--- title: "Japan’s Lost Supercar Reemerges in This Detailed Video" date: "2025-06-02" modified: "2025-06-02" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/japans-lost-supercar-reemerges-in-this-detailed-video" categories: - "Builds" - "Culture" - "News" tags: - "sports car" --- # Japan’s Lost Supercar Reemerges in This Detailed Video ![Screenshot of Dino DC video showing close-up of front of Tommykaira ZZII.]() *\Dino DC via YouTube\* There is exactly one Tommykaira ZZII in existence, and you're looking at it. The mid-engine, [Nissan]() RB26-powered supercar was intended to be Japan's rival to the [Porsche Carrera GT](). It was built by a small but ambitious tuning company that made a name for itself modifying Mercedes, Nissan, and Subaru products in the '80s and '90s. If you're of a certain age, you recognize it from *Gran Turismo 2* and *3*. The project unfortunately fizzled out after years of development, but not before one running prototype could be made. In a new video from YouTuber [Dino DC](), we get the rare opportunity to see it moving and hear from the man who architected it. Following the superlight, low-power ZZ, the ZZII was designed to compete as a GT car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and be sold worldwide. That's why the lone example seen here is left-hand drive, and also why it has creature comforts like air conditioning and a double-DIN head unit with a CD player and tape deck—luxuries its predecessor lacked. The chassis is all aluminum but curved in the center to allow for more room in the passenger cell. In that way, it's shaped more like an oval, and you can see proof of this in the bowed-out rails you'd need to climb over to get into the car. The ZZII is powered by a 550-horsepower version of the twin-turbo RB26 inline-six found in the [R34 Skyline GT-R](), bored out to 2.7 liters. As one of the company's founders, Yoshikazu Tomita explained to Dino Dalle Carbonare in the video, the ZZII was intended to be all-wheel drive using Nissan's ATTESA system, but flipped around so that the GT-R's front differential drove the rear wheels, and vice versa. However, engineering challenges faced during development resulted in the company leaving this prototype as rear-wheel drive only. ![Tommykaira ZZII wheels.]() ![Nissan RB26 engine in a Tommykaira ZZII.]() ![Tommykaira ZZII top angle.]() Still, imagine the pitch: A 550-hp, mid-engined, all-wheel drive supercar powered by an inline-six, with a double wishbone pushrod suspension up front and a cutting-edge all-aluminum chassis. Curb weight is a little unclear; Tomita-san says the concept was targeting about one ton (2,200 pounds), though Tommykaira's manufacturing partner at the time, Autobacs, quoted roughly 2,600 pounds with a working all-wheel-drive system and a proper production body, rather than the concept's fiberglass shell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkgY9MALCsI The ZZII would've been a unique proposition indeed for its time ... or even today. Although it's been about 25 years since the car was in its planning stages, Tommykaira has been signaling for a few years now that it's still interested in a partner to produce a run of these, to more or less finish the dream that began before the firm ran out of funding. Surely, a modern ZZII wouldn't contest Le Mans, but it would delight anyone who was mystified by this car in *Gran Turismo* all those years ago. I actually happen to be playing through *GT3* for the first time in decades right now, and it's brought back so many memories. With its big triangular headlights, prominent roof scoops feeding an intercooler mounted *behind* the engine, and four-round taillights and wide air diffuser, the ZZII looked like Japan's take on the McLaren F1, and I loved that about it. Dino's had quite an opportunity seeing it in person, let alone becoming the first person outside this small company to drive the car—if only in a circle in the Tommykaira parking lot. ![Tommykaira ZZII rear cluster]() ![Tommykaira ZZII radio and HVAC interior shot.]() ![Tommykaira ZZII gauge cluster.]() ![Tommykaira ZZII front three-quarter]() ![Tommykaira ZZII side shot.]() ![Intercooler setup on Tommykaira ZZII.]() ![Yoshikazu Tomita drives a Tommykaira ZZII.]() *Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com*[]()[]() ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()