autoevolution
 

Yamaha AMI: Kei Car Thinks It's a Ferrari F40

Recently, we’ve discovered just how fascinating and strange Japan’s kei car market is. They’ve invented everything from little vans to tiny pickups and even sportscars. However, we never knew they made Ferraris.
Yamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMIYamaha AMI
Today, we discovered a kei car impersonator of the Ferrari F40, one of the most iconic supercars from the past. It’s called the Yamaha Ami, and it’s obviously a kei car since the brochure say it’s got a 660 cc engine.

Ami appears to come in two power flavors either a 12-valve DOHC version of the engine with 55 horsepower at 7,500 rpm or a less gutsy version with only 42 hp from a 6-valve SOHC engine. This would indicate it’s got a three-cylinder engine, which is placed in the front and delivers its power to 11-inch wheels at the front, unlike the actual Ferrari F40, which as you know is mid-engined and rear-wheel drive.

Ami sounds like a very girly name for a car, but the designers took it quite seriously, and gave it a sporty two-seater layout and a big wing. It comes in red or black with white wheels and the smallest quad exhausts we’ve ever seen this side of a toy (check the magazine scan to see it!).

The car is reportedly based on the Daihatsu Opti, with a body made from plastic and a body strengthened by a roll cage.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories