In celebration of its role as a Formula 1 engine supplier, Yamaha decided to make its own track-ready supercar in the early ’90s. The OX99-11 was first unveiled in 1992, and it featured a detuned version of Yamaha’s F1 V12, making around 400 horsepower. The engine was mated to a six-speed manual transmission and power was sent through the rear wheels only. So, in other words, this was the ultimate purists’ car. The car featured a central seating position for the driver, much like the McLaren F1, and liberal use of carbon fiber kept the car’s weight down to just 2,535 lbs.
An eye-watering price tag of $1 million was set for the car, but before it could reach production, Yamaha ran out of cash, and the project was axed. The development phase of the OX99-11 coincided with the Japanese economic crash, and so it was decided that it simply wasn’t feasible to continue with making an ultra-expensive supercar when things were so dire at home. Three prototypes were produced before the project got pulled, and all three survived to the present day, reports Evo. One example went up for sale in 2020, with a price tag of $1.3 million, a reasonable price to pay for such a unique piece of Japanese automotive history.
