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Welcome to my AYK showroom. This site is devoted to everything AYK. Please note that all items in the showrooms are part of my personal collection and are NOT for sale. Items which I am willing to trade or sell can be found in the "For Sale" section of the website. If you have any corrections or additions to any of the narratives found on these pages, please feel free to forward them to me by clicking the "Contact Us" link. I hope you enjoy your visit!

-Alex
www.InetRC.com

AYK Aoyagi Metals Co. LTD
The Aoyagi Metals Company was one of the more innovative RC manufacturers between 1979 and the mid 1980's. AYK on-road cars dominated the Japanese race circuit and captured consecutive world championships in their peak from 1980 to 1982. Even though many of the on-road RC cars of this era looked the same, subtle differences in design specifications set each other apart. AYK, for example, had a creative differential design. Most manufacturers of this era placed their differential gears between the right rear wheel and the motor compartment. AYK's unique design placed the differential within the axle itself. This not only centered the weight more proportionately, but also kept the differential gears well protected.

Towards their peak, AYK began manufacturing off-road buggies, both 2WD and 4WD. During their last years AYK began distributing their off-road vehicles in the United States through a California based company called Race Prep (well known for their electric motors). [ed: not only do I remember racing Race prep motors in the 80's but they were less than 1 mile away from where I lived at the time! - If I would have known then what I know now!]. AYK came out with one of their most popular and competitive buggies under Race prep - the Radiant and Radiant Pro.

Ultimately AYK's demise came with the death of the president of their company which ultimately led to loss of direction and eventually faded into obscurity.

This AYK website is divided into two sections, both of which not only give you a visual timeline of AYK cars and buggies but also of other manufacturer's notable cars and buggies for that time period as well:

ON-ROAD - gives you a visual timeline of AYK on-road models from 1979 through 1985

OFF-ROAD - gives you a visual timeline of AYK off-road models from 1982 through 1989

NOTE: If you enjoy viewing the pictures on this website, I invite you to check out pictures of the bulk of my personal RC collection which includes vintage cars and trucks from other manufacturers as well. They can be viewed at: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom.asp?id=5861

If you have any vintage ABC Hobby or AYK cars or buggies for sale, please email us at inquiries@InetRC.com