Hello everyone. This is Mina, the administrator of the "Porsche at Home" blog, and this is the second installment of the "Porsche Supporters File," a series of interviews with the people who support Porsche behind the scenes, which started in May. This is the second installment.Auto and House Co.We interviewed Mr. Tatsuya Matsumoto, a former Super Taikyu racer! Mr. Matsumoto is a former Super Taikyu racer!

Chapter1. Porsche as seen by an ex-racer

*The factory is home to many rarely seen masterpieces.

1-1: About Auto & House

What is Auto and House?

The Company is a member of theSales of new and used imported and domestic vehicles, vehicle inspections, general repairsThe company was established in 1981 and is now in its 37th year. My father, who was a Yanase salesman at the time, started the company right after I was born.
My father started parallel importing European cars by securing import routes from Germany at a time when Germany was still divided into East and West.Parallel imports are cheaper than dealers for cars with the same specifications.However, the benefits of parallel imports have diminished, and the company no longer handles almost all of them.
When someone says, "I really want a left-hand-drive car that will not be released in Japan," we just buy it directly from Germany.

What types of vehicles do you offer?

Although Mercedes-Benz is our main focus, we also deal in cars from various other manufacturers such as Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Bentley, Golf, and Audi. For example, for the sale of cars, we have customers whoMy son is buying a car, and I want him to find a good one." "I want to buy a new car because the repair bills will be too high."Many of our customers have been with us for many years and trust us. Many of our customers have been with us for many years and trust us, so we listen to their requests, such as "I want a car with about this kind of mileage and these kinds of specifications," and then we purchase a car that meets their needs from dealers or auctions and make a proposal.
We also receive daily requests for repairs and maintenance after purchase, which can be found here.InstagramAlso available at

What are the strengths of Auto & House?

Is it the fact that we are not only a maintenance shop but also sell new and used cars?Our strength is that we can support the entire process of maintenance, inspection, and subsequent replacement of your vehicle after you purchase it.I wonder if this is the case.
Also, it may not be our strength...but many of our customers are presidents of some listed companies, chairmen and presidents of companies. So, in terms of Mercedes-Benz, it's not the CLA, A, or B-Class.We tend to deal in large sedans such as the S-Class and E-Class, which can be used for both work and everyday use.

The more upscale the lineup, the more it sells...great.

But even though many of those clientsWe always hope to manage our business with a sense of crisis because young people are becoming less interested in cars and the Japanese car market is still shrinking.I intend to.
For example, an increasing number of local dealers are investing money to expand their lineups. At first, they only handled Toyota cars, but gradually they began to offer Lexus, Mercedes Benz, Audi, and so on... On the contrary, the number of dealers that only deal with a single manufacturer has decreased. Under such circumstances, we must always think about how we can continue to be needed by our customers and how we can survive.

1-2: About Porsche

What do you feel are the advantages of Porsche because you know various cars?

I've driven a lot of different cars in my life.No other car has achieved such a high level of balance in the three important elements of a car: driving, stopping, and turning.I think that Porsche is the best choice. Many cars made by other European automakers are fast but have insecure brakes, powerful but not fun to drive, or outstanding in one way but not well-balanced... Porsche is different. I think it is a very enjoyable car to drive.
For everyday use, I would probably prefer a Mercedes-Benz, but in terms of driving pleasure, I prefer a Porsche.

Porsche's performs great! What do you think about "design?"

Many Italian car lovers say that they don't like Porsche's design very much, but the point is a matter of personal taste.I think it's great that the design has an identity that is instantly recognizable as a Porsche.It is often said that Japanese cars "cannot be identified as any manufacturer's car without an emblem," but with Porsche, even from a distance, one can tell that it is a Porsche.

This is true for European cars such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but I think it is important to have an identity on the face of the car.

Chapter2. Loves cars, and goes into racing.

2-1: How did you become interested in cars?

Since when do you like cars?

I grew up surrounded by cars since childhood, so I think I naturally fell in love with cars. My father was already running this company when I was born.Whenever I heard that a rare car had come in, I would go to the office to see it, or I would ask for a ride.I had the opportunity to come in contact with cars on a daily basis.
In 1987, when I was six years old, F1 began to be broadcast on terrestrial television, and I have watched it without fail ever since.
When I actually saw an F1 race live, it was much more powerful than watching it on TV. I remember being very impressed even as a child.
In the meantime, you can still watch the race."Why am I braking here when I could be accelerating at full throttle? Why am I driving on such a course?I became interested in driving itself. I had always liked karts at amusement parks and often rode in them, so I gradually became interested in racing as well.

That's awesome that you got interested in racing and really became a racer!

No, not like that (laughs). My father also did rallying, so there were a lot of adults around me who were also racing.I want to race myself."I think I naturally began to think about it. Then one day, I really wanted to race myself, and I told my father about itand "If you pass the middle school entrance exam, you can do it."They said... (laughs) I studied hard and was able to pass the exam and started karting at the age of 12.
After graduating from college, he joined Mitsubishi Motors and participated in Super Taikyu races held at Fuji Speedway and other events.In 2009, Lehman Brothers collapsed and my sponsor pulled out, so I had to stop racing... Then I left Mitsubishi Motors and joined my father's company.

2-2: Lace Attraction

What part of racing do you find so fascinating?

It is interesting to see the world of competition, where "winners and losers" are clearly visible.That is right. It is not a competition for points such as artistic or technical points, but the person who finishes first in the end is in first place. It is very easy to understand.
Also, while the teams plan their strategies in advance, they have to deal with all kinds of situations, such as weather, timing of yellow flags, etc., as they aim for first place...that's what makes it so interesting. Well, I guess I have always had a personality that likes to compete.

