If you’ve ever played Gran Turismo, you know about TommyKaira. The Japanese tuner brand got its start with the ZZ, a tiny, bare-bones mid-engine sports car sold only in Japan in very limited numbers. The boutique carmaker planned a second car to follow the ZZ, aptly named the ZZII. While the car appeared in video games during the turn of the century, it never actually went into production. Just one exists, and it’s finally come out of hiding.
Dino Dalle Carbonare, YouTuber and co-founder of Speedhunters, got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a day with the only TommyKaira ZZII, with one of the company’s co-founders, Yoshikazu Tomita, allowing him to poke around the car and even take it for a spin around the parking lot. We’re not jealous. Not one bit.
The ZZII was supposed to be TommyKaira’s path to mainstream production and the racing world. Unlike the stripped-out, ultra-light ZZ, the II had a real cabin with more space and a bevy of then-modern appointments, like air conditioning and a double-DIN radio with a CD player. It was also shaped like a real car, with a sharp fascia, a Zagato-style double-bubble roof, and a profile similar to the McLaren F1.
TommyKaira first unveiled the ZZII in 2001, making its unique aluminum frame fairly cutting-edge for the time. It also had double-wishbone, pushrod suspension up front—serious motorsport equipment. The powertrain was essentially borrowed from the R34 Nissan GT-R, but flipped backwards. The RB26 straight-six engine was mounted in the middle, behind the cabin.
Punched up to 2.7 liters and given two new turbochargers, TommyKaira said the ZZII’s engine could make 550 horsepower. Power was meant to go to all four wheels, and the prototype shown here even has a front differential. But packaging meant that driveshafts couldn’t be fitted, so it remained rear-drive only. Tomita tells Carbonare his team aimed to compete against the then-new Porsche Carrera GT. A lofty goal, but with these sorts of power figures, it would’ve been possible.
Unlike the first ZZ, the ZZII was meant for worldwide markets and to race in the FIA GT series, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That explains its left-hand drive layout and its many comfort features. Sadly, the company fizzled out following Japan’s economic slump, and the ZZII would never enter production. We’re glad, at least, that this one exists.
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