The most complete story behind the groundbreaking old school sportscar that never got its chance.
What happened to all the ZZs?
Given its extreme simplicity and the absence of overly complicated electronics, over the past 20 years the ZZ has led to various more or less invasive changes.
Starting from more basic interventions such as wheel replacement with larger ones, to intake and exhaust upgrades, to brake improving, to the installation of large or very large wings, canards, splitters and diffusers, to significant mechanical changes, ranging from bespoke suspensions (Aragosta, Bilstein), to the conversion from a naturally aspirated to a turbocharged engine
The far from threatening appearance in contrast to the aggressiveness of sophisticated aerodynamic appendages often misleads those who don't know the car and that it can hide a 100 horsepower per liter engine on a 270HP/ton car.
Out of all the 206 ZZs produced, the exemplars "emerged" thanks to the forums and social networks are no more than fifty or so... who knows how many of them have survived, how many are still original, how many are abandoned at the back of a garage waiting for some enthusiast to buy them. One of these was precisely Yoshikazu who a few years ago decided to fill his nostalgia by buying one, which he still owns.
Beginning, peak and future. (right, left, centre)
M20, M30Z, and M14.
The Swift Sports of the two "bosses": the blue one of Katsuhisa Kawaguchi (G T S, Tommy Kaira Owners Club) and the yellow one of Yoshikazu Tomita.
We thank (in random order): Yoshikazu Tomita - creator of the brand and author of its blog
Kikuo Kaira - creator and engineer of the brand
Takuya Yura - Mooncraft
Sam Baum - Tommykaira M30Z
Naofumi Tokitake - G T S
Hiroyasu Koma - former GLM president
Akira Matsumoto - GLM
Tsuyoshi Yamasaki
Ichiro Miwa
Satoaki Nishimura - Kyoto Engineering Development, former Kameoka worker
Chris Nicholls - P1 Race Photography - translation assistant
Kazunori Shibata
Idekazu Okazaki
Masaaki Ito - for showing me in detail the experience of ZZ ownership
Jun Nishikawa - Carzy.net - for having organized the Kitano exhibition and for having provided me with photos of the ZZ-II on personal request, proving to be helpful and kind towards an ordinary enthusiast like me
Itou Hiroto
Hiroshi Fushida - for having checked the article
Desu Tanaka
Moritaka Kumamoto
Mike Rawlings - Breckland Technology, Carrozzeria Stirling
Francesco Mendola - hirev motors
Pietro di Spaldro - Throttle Addicted
Hideyuki Ikenouchi - Daena
Koichi Noguchi
Michael Townley Rawlings - ex Breckland Technology
Nathan Dub - Yanki Mate
Yu Ito
Yoshio Fujiwara - Motor Press
Fabio Busetto
Hidehiro Tanaka - ZZ-II photographer
Katsuhisa Kawaguchi - TKOC, G T S
Tomohiko Katsuta
Mark McLeod - Hirocima Cruisers
Akinobu Tomiyama
Web Archive
www.ab-carsshow.com
www.ab-tommykaira.com
www.tommykaira.com
d-apple.com
sandsmuseum.com
response.jp
Gameo world ZZ (http://www.ne.jp/asahi/gameo/world/zzworld//zzworld.htm#top)
m-direction.com
Tommykaira Owners Club Tokyo
Tommykaira Owners Club Tokai
Minkara.carview users:
Ichi-ZZ, Ai-chan, totoro, Yas @ ZZ, Kurimari
Instagram users:
takahashi_gas
r34gtr_tommy_kaira_rz
- Luca Sciarrillo
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