Your son is now 2 years old. Do you still want him to race?

No, I don't want to let them. Because it costs so much money (laughs).I need enough money to buy a new Panamera Turbo every year.I am now very grateful to my father for allowing me to race as a child, despite the fact that it cost that much money.

Chapter3. Cars Mr. Matsumoto wants and the future of the industry

3-1: About the car that Matsumoto-san wants most at the moment

If you were to buy a car, what would you want most right now?

By far, the 911.As a racer, I'm particularly concerned about braking performance.The 911 is RR (rear engine, rear drive), so the brakes are much more effective.The reason for this is that the engine is mounted in the front of the car. Generally, most cars have the engine in the front, which means that when you step on the brakes, the load is on the front part of the car and the back floats up. Even if the car has four brakes, the rear brakes only do about 20% of the work.
On the other hand, the RR is heavy in the back, so when the 911 brakes, the back of the car moves backward, allowing the driver to use the braking performance to the fullest to come to a stop.So I think it is well-balanced.
I think the Panamera and other Porsches are great cars, but I am the type of person who likes to separate luxury cars from luxury cars and sports cars from sports cars. Therefore, I would like to have a 911 that most strongly embodies Porsche's DNA as a sports car.

Also...Ferraris are cool, but I have to be careful when driving around town (laughs).Porsche can be used on a daily basis with no problem.So, that is also a good point.

There are many things to say about 911. What do you want the most?

The 997 turbo and 991 turbo S that I've driven before were great... but if you're willing to buy anything without a budget cap...I would love to have a GT3 (laughs).It is still cool.

3-2: The recent shift away from cars

Why do you think people are driving away from cars these days?

The most.Diversification of entertainmentI think it is. In the past, there was not as much entertainment and hobbies as there are now, so there was a pattern of, "When I make some money, I'll buy a nice car and drive her around!" But now there is no such thing.
andThe city's transportation network is so developed that you can get anywhere by train or bus.I think that is also a big part of it.
Also, from a financial standpoint, the cost of maintaining a car is very high. You may feel that "paying thousands of yen for a cab ride is expensive," but when you think about it overall, it would be cheaper to sell all your cars and live on cabs alone. I actually did the math (laughs).
Therefore, I guess we have come to an age in which it is considered "meaningless to have" a car if it is considered only as a means of transportation.

Some say the time has come to share cars?

Yes, it is. Each automaker is also focusing on car sharing. I think we will see more and more car sharing of luxury cars in the future. Times is offering Aston Martin rental cars in some areas, and Audi has started car sharing in Tokyo...I think we will see more and more car sharing in the future.

Do you think Porsche will survive the shift away from cars?

Yes, I think it will survive.There was a time not long ago when Porsche was in a difficult business situation with only the 911 in its lineup, but it got back on its feet with the launch of the Cayenne. Since then, you have expanded your lineup to meet customer needs, such as the Panamera and the Macan, and all of your models have been successful.
In the past, people who said, "I like Porsche and want an SUV," would also say, "Porsche doesn't have an SUV, so I'll look for one from Mercedes-Benz or BMW.It's great that we can now complete everything in Porsche.I think.
But even in such a situation, SUVs and sedans are also basically built on a foundation of sports car DNA.Everything about Porsche is a sports car."I think this is an important point.

What do you think about the future of more and more electric cars?

Frankly, as a car enthusiast, I am sad to see the cars being developed becoming electric cars.The sensation of accelerating while stepping on the accelerator and listening to the pleasant sound of the engine is the best part of driving.Electric cars accelerate, but you only hear a keening sound, which I think is a little unsatisfactory.
Also, the hybrid is regenerative braking, so it feels a little uncomfortable. Technology has improved and the discomfort of the control is much less, but it is slightly different from what I think of as braking. But this is a part that people normally don't notice, so I don't think it's a problem for the public (laughs).

3-3: Matsumoto's Aspirations

As a person involved in the car industry, what do you want to do about the car industry in the future?

I would like to help increase the number of car enthusiasts, even if only one.Then what exactly do you do to achieve that?" I'm a little bit confused... (laughs) But, as someone who works on cars myself, I think it's important to know how to do that.The most important thing is to take care of the customers in front of us now and always pursue the best possible work.I wonder if it is.

Japan is such a small island nation, yet there are 14 automobile manufacturers, including truck manufacturers. Including subcontractors, I would estimate that about 10% of all people working in Japan are involved in some form of automobile industry.Yet, the car culture has not taken root.This is too lonely.
Therefore, I hope that Japanese automakers, led by Toyota, will continue to participate in circuit races and rallies. It would be wonderful if they could improve their technology, feed it back to production cars, make even better cars, and increase the number of car fans... I, for one, still have to work hard!

Blogger Mina's impression.
Mr. Matsumoto is a car enthusiast, a former racer, and currently works at a car shop. From what he said, we could clearly feel his desire to continue to promote the car industry as a car enthusiast. If you live in the Keihanshin area and are looking for classic cars of the past, why not visit Auto & House? Thank you, Mr. Matsumoto!

About Auto and House.
Company name: Auto & House Co.
Representative: Makoto Matsumoto
■Business Activities
Automotive Division
Sales and repair of imported vehicles (new and used)
Car rental services
Insurance agent for property and casualty insurance
Building Division
Sales, brokerage and leasing of real estate
General construction business (housing and store construction)
Real Estate Consulting
■Location: 1-10 Kichijoin Kannondo Minami-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-661-7201
■Official HP isthis way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)

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