About Ken Okuyama
Born 1959. Ken Okuyama is a Japanese designer.
is a Japanese industrial designer. He is the owner of the Ken Okuyama Design company. Okuyama formerly worked for Pininfarina, designing and supervising projects such as the Enzo Ferrari and Ferrari P4/5.
Career Okuyama graduated in 1986 from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Okuyama worked for General Motors and Porsche, helping design the new generation of the Porsche 911 (aka 996) as well as the Boxster. As Creative Director Ken oversaw projects including the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Ferrari 456M GT, Ferrari California, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Ferrari Rossa (Concept car), Mitsubishi Colt CZC, Maserati Birdcage 75th, Maserati Quattroporte V and Ferrari P4/5.
In 2006, Okuyama left Pininfarina and set up his own design firm, Newton Design Lab. In late 2007, Okuyama launched the Ken Okuyama Eyes collection, an eyewear collection manufactured in Japan.
In 2008, Ken Okuyama presented his first concept car under his own name, the K.O. 7 Spider, a carbon fiber reinforced polymer and unpainted aluminium two-seater. The K.O. 7 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008. Ken Okuyama has cooperated with the luxury watch producer TAG Heuer, having fitted the TAG Heuer Grand Carrera at the dashboard of the car. The interior of the concept car was inspired by the design of the TAG Heuer watch.
In 2008, Ken Okuyama's design studio produced the first 20 models of the K.O. 7 Spider, already pre-sold to an "inner circle" of the designer's fans. It was followed by the production of 99 cars in 2009 and 99 more in 2010.
In 2016, Ken Okuyama revealed the Kode 57 as an additional member to the limited-edition family, as only five units would be produced. Forbes Magazine stated "Enzo Ferrari Designer Stuns Monterey With Breathtaking Kode 57 Supercar".
On Oct 1, 2022 Okuyama was arrested by Japanese police for speeding. He narrowly avoided spending months in prison after being caught driving an Enzo 55 mph (88 km/h) over the speed limit.
Projects Cars Pininfarina Metrocubo (concept car) Mitsubishi Colt CZC KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode7 KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode7 clubman KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode7 SeriesII KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode8 KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode9 KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode9 Spyder KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode57 Enji KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode61 Birdcage KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode0 Ferrari 456M GT Ferrari Rossa (concept car) Ferrari Enzo Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Ferrari P4/5 (concept car) Ferrari California Maserati Quattroporte V Maserati Birdcage 75th (concept car)
Railway vehicles
JR East E6 Series Shinkansen, introduced in March 2013 JR East E7 Series Shinkansen, introduced in March 2014 Rebuilt KiHa 141 series coaches for the JR East SL Ginga excursion train, introduced on the Kamaishi Line in April 2014 Revised colour scheme for JR East E3 Series Shinkansen fleet used on Tsubasa services from April 2014 JR East E3 series Toreiyu excursion train, entering service on the Yamagata Shinkansen from July 2014 JR East E353 series Super Azusa trains entering service in 2015 HB-E300 series 4-car hybrid DMU set for use on Resort Shirakami - Buna services in the north of Japan from July 2016 JR East E001 series Train Suite Shiki-shima luxury cruise train Tobu 500 series limited express trains entering service in spring 2017 New trains for the Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line, entering service in fiscal 2018 Long Island Railroad M9 entering service in 2019 Osaka Metro 400 series, entering service in April 2023 JR East E8 Series Shinkansen, entering service in 2024
Other projects
OHCO M.8LE (limited edition) massage chair. OHCO M.8 massage chair OHCO M.DX massage chair OHCO R.6 massage chair Ken Okuyama designed the M-series and R-series massage chairs with a swing door in partnership with Furniture for Life an Inc. 5000 company based in Boulder, Colorado.
Gundam G40 (Industrial Design Ver.) (HG)
Awards The following were awarded to either Ken Okuyama, car, or other project he worked with others to design: The Pininfarina Metrocubo won The Best Interior Design of the Year Award in 1999. The Maserati Birdcage 75th won the Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award which Pininfarina gave to Okuyama. The prestigious Hall of Fame award “La Bella Macchina” was given to Ken Okuyama at Concorso Italiano on August 20, 2016. 2019 Consumer Electronics Show Innovation Honor awarded in the Fitness, Sports, and Biotech Category for the OHCO M.8 2019 ePDA (European Product Design Award) for the OHCO M.8 2019 Pinnacle Award in Furniture for the OHCO M.8 2020 Good Design award for the OHCO M.8
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Important facts
People in Ken Okuyama's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Ken Okuyama's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Ken Okuyama?
Japanese automobile designer
When was Ken Okuyama born?
Ken Okuyama was born in 1959 in Yamagata.
What is Ken Okuyama's occupation?
Ken Okuyama is a designer.
What nationality is Ken Okuyama?
Ken Okuyama is Japanese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ken Okuyama. https://biography.guide/ken-okuyama/
MLA: "Ken Okuyama." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ken-okuyama/.
Chicago: "Ken Okuyama." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ken-okuyama/.
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