This is Ken Okuyama’s mysterious Kode57, a car that looks familiar and sounds incredible.
Schooled at the illustrious Pininfarina car design firm, the Japanese industrial designer’s most notable works include the Ferrari Enzo, and the one-off P4/5. As creative director, Ken oversaw various projects, including the Ferrari 599, and the Maserati Birdcage, but it looks like his muse remained the original 250 Testa Rossa.
Back in the day when he worked at Pininfarina, Okuyama sketched the (unofficial) predecessor of the Kode57; another Testa-Rossa themed modern Ferrari, named the Rossa.
The Kode57 seems to borrow a lot of elements from Ferrari’s 2000 concept, including the “barchetta” body and even the front engine cover that’s housing the V12. It also uses negative space to form the side wings, but it extends the approach to the wheel arches as well, forming an F1-style nose (similar to the Enzo’s).
Although it has its own distinct look, the similarities between it and the Rossa can’t be a coincidence, especially as both cars feature the same shallow windscreen that wraps around the shape of the body and dual-humps behind the seats. Granted, while the Rossa has a more chiseled look, Okuyama preferred to stylize his latest creation with a more razor-sharp philosophy, embedding a rear diffuser and a few edgy lines throughout the body.
Both concepts’ headlights are vertically positioned above the front fascia’s air vents, but in the Kode57’s case, they grew significantly in size, looking production-ready. And that’s the thing, unlike the Rossa, the Kode57 was conceived as a bespoke, coachbuilt roadster.
According to Ken Okuyama’s official site, the vehicle’s V12 engine and suspension settings can be tuned to suit the owner’s tastes, thanks to a collaboration with German specialist Novitec Rosso. The same tuner also messed with the 620 PS (612 hp) V12 engine, offering up to 702 PS (692 hp) and 608 Nm of torque.
In other words, Okuyama’s Kode57 might just be a production variant of the Rossa; a thing we never imagine would happen.
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