The Internet has recalled the Yamaha OX99-11 — a little-known project by the Japanese company that in 1992 could have become one of the world’s first hypercars. The car was created as a road version of a racing car with an engine developed based on Yamaha’s Formula 1 program. This is reported by RideApart.
The Yamaha OX99-11 received a carbon fiber monocoque, a pushrod suspension, a central driving position, and center-lock wheels. The body was made of aluminum, and the overall layout brought the car as close as possible to the racing cars of that time, with minimal emphasis on comfort or practicality.
The heart of the model was a naturally aspirated V12, derived from the Yamaha Formula 1 engine. The unit was focused on high RPM and racing performance. According to the plan, the car was to be produced in a limited series and cost almost $800,000, which at that time was equivalent to approximately 100 million Japanese yen.
The Yamaha OX99-11 Hypercar Was Ahead of Its Time
The project was developed during a period when the concept of a hypercar practically did not exist yet. Low production volume, an extremely high price, and a complete rejection of compromises made the OX99-11 similar to modern hypercars in philosophy, but the market turned out to be unprepared for it.
The Yamaha Project with a Formula 1 Engine Never Went into Series Production
After the car’s presentation, the situation was complicated by the collapse of Japan’s economic bubble, rising costs, and internal disagreements. An additional blow was the appearance of the McLaren F1, which offered a similar idea with a higher level of refinement. As a result, the Yamaha OX99-11 remained an experimental project and did not enter series production.