Let’s uncover and discuss the details of something super unknown and unique today, the 1971 Carrozzeria Watanabe Lycaon. To begin, first it’s important to note that ‘Carrozzeria’ directly translates to ‘Car Body’ or ‘Body Shop’ in Italian. As for Carrozzeria Watanabe, barley any information exists on the company, but what is known is that is that a man named Masao Watanabe was a japanese designer and coachbuilder during the 1970’s who named his company Carrozzeria Watanabe. Initially, Mr. Wantanabe exclusively built & worked on cars only in Japan until the 1980’s when he would eventually move to the USA (California) to creat a new company, DuoPower, which reportedly is still in business to this day as a wheel manufacturer (@racingservice_watanabe), although they began as a design specialization and Autombile manufacturer. Before the move to the US, one of the cars Wantanabe created was this car, the Carrozzeria Watanabe Lycaon R1. The Lycaon R1 marked the very beginnings for Mr. Masao Watanabe, and featured parts from numerous different cars due to the lack of parts available in Japan at the time. With the racing scene just starting to become popular after the first series of Japanese Grand Prix events held through the mid to late 1960s, Mr. Watanabe began construction the Lycaon despite lack of resources. Inspiration for this car came from many different places, one of them being an actual insect, the stag-beetle, which is a well-known species in much of Europe known scientifically as the ‘Lucanus cervus’. The front of the car was designed to replicate the mandibles of the beetle. The cars actual lines and aerodynamics were inspired by the likes of the Ferrari 250 P5 Berlinetta Speciale. Both the rear axle and suspension come from the front of a Ford Taunus 12M, while the front suspensions are borrowed from a Toyota Publica.
How many made? 1 of 1. First burgundy then repainted bright red.
Engine: 140hp Nissan Skyline (C10) 1.5L G15 inline-4 cylinder with Weber Carburetors
Debut: 1971 at the 3rd annual Tokyo Racing Car Show
Top Speed: N/A•0-60: N/A
Photo Credit: GTPlanet.net & automobiles-japonaises.com
Research: @rarecarsonly