Ken Okuyama 7 going in to production
Click above for a high-res gallery of the K.07 Spyder
When the K.O7 Spyder broke cover in Geneva we were struck by its bold design (it was penned by the guy who gave us the Enzo and the Quattroporte), but seriously doubted that the track star/supercar would ever see production. Well, a limited run of 99 K.O7s will go on sale on November 1st for the princely sum of 19,500,000 Yen. Yep, that's near-as-makes-no-difference $200,000 -- an awful lot of money for very little car.
And when you consider that it's essentially a modern remake of the fenderless Lotus 340R, which itself seemed expensive back in 2000 at $70,000, you've got to wonder how many more orders Okuyama-san will be taking beyond the 24 cars pre-ordered by Tag-Heuer, who've had a hand in the project since its inception just a year ago. You may remember that the Lotus 340R never reached its performance target of 340 bhp/ton, largely because it was powered by Rover's asthmatic K-series engine. This is why three-hundred and forty 340Rs were built -- the number had to stand for something.
Similar doubts surround the final performance figures for the 750-kg (1,653-pound) K.O7. Okuyama Design say that the good ol' Toyota 2.0-liter found in the Elise and Exige will be good for "200-240bhp", but we don't see a supercharger, nor room for one. However fast it turns out to be, it's a fine looking machine and is bound to remain exclusive.
Check out the gallery of images taken at yesterday's launch deep beneath Tokyo's streets. Note there was an K.O8 electric EV in attendance, sans batteries or electric motor, but since it took Ken just a year to get the 7 from drawing board to production, who knows... we may be back in that garage again in a year's time, reporting for AutoblogGreen.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kumail891 9:53AM (9/18/2008)
i think i like this more than the atom...
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Temple 10:17AM (9/18/2008)
that's a handsome car, tasteful use of chrome and red-leather (which can go bad very easily). Gull-wing doors are also unique. I loved Ken Okuyama's Maserati Birdcage concept back when he was in Pininfarina.
19,500,000yen is closer to $185k, but still waaay over-priced. Maybe it could drop the use of the Tag-Hauer chronograph and some other expensive details and reduce the price to something more reasonable.
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deuce 10:29AM (9/18/2008)
The engine found in the Elise and Exige is a 1.8L, not 2.0L.
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MajorGeek 10:41AM (9/18/2008)
Im going off the reservation on this one... it looks like a pedal car or one of those cars with batteries kids drive around. Very childish design to me. Maybe its the color, maybe its the hangover or maybe it just is. Let me know.
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Pat 11:50AM (9/18/2008)
Would rather have a Lotus/Caterham/Locost 7
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Fritz 1:14PM (9/18/2008)
Or even for 5 grand you can get a Triumph Spitfire and throw a proper engine in it, with nearly the same weight as this thing, if not less!
jay 10:52AM (9/22/2008)
"I am very interested in advertising on your blog."
you just did.
thumbs down.
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Temple 12:14PM (9/18/2008)
You know Brian, there is a "advertise" link on the top of this page.
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Ken Lavacot 2:01PM (9/18/2008)
Is this a 3 wheeler?
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Rocketboy 2:27PM (9/18/2008)
LOL.. what?
Ken Lavacot 3:04PM (9/18/2008)
i cant see the rear wheels of the car, its looks like a three wheeler, I know those are becoming popluar.
Ken Lavacot 3:06PM (9/18/2008)
nm... wrong car lol
Ken Lavacot 3:06PM (9/18/2008)
How do you become a person that can write a blog?
Rocketboy 9:46AM (9/24/2008)
I think just trying to figure out pictures would be a first step...
ugg.tryptophan 3:49PM (9/18/2008)
if i had the money
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