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Burst and scramble, we’re instant lovers. Body and mind, wrapped and twisted in stupid. The dearly undead, be a ghost, that’s the rules. Peekaboo, knock-knock, alight that spark, that’s the answer ‘k? Aha! Why don’t you kiss up and shake your cottontail? A pop cuddle snuggle, hum a tune why don’t you? It’s out of place, put away your jealousy. Thirsty? Ugh, so corny! If you get lonely, find anybody, just get lucky. I loathed to love but it gave me life, gonna be a smitten mitten till the day you die?
Handmade with love by members of the Sendo Team
@66mazda @chiefzach2018 @Portalkat42 @variationofvariables @Tzuyu_main @Falling_Comet
FOR MOBILE VIEWERS: DISPLAY IN LANDSCAPE MODE
JAN 31 2025 - WRITTEN BY LILY-ANN DALISAY
Developed by four of Japan’s largest automotive manufacturers during the height of the Japanese bubble economy, the Sendo GT represented a radical departure from the four companies’ typical products, and held the power to bring a world revolution to the sports car market.
ORIGINS
As the 1980s rolled around, many Japanese manufacturers had been developing premium brands to enter into the United States market. It was during this period that the birth of Sendo had begun. Prior to this, in the US, Japanese cars were often seen as cheap, economical runabouts that while well built, were not appointed in the interior or performance categories.
Kaizen Motor Corp. had been long importing vehicles into the United States, and premium vehicles at that too. This prompted Suisei Automobiles, in the midst of developing a premium brand for entry into the United States, to approach Kaizen for assistance.
In order for the two companies to come to an agreement, Kaizen had put a condition on Suisei, as Kaizen was already importing premium vehicles into the United States and therefore wanted to avoid further competition, the two companies were forced to move further upmarket into the market, where ultra-high end luxury vehicles from European manufacturers reigned supreme with decades of brand recognition and loyalty.
This would prove a challenge for the two, as the whole development costs would be difficult to recuperate in such a project. Tensions between the two companies would rise slightly, as Suisei wanted to keep costs down, but Kaizen wanted to retain its foothold in the premium segment it comfortably occupied.
At a stockholder meeting in February 1982, executives from Seikatsu Motion Dynamics and Yamada Motor Development were informed of the current tensions between the two companies. Seikatsu was at this point, also in the planning stages of a luxury export to the United States, and Yamada, the smallest of the four companies, was selling motorcycles and other motorized equipment comfortably in the US, but still had no financial means, nor the experience to develop a luxury vehicle for the US market.
Various executives from all four companies were then invited to a top secret meeting at an inconspicuous office at the Suisei Heavy Industries headquarters in Narita. With the addition of Yamada and Seikatsu to the meetings, an agreement on the investment towards the new companies had been formed after a month of back and forth negotiation.
Each company would pledge 55 billion yen each to the development of the automobiles for the project (equivalent to 78 billion yen, or 500 million US dollars in the present day, adjusted for inflation), and another 5 billion yen each (7 billion yen, or 5 million USD adjusted for inflation) in marketing costs.
The best project managers and engineers from each company were assigned to this new division, named Project Tanuki. An initial line-up was proposed, that would consist of a luxurious high-end 2-door performance car, a 4-door full-sized limousine, and an entry-level mid-size luxury-sports sedan.
The performance car would be given the project name Monza, the limousine London, and the sports sedan, Stuttgart.
PROJECT MONZA
The first phase of Project Monza would come in deciding the layout and general philosophy of the vehicle. Various proposals from each companies were brought forward and considered in a meeting in March of 1982.
Suisei had proposed an all-wheel-drive, sedan-based coupe with a turbocharged engine, an idea that engineers had found interesting, but executives had a hard time approving. Seikatsu proposed a sleek, mid-mounted 2-seater, V8-engined car that executives and engineers were pleased with, but found hard to attach to the planned brand image. Yamada had proposed a transverse front-engine, front-wheel-drive coupe to eliminate the driveshaft hump and maximize cabin space, an idea which was quickly thrown out of the meeting room. It was the Kaizen proposal that was ultimately approved, which consisted of a front-engined, rear-wheel drive grand tourer, with four seats and a large-displacement V engine.
The plan was approved in April that same year, and engineers were pooled together to design the new grand tourer. Initial plans were for a four and a half-litre V8 engine, but was later changed to a 6.5-litre V12 developed by Kaizen that was made out of two inline six engines.
The very first prototype began development in December 1982, and the first car consisted of a chassis that was initially a steel monocoque based off an existing Seikatsu platform, with suspension components made by Yamada, and the transmission and driveline supplied by Suisei. With the Kaizen V12 engine fitted, the prototype drove rather poorly, being a parts-bin from existing models from the four companies.
Further refinement was made, with more parts being made specifically for the car. The chassis, instead of being entirely designed out of steel, now included aluminum parts, such as the engine cradle, rear strut tower mounts, and various non-structural items.
