garage to the public in 2022 (with his Dad Rene So, R garage founder and president of Toyota Dagupan group), plans to expand the place and make way for facilities and spaces for kids, teens, young men and women, something like a “mentorship hub,” to help these youngsters realize their own full potentials not just in the automotive industry, but in any field these kids would dream of being part of.
In a lengthy interview with Richmond (who devoted an entire day for me and my friends Eisele Buntua and Richmond Garcia of Toyota Auto Club Philippines, and Charles Buban, Tintin Ang and Aries B. Espinosa), he disclosed that R garage is deep in the process of collaborating with partner schools and their professors, programmers, artists, and engineers to mentor students in their studies and interests.
Richmond said that the desire to uplift and empower students has long been an advocacy of his and his father Rene, who both manage many Toyota dealerships in Luzon. It’s also most likely the reason why R garage—as expansive as it already is with its 1,600 sqm able to accommodate 56 iconic Toyota cars—will be expanded even more to fit in not just 40 more cars for display, but also rooms and facilities encompassing the planned student center.
As it currently stands, R garage also offers a theater, an arts gallery, and the kiddie corner R Kids Zone.
Richmond explains that, while diehard Toyota fans and regular car aficionados would flock to the iconic Supras, Celicas, MR2s, Land Cruisers, Corollas, 86 models, TownAces, and other classic cars on display, children would gravitate to the R Kids Zone, the art gallery or even the museum theater. With the addition of the student center, school-age kids would also have a reason to go to R garage.
Mezzanine’s the place
Richmond pointed to R garage’s mezzanine as the “happening place” for students. “The mezzanine, that’s where we’ll put our student center. Students can come here anytime so that we can mentor them. For example, for their thesis so they know how to move forward. We want to help them build their confidence, direct them where they will eventually go after college. Actually, after they graduate, they can also start their own organizations or companies. We can help them in that aspect.”
Richmond, 37, was born in Pangasinan, grew up in Manila, but settled here in La Union in order to manage the family’s businesses (he is currently the general manager of Toyota La Union). “I’ve always had a passion for the next generation. If we don’t take care of them, it will be harder for the next generation after them. So we must do the best we can to help prepare the next generation, and trust the future to them,” he said.
At R garage, that passion is verbalized in its tagline “Driving history, inspiring tomorrow.”
MOA with 80 schools
To that end, Richmond disclosed that R garage has been in active negotiations with over 80 schools in La Union province, with a target memoranda of agreement with at least 50 schools by the end of 2025.
“R garage wants to inspire the next generation for them to have that appreciation for cars, and to help them reach their maximum potential,” said Richmond. He also said that his team welcomes OJTs (on-the-job trainees) from schools.
“Eventually, we will put up a technical school and a driving school. Then, we’re building a team (of programmers, marketers, artists, engineers, etc.) so that we can mentor the youth regardless of what they are studying,” he added.
Knew next to nothing about Toyota
Richmond shared that when he took over the car dealership business from his Dad, he knew next to nothing about cars. “The great thing about Toyota is that the (team) really immerses you, not just with the operations but with the history of Toyota,” he said.
“When I underwent training as a new team member (in 2012), they brought us to Japan, where I realized that Toyota wasn’t just a car brand, but an entire organization that impacted Japan’s very history, especially after the war. I was so inspired by the story of Toyota. So, in 2014, two years after joining them, that was when I truly fell in love with the brand and decided to collect old Toyota cars, as well.”
AE86 and the Supra
Richmond went on. “I really loved the ‘Fast and the Furious’ (movies). I especially loved the Toyota Supra featured there, the A80, my favorite car. My next favorite was the AE86. I told myself, if I could just have one of those, then I’ll really start collecting and restoring old Toyotas.”
When he did finally get hold of an AE86 and a Supra, things became serious. As his collection grew, he needed a place to store—and eventually display—them. Dad Rene suggested the warehouse beside the Toyota La Union dealership in Bauang be converted not just into a storage for cars, but also into a car museum. At that time, the warehouse was supposed to become a sports complex with a basketball court and a swimming pool.
Changes in 3 months
At the time I was interviewing Richmond, which was around the first week of February, he estimated that the R garage expansion would be completed in three months.
“We are targeting to open (the expanded museum) to the public in May or June this year. The setup by then will be different. Moving forward, we would by then have interactive tours already,” he said.
But first, the name “R garage” would have to be re-imagined.
Richmond said that after joining the recent World Forum for Motor Museums, he realized that his museum’s name could make or break them. “We joined the Forum last October 2024 in Nagoya, Japan. It was the first time representatives from Asian countries were invited. We put ‘R garage,’ and people didn’t know what that was. We learned a lot from the museums in Europe and the States. Moving forward, we’ll make it more clear. We have to make sure that people know what you are just from the name itself,” he stressed.
Richmond counts his blessings with the growth of R garage. “I believe we’ve been blessed with the existence of R garage. This museum is a foundation. Everything we earn (from the museum) we give back to the community,” he said.
Most important VIP
I asked Richmond who would be on top of his bucket list of visitors to the museum. Without batting an eye, he said Akio Toyoda.
“We are praying for that to happen. That’s the dream. The heart of Akio-san is really mobility. If Akio comes here, I hope that by that time we would have incorporated everything that we had planned already, such as the audio tour that would help him understand the different displays and the local histories behind them. I hope that we would be able to do justice to the brand that would really make a mark on him and will make him proud. If we can achieve that, then we’ve checked the biggest item on our bucket list,” Richmond said.
Would that audio tour be in the Japanese language? “Oh, English and Pilipino first. We’re still having a hard time translating everything to Ilokano,” he laughed.
Who knows, maybe if Akio-san does visit Richmond’s museum, I’d meet Aki again. History does repeat itself in a museum, after all. If so, I’ll make sure to save her contact info in a place where things of importance will never be lost nor forgotten.
