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Way back in the ’90s, the Tommykaira ZZ was almost like Japan’s Lotus Elise: featherweight, simple, cute, and relentlessly agile. The boutique Japanese automaker and tuner attempted to evolve the concept over the years, and ultimately revived it with an electric second generation that aimed to retain its predecessor’s spirit with a new kind of propulsion. That car reportedly ended its production run in 2021, but a new redesign, called the Number Nine Works Sweep 9 (say that ten times fast), gives us a sense of what a future incarnation would look like, if it ever happens.
This design study—hat tip to CarScoops for bringing it to our attention—is the product of a collaboration between Yuji Fujitsuka, who originally architected the second-gen ZZ and now runs Number Nine Works; and Ryuhei Ishimaru, who runs the design firm Fortmarei. The goal here was to modernize the ZZ’s front end, while also ensuring that whatever modifications the duo made satisfied all of Japan’s passenger car safety standards.
The classic triangular-pod headlight shape with big, round lamps, a fixture of earlier Tommykaira concepts and, frankly, any race car from 30 years ago, has been swapped out for slimline LED units and lower elements containing two small lamps a side, including turn signals. I find the ZZ they started with to be a very attractive little sports car—I grew up worshipping the McLaren F1 and Porsche Carrera GT, after all—but there’s no question that the newer version comes across as a bit more marketable, especially in this day and age.
The second-gen Tommykaira ZZ at middle left, and the Number Nine Works Sweep 9 beside it. Fortmarei
In fact, if I had to explain the Sweep 9’s face to someone who hadn’t seen it, I’d describe it as what you’d get if Porsche, today, suddenly decided to revive the 914. I see a little Cayenne EV and Mission R in the front of this thing, coupled of course with the proportions of a tiny mid-engine roadster, even if the ZZ burns no fuel.
Ultimately, Number Nine Works and Fortmarei say this exercise was intended to be entirely homologation-friendly from start to finish; in their words, “a sophisticated development process, utilizing 3D data for meticulous legal simulations.” That’s admirable but a little odd, considering the Sweep 9 is also very clearly a one-off, not a preview of a ZZ relaunch.
The rest of the car, including its electric motor sending 305 horsepower to the rear wheels and sub 1-ton curb weight, was not altered, which may explain why the companies have released seemingly zero pictures of the back end. Nevertheless, Tommykaira and the ZZ don’t wind up in the news very often, so we like to recognize them whenever we get the chance.
Fortmarei
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Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
