Japan's First Carrozzeria Takes Shape

TOKYO — In Tokyo on Tuesday, Ken Okuyama, chief designer and CEO of Japan's first carrozzeria, Ken Okuyama Design, unveiled a radical production sports car. Presenting his first concept car under his own name — the K.O 7 Spider, a carbon-fiber and unpainted aluminum two-seater — Japan's most widely traveled designer drove up to the media in the K.O 7, before revving up the hotted up 2.0-liter engine.The K.O. 7 was unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show in March, and will go on sale online for $195,000 on November 1. Okuyama, well known for his work on the Ferrari Enzo while at Pininfarina, has tied up with luxury watch producer TAG Heuer, having fitted the TAG Heuer Grand Carrera on the dashboard. To a packed audience of international media at the Conrad Hotel in Tokyo, he said that the inspiration for the dash and wheels actually came from the design of the TAG Heuer. Fitted with a rear-mounted Honda S2000 2.0-liter linked to a six-speed manual, the 1,650-pound K.O 7 generates 250 horsepower at 8,300 rpm.In 2008, Okuyama's design studio will produce the first 20 models of the K.O 7 Spider, already pre-sold to an 'inner circle' of the designer's fans. It will be followed by the production run of 99 cars in 2009 and 99 more in 2010 followed by the reveal of the K.O 9 in Geneva in the same year.Okuyama also showed the K.O 8 concept, a modified version of the K.O 7 that has been given a roof and extra bodywork and is powered by a 100kW electric motor capable of traveling 100 miles on one charge.What this means to you: Okuyama continues to make a name for himself with captivating designs. — Peter Lyon, Correspondent