Ken Okuyama, who had previously worked for Pininfarina and was responsible for the exterior design of the iconic Ferrari Enzo, has announced a supercar of his own making – the Kode89. It commands a naturally aspirated V12 and asks for a driver who can row their own gears; a hydrogen variant is also in the works.
Okuyama’s portfolio already lists several custom vehicles, but the Kode89 is the first one not to be based on any production car chassis. It rides on a bespoke frame and resembles many race cars from the late 1980s, as well as containing stylistic nods to the Lamborghini Countach and the Ferrari F40.
The transaxle V12 is going to be available in two sizes. The 5.4-liter version will pump out 540 PS (533 hp / 397 kW), while the larger 5.9-liter alternative will be capable of 750 PS (740 hp / 552 kW) – no forced induction in either case. Considering that the whole car weighs just 1.3 metric tons (2,866 lbs), it should be seriously fast, too.
Okuyama initially expects to produce just eight supercars in the first batch. He then plans to switch his attention to building optimized variants with other, lighter engines, including an unspecified hydrogen powertrain. All pricing details are upon request only.