The next few prototypes would explore differing wheelbases. Initially, a wheelbase of 2504 mm was proposed for the V8 design, which grew to 2,612 mm when it was updated for the 6.5-litre V12. Issues were found with rear legroom and trunk space however, so the wheelbase was extended by another 100 mm to 2,750 mm. This presented a handling problem, as while the car was more stable at high speeds, it became more cumbersome to drive at lower speeds where the car would be driven majorly. Weight also became an issue with the extended wheelbase.
The issue of low speed handling would be addressed by Yamada, who proposed a four-wheel-steering system to be added to the vehicle. Seikatsu Motion Dynamics at this time was also experimenting with aluminum body panel manufacturing. The addition of four-wheel-steering and further aluminum usage led to an incredible breakthrough in the car’s design. The car was now able to handle more sharply at low speed with a longer wheelbase, and also remain lightweight and predictable to drive.
THE BIRTH OF GT
Project Monza continued to be refined through the end of 1983. By this point, the car was almost entirely bespoke. The design had a 2,849 mm wheelbase to maximize interior cabin space, the radiator was angled backwards 20 degrees to account for the low front end, and a rear-mounted transaxle was developed by Suisei to shift the weight distribution further back.
Yamada’s mechanical four-wheel-steering system could only do so much to help the large GT car move as swiftly as its mid and rear engined competitors, however. A glaring issue was the size of the V12, which required more materials to make, and therefore shifted the weight distribution far too much forwards even with the Suisei rear transaxle. Kaizen engineers were insistent that the large V12 be kept for the sake of driveability, as the larger displacement would keep the torque low in the powerband, and give the illusion of more power.
In secret, however, engineers from the Yamada and Seikatsu divisions had been developing a lighter, smaller displacement V12 engine to replace the Kaizen engine. When proposed to the executives, and tested on the car, it resulted in far more agile handling, and a higher redline, but as a consequence of the smaller displacement, required more effort to bring out the same mid-range punch, much to the dismay of the Kaizen engineers. A common myth was that a fist fight had broken out between Yamada and Kaizen engineers in the meeting room where the smaller V12 was ultimately chosen, but this is merely a rumour! Conduct between Sendo employees are always kept civil.
By the end of 1984, Project Monza continued to approach its final iteration. In October, the prototype was brought to the famed Nurburgring racetrack in Germany for testing. During this time, future Formula One champion Alexandre Frost was visiting, and engineers requested for his input on the car. It was here that many flaws were discovered in the vehicle’s handling. Frost complained of floaty handling, the four-wheel-steering system being too twitchy at higher speeds, intense chassis flex, front and rear lift at high speed, intense nose plow under braking, and critically, brake fade after two hours of testing on the Nordschleife.
With this new input, the engineers went back and redesigned multiple components of the chassis. The four-wheel-steering system was linked to the variable rate power steering system, allowing it to become more firm at higher speed. Over fifty points in the vehicle’s chassis were stiffened to sharpen up the car’s handling through the addition of multiple bracing components, and a redesigning of certain parts of the chassis.
The engine cradle was redesigned to prevent the front suspension from compressing too much under load, eliminating front plow. The active aero system had also finally finished development, adding a retractable rear wing and front chin spoiler that eliminated lift at speeds above 130 km/h. The brake rotors were enlargened all around, and given 4-piston calipers in the front. Hundreds of man hours of engineering were spent routing air ducts that siphoned cool air towards the rotors, and extracted hot air away underneath the car.
The end result would be shown when Alexandre Frost was invited out to the Autodromo Internationale Monza the next year with a far more refined version of the yet unnamed grand tourer. By this point, the car’s interior had been designed by various new graduates from Tokyo University. A digital instrument cluster was fitted to give a futuristic impression, and a CRT display was fitted to the center console that allowed for various in-car settings to be adjusted. Various amenities were included in the car for the ultimate luxury experience, and Frost was thoroughly impressed by the plushness of the vehicle in this prototype stage.
Frost only had two complaints about the car at this stage. The 5.0-litre Dual Overhead Cam V12 engine was very powerful for the time, producing a respectable 325 horsepower, but in the eyes of the Formula One driver, he had felt it was not enough for the car. That was complaint number one.
His second complaint?
The car was not yet in production, and he could not buy it.
Executives had decided on the name of the brand earlier in the year, and the new marque was to be called Sendo. A name which had multiple accepted meanings, one of which meaning “existence” in Portugese, or “one thousand times” in Japanese. “An existence of a thousand times” was the driving force behind the brand.
After testing at Suzuka Circuit in Japan in December of 1985, the engineers had proposed the name of GT to the top brass. Explaining that it was a name that was easy to remember, and that the name would have been remembered from the car’s incredible philosophy alone. This proposal had ultimately won out among a sea of others, which proposed adding alphanumerics such as “630GT”, or names like “Equinox” or “Conexus”. It was at Suzuka, where GT was born.
