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.”

Ryuhei Ishimaru

While several automakers quietly scale back their EV projects, Rolls-Royce is doing the opposite, and doing it in typical fashion. The Project Nightingale arrives as an exclusive two-door convertible, marking the first entry in the company’s Coachbuild Collection with bespoke styling and a strictly limited run of 100 units

With a length of 5.76 meters (226.8 inches), the Nightingale closely mirrors the Phantom sedan in sheer presence. It adopts a raked windscreen, a two-seat cabin, a long, tapering tail, and a set of 24-inch directional wheels styled to echo yacht propellers.

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The front is dominated by the Pantheon Grille, carved from a solid block of stainless steel, and flanked by ultra-slim vertical LED headlights. Those are connected to the split LED taillights through polished stainless-steel bands that run across the entire length of the car. Furthermore, a sophisticated diffuser manages airflow without the need for a spoiler, a feat made possible by the absence of exhaust pipes.

The pictured model is painted in Cote d’Azur Blue infused with subtle red flakes, combined with silver accents and a matching soft top. This pale blue shade is inspired by the experimental Rolls-Royce 17EX from 1928.

Two-Seater Cabin

Inside, the dashboard looks familiar, but the cabin only has two seats, framed by horseshoe-shaped forms. The saddle-like armrest glides rearwards to reveal the Spirit of Ecstasy controller, which is one of the five rotary controls.

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Another highlight is the “Starlight Breeze” with 10,500 individual fiber-optic stars that wrap around the occupants. In typical Rolls-Royce fashion, these are not arranged in a random order, but with a special pattern derived from the sound-wave analysis of a nightingale’s song

For the launch vehicle, designers chose a combination of Charles Blue with Grace White, joined by Deep Navy details, Peony Pink accents, and Openpore Blackwood inserts.

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To maintain the romance of open-top driving, the roof uses a composite blend of cashmere and high-performance fabrics, specifically tuned to let the sound of raindrops through while blocking mechanical noise.

Shared Underpinnings

Naturally, the Nightingale shares the “Architecture of Luxury” aluminum spaceframe chassis with the rest of the Rolls-Royce lineup. It also uses the same fully electric powertrain, currently employed by the Spectre.

Specifications remain under wraps, but the company promised to unveil more details as the vehicle “progresses through its global testing and development program”.

Rolls-Royce Decides Who Will Buy It

The Nightingale is significantly less exclusive than coachbuilt specials from the recent past like the Sweptail, Boat Tail, and Drop Tail. More specifically, the model will be manufactured in 100 units, with owners hand-picked from the firm. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028.

As reported by Autocar, the starting price is approximately £7 million ($9.5 million), although the final cost is expected to climb following extensive personalization options. Besides the vehicle itself, the Coachbuild Collection program includes behind-the-scenes access to design and testing, plus global curated events.