- Ex-GLM employees gave the second-gen Tommykaira ZZ a facelift.
- The street-legal model features a redesigned nose with slim LEDs.
- It retains the stock underpinnings and 305 hp electric powertrain.
The Tommykaira ZZ is a rare Japanese sports car that has been discontinued since 2021, but that didn’t stop a designer and an engineer who used to work in its parent company from giving it a facelift. The result is the Number Nine Works Sweep 9, a street-legal one-off build with an interesting backstory.
The project is the fruit of collaboration between automotive designer Ryuhei Ishimaru and engineer Yuji Fujitsuka who was responsible for the development of the second-gen Tommykaira ZZ. Both used to work for GLM, which was the brand behind the second-gen Tommykaira. However, they have since moved on starting their own companies, the independent design studio Fortmarei and the engineering firm Number 9 Works.
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The two men got together this year, bringing the discontinued Tommykaira ZZ into the present with a styling refresh. The goal was to redesign the front cowl with factory-grade quality, while preserving the rear section and the original livery. They also wanted the resulting vehicle to be fully compliant with Japanese safety regulations, adding another layer of complexity into the project.
The highlight of the Number Nine Works Sweep 9 is the ultra-slim LED headlights with an elongated shape that look much sleeker than the original units. These are combined with extra LEDs on the bumper that has received a cleaner design without any intakes.
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The grille-less nose and the sculpted front fenders blend nicely with the carry-over bodywork on the profile. Still, it would be nice to see a similar redesign of the rear end that retains the Lotus-sourced quad round taillights.
The whole build was realised by the engineer, the designer, and a few skilled craftsmen. More importantly, it is a fully functional model with Japanese license plates that can be driven on public roads.
Predictably, the Number Nine Works Sweep 9 doesn’t have any performance or chassis upgrades over the donor vehicle.
Unlike the original Tommykaira ZZ from the ’90s that was powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the second generation that debuted in 2014 has a fully electric powertrain. The sports car is based on a tub-style chassis with a single electric motor producing 305 hp (227 kW / 309 PS) and 415 Nm (306 lb-ft) of torque.
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The team doesn’t plan on applying the same treatment to more examples of the model, although we can easily see why owners of the second-gen Tommykaira ZZ would want to approach them. In any case, this project proves that focused styling tweaks can make a big difference in the aura of a vehicle.
Designer Ryuhei Ishimaru told CarScoops: “Number Nine Works Sweep 9 is a 2026 street-legal technology demonstrator built on the Tommykaira ZZ EV platform, balancing strict safety compliance with its original design language. It is a very personal “moment of truth” for me, as it’s a collaboration with the original engineer after 10 years.”
