The biennial Tokyo motor show is always a chance to check out some of the more obscure, left field concept vehicles.
This year, some of the smaller specialists were present and some not. Mitsuoka, famous for their weird Orochi was a no show, but Ken Okuyama was there with three vehicles, including one concept tractor — a first in the recent history of a Tokyo motor show.
The major attraction on Okuyama’s stand was the new Kode9 sports car. We assume it is the same architecture as his Kode7 mid-ship rocket, but this time with a low voluptuous form, complete with a vertical tail fin. It certainly ticks all the boyhood fantasy points, but doesn’t quite feel mature enough for precisely that reason There’s a lot that Speed Racer himself would admire and obvious references to some classic Italian sculpture such as the C52 Touring Disco Volante Spider, but despite this, it was nice to see a fullness in form when compared to a lot of skinny models.
Of course, we would love to see more independent companies innovating and creating more interesting dialogues with customers, but maybe this isn’t the time.
Recovering economies and worries about the future have dented Japan’s entrepreneurial spirit, but there are glimmers of hope and the future is getting brighter; if Japan reacts in the same vein as Great Britain in the aftermath of the 2012 Olympics, by 2020 we predict some amazing examples of blue-sky self-expressionism.
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