Preserving Toyota’s legacy, one car at a time
If Toyota’s legacy in the Philippines can be measured in generations, few families embody that connection as closely as the So family. For Richmond So, president of R Garage, Toyota was initially not a passion. It was simply the family car. His family’s relationship with the brand began in 1995, when his father became a Toyota dealer in Northern Luzon. From that point, the family’s automotive choices gradually became almost exclusively Toyota.
“Toyota has always been a part of my life growing up,” So recalls.
But growing up in a Toyota family did not automatically make him a Toyota enthusiast. “To be honest, it meant nothing to me, aside from the fact that we have a vehicle bringing me from house to school and back,” he says. “And to be more honest, I really liked some of the models of other brands and felt a bit restricted with the use of ‘only Toyotas.’” That perspective would eventually change, and dramatically so.
It was only when he began working for Toyota that he started to understand what lay behind the badge. What initially appeared to him as simply another responsibility in the family business became an education in the company’s history, culture and philosophy.
“At first, I thought of my assignment as just another responsibility and business to manage,” he says. “But when I went through the different trainings of Toyota, and when I understood its culture and history, I fell in love with the brand and what it stands for.” That newfound appreciation would eventually lead to one of the most ambitious Toyota preservation projects in the region.
From two cars to almost 100
The catalyst came unexpectedly. Two Toyota models that he particularly loved, the A80 Supra and AE86 Trueno suddenly became available in the market. At the time, he had two young children and another baby on the way, and he admits that he did not have much money saved. Yet he decided to invest in both.
Those two cars would become the foundation of R Garage. “I thought to myself that I hope someday I would have the opportunity to honor the brand in whatever way or form,” he says.
What started as the acquisition of two desirable Japanese classics has, over the past decade, grown into something considerably larger.
Today, R Garage in La Union houses almost 100 Toyota vehicles, making it one of the most extensive collections of classic Toyotas in Asia. But So is quick to point out that the objective was never simply to accumulate as many cars as possible. “The goal is not simply to have ‘a lot of cars,’” he explains. “The goal is to tell the story of these cars and to show the development of technology over the years.”
That philosophy explains why R Garage is unlike a conventional collection of pristine automobiles.
The collection includes the iconic, the obscure, the commercially successful and even the models that did not necessarily succeed in the marketplace. Some have been meticulously restored; others remain unfinished. Every one of them, he believes, has a place in Toyota’s story.
“Every single car in R Garage, the iconic, the flop, and the regular, every car is important to us,” he says, “because they are part of Toyota’s history.”
That makes R Garage less a collection of cars and more a physical timeline of Toyota’s evolution.
Visitors can see how design, engineering, technology and consumer expectations changed over the decades, while also appreciating the different roles Toyota vehicles played in people’s lives.
For So and his team, these cars are not merely possessions. They are pieces of history entrusted to their care. “As stewards of the brand that we deeply love and respect, we want to preserve the rich history and impact of Toyota globally,” he says.
More than reliability
His understanding of Toyota today goes beyond the familiar descriptions of reliability, durability and resale value. For him, the brand’s endurance is rooted in trust and integrity. “Toyota is a brand that people can trust because Toyota is a brand that values integrity,” he says.
He points to the principles of the Toyota Way, particularly continuous improvement and respect for people, as fundamental to understanding why the company has maintained such a strong relationship with its customers.
For So, those principles are especially evident in Toyota’s approach to safety. That philosophy, he believes, has helped Toyota earn the confidence of Filipino families. The appeal is not simply that the vehicle will last, but that buyers believe they are making a sound investment in a company that takes its responsibilities seriously.
As the automotive industry undergoes perhaps its most significant transformation in generations, with electrification, new technologies and new players reshaping the market, he hopes that the fundamentals that built Toyota’s reputation will not be forgotten. His wish is for future generations to continue appreciating what Toyota represents: reliable vehicles, respect for customers and a commitment to safety. But he also sees a larger lesson in the collection at R Garage.
Toyota’s history is not merely a story about cars. It is a story about people, businesses, families and organizations that adopted ideas of leadership, discipline and continuous improvement.
And perhaps that is the ultimate purpose of R Garage. By showing Toyota’s evolution, from humble family vehicles to some of the most celebrated performance and off-road models in automotive history, he hopes visitors will understand that greatness does not always begin with greatness.
It can begin with something small. “A giant like Toyota started with a simple dream, in a small workplace,” he says. Through hard work, dedication, perseverance and passion, that small dream became one of the world’s most influential automotive companies.
R Garage, in its own way, tells the same story. A collection that began with two cars—the A80 Supra and AE86 Trueno—has grown into almost 100 Toyotas, each representing a different chapter of the brand’s history. But for Richmond So, the most important chapter may not yet have been written.
It belongs to the future generations who will walk through R Garage, see the cars that their parents and grandparents once drove, and discover that an old Toyota can represent far more than metal, rubber and machinery.
