The Colorblind Man Who Created Japan’s Most Iconic Tuner Color 🎨💚 | HKS Uranium Green Story

You won’t believe this — one of Japan’s most iconic tuner colors only exists because its creator was colorblind.

In the 1970s, Hiroyuki Hasegawa, founder of HKS, wanted a bold golden color for his new performance tuning company. But there was a twist — he couldn’t tell green from gold.

When he picked what he thought was gold, the team quickly realized it was actually bright green.
No one had the heart to correct him… and that “mistake” became Uranium Green — one of the most recognizable colors in JDM history.

That vivid hue went on to paint HKS cars, logos, turbo kits, and race machines across decades —
becoming a symbol of speed, innovation, and tuner culture.

Competitors tried for years to copy it, never realizing the origin was a simple colorblind error.

One man’s unique vision (literally!) helped define an entire brand — and forever changed how we see Japanese tuning.

💚 Sometimes the best designs… are the ones you never meant to make.