Ken Okuyama’s Kode89 Supercar Features Three Pedals and a Choice of V12s

Ken Okuyama, the Japanese designer who shaped the Ferrari Enzo during his years at Pininfarina, brought a new open mid-engine car to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 16. Named Kode89, it arrived after a quiet run on the Tour d’Elegance a few days earlier, with Okuyama himself at the wheel. The car marks twenty years since he set up his own studio and represents the first time his company has built a complete vehicle around an original chassis rather than adapting platforms from Lotus, Ferrari or Lamborghini.

The name and dimensions are reminiscent of 1989, which Koyama considers to be the pinnacle of automobile design. That period saw the introduction of the Pininfarina Mythos concept, but the real highlight was the wave of razor-sharp sports cars that began to appear that season. The Kode89 is a hard-edged beast, with flat front fenders and headlights that sit low and near to the front spoiler. The cooling intakes and the rather slim greenhouse remind me of the Enzo. The folds running over the back shoulders indicate a fixed wing with triangle lights tucked up in the corners. There is no roof to speak of, so the bodywork flows seamlessly.

The car’s construction begins with an aluminum spaceframe created and built in the company’s Yamagata facility, which is a bit of an antiquated method in an age of carbon fiber. The 12 cylinder engine, a genuine 12 cylinder engine, not a decapitated V6, is positioned longitudinally behind the cabin and, as in a legitimate sports vehicle, feeds power to the rear wheels. Using all of the current gimmicks, such as 5 axis machining and 3D printed parts, as well as certain traditional coachbuilding skills, is a really unusual approach. To be clear, the goal weight is little under 1,300 kilograms, with 235/30 R20 at the front and 295/30 R20 at the rear.



Power comes from a pair of naturally aspirated V12 engines, yes, two different ones, each linked to a six-speed manual transmission. The basic 5.4-liter engine produces 540 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 569 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. If you desire more power, a 5.9 liter version from a Japanese specialist produces around 750 horsepower. Plus, the chassis is adaptable to a variety of V12 configurations, and they are currently working on a bi-fuel hydrogen combustion variant that can run on either gasoline or hydrogen.



Only 8 of supercars will be produced. The first year’s allocation of two cars, including the one showed off at Pebble Beach, has already been sold, and each one will be built to order, giving you a say in the final specifications. In a market where everyone and their dog is going dual-clutch or electrification, the Kode89 is delightfully old-school, with three pedals and a high-revving 12-cylinder engine at the heart of the driving experience. Koyama’s team has actually planted the legacy of small-volume, designer-led automobiles in Japan, and combined it with some rather modern manufacturing techniques to create a limited run of open hypercars aimed straight at those who still want to shift for themselves.
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