Today's round-up features low-volume, all-thrills-no-frills sports cars from opposite ends of the planet, or at least the Eurasian continent. From the land of the rising sun, we have fresh details on the minimalist Ken Okuyama Design K.O7 sports car, and from the land cars that are as luxurious and refined as they are fast, we have fresh details on the rumored Bugatti Veyron GT.
The K.O7 debuted earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show and is the brainchild of former Pinifarina Chief Designer Ken Okuyama. The K.O7 starts life as a Lotus Elise, which is sent to Okuyama in Japan and re-bodied and redesigned. The result is a carbon-fiber and aluminum bodied rocket that tips the scales at a feather-weight 1,654 lbs. It's still powered by the Elise's Toyota four-cylinder, but the engine has been punched out to 2.0L and makes between 198 hp and 239 hp. The little rocket sled can be yours, assuming you live in Japan, for just under $185,000.
Okuyama has plenty of design credit to his name. As the Chief Designer of Pinifarina, he oversaw the design of the Ferrari Enzo and 612, as well as the Maseratti Quattroporte and the Maseratti Birdcage concept. Still in the prototype stage right now is his K.O8 car, which is essentially a hard-topped K.O7. The design studio says that when both cars are on the market, the parts should be interchangeable for those who want to buy one model and the parts to convert it to the other when they please. Britian's AutoCar is reporting that a new model, dubbed the K.O9, will premiere at Geneva next year. Okuyama's car should be a step closer to reality now that he has Michael Castiglione, formerly of Chrysler, to run his car division.
On the other side of the globe, 4wheelsblog is reporting that they've received confirmation that there will be a Bugatti Veyron GT and that it will launch in early 2009. The car is rumored to produce a whopping 1350 hp and 944 lb-ft of torque and rocket the car to 62 mph in 2.4 seconds on the way to a new production car record of 264 mph. The GT will also pick up a new rear spoiler and a ceramic brake package, and it'll be even closer to the ground that the Veyron already is. No price or production numbers are out yet, but the car is expected to be a very limited edition and of course, very expensive.
source:motortrend