The near-production prototype was brought to the North American International Motor Show in January of 1986, but was not displayed as a last minute decision. Only when the design could be further refined throughout the rest of February 1986 did Sendo plan its debut.
INTRODUCING SENDO GT
After four years of development, 50 designers, 12 engineering teams, 700 engineers, 1,300 technicians, 220 support workers, roughly 100 prototypes, over 20,000 man hours of work, and over 200 billion yen spent on development, the car was ready to be shown to the world.
At the Geneva Auto Show in March of 1986, Kaizen, Seikatsu, Suisei and Yamada would have their presentations one after another, and occupy the same general area in the pavillion. At the end of all their presentations, they unveiled the Sendo brand, and likewise, the new Sendo GT.
From the original prototype, the design had differed largely. It was far sleeker, and lower to the ground than one would imagine for a grand tourer. The nose was so low, it barely met Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards with the pop-up headlights and the suspension at its lowest setting. The car was designed to give the impression of a true sports car, and not just a grand tourer.
Side strakes occupied the doors to give a dynamic flow to the car, and the roof was designed to take minimal space throughout the vehicles frame to emulate a fighter jet’s canopy. The rear wing, which was actively controlled and would raise itself at speeds in excess of 100 km/h, flared out to give an athletic profile to the otherwise sleek and luxurious design. The front featured a lip that extended out at 80 km/h to eliminate front lift at higher speeds.
The chassis was primarily made out of steel, but used aluminum elements all throughout to keep weight down to a minimum. Space-age technology derived from the Japanese space program was utilized wherever possible to maximise chassis strength. The front and rear suspension were double wishbone designs, derived from Suisei’s Formula One program, with the rear featuring additional stabilizer links to keep the car as planted to the ground as possible. Active electronically-controlled dampers with automatic ride height adjustment were used on all four corners to provide differing cornering feels depending on the driver’s preference.
It was powered by a 5.0-litre Dual Overhead Cam 48-valve 60-degree V12. Within this engine hosted a plethora of the latest technologies from all four companies. It featured a dry sump system to allow the engine to be mounted lower in the frame, lowering the centre of mass. The head and the block were made of forged aluminum, and featured metal matrix composite cylinder liners made of molybdenum disulfide. The intakes were engineered with the best computers available in Japan at the time, resulting in a complex piping arrangement that maximised airflow while reducing intake noise. Each valve port was polished to a mirror-like finish to ensure equal air intake and a smooth power delivery. The crank, pistons, and conrods were all forged to reduce reciprocating mass and improve engine response.
Resulting was an engine rated for 375 horsepower at 6000 RPM, and could rev to 7000. Four mufflers were chambered in a complex harmonic resonance by Suisei to reduce engine drone at lower RPMs, but still allow the engine to sing freely at higher exhaust velocities. The engine was balanced with 6 counterweights and 6 harmonic dampers, and used a hybrid urethane engine mount system to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness.
The standard transmission was a Suisei-developed, but still unique to the GT, rear-mounted 5-speed manual transaxle with a triple-plate clutch and a dual-mass flywheel. This was connected to a viscous limited-slip differential to send power smoothly and efficiently to the road, while keeping gear changes crisp and precise. Acceleration to 100km/h was done in a brisk 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over 300km/h was attainable. Optional was also a ZF 4-speed torque converter automatic which lowered the power rating to 350 horsepower, and the redline was reduced to 6500 RPM.
Keeping the car planted to the road were 16-inch Enkei-developed wheels, staggered in width front to rear with 235/50R16 and 255/45R16 Bridgestone Potenza tyres wrapped around them. Optionally available were 415mm BBS wheels with 240/45VR415 and 280/40VR415 Michelin TRX trres.
Inside the cabin was a stark contrast to the rest of the car’s hardcore driving profile, as it had plush hand-made elements everywhere, from the electronically controlled seats, the leather wrapped airbag steering wheel, the maple wood trimming, gated shifter, digital instrument cluster, and central vehicle diagnostic center. Sound deadening was specifically tuned to eliminate as much road noise as possible, but also allow the high-strung V12’s to be audible to the driver when brought to its full potential.
A Sony-developed and branded audio system was standard in the car, and other options included an integrated car telephone as well as a trunk-mounted cassette changer. There were over 100 technological innovations to aid smooth operation and silence, including fluid-damped cabin fixtures, vibration insulating rubber mounts, and sandwich aluminum body panels.
A major hint in the interior that implied the vehicle was a performance car, was the driver-oriented cabin design which was heavily inspired by the cockpit of a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. A majority of the interior elements are aimed at the driver, to inspire confidence while driving. Despite this, the passengers are sitll given plenty of amenities and an equally comfortable seating position.
The GT, and the Sendo brand became available in the United States in late 1986, and European models began to reach owners in 1987. Magazines at the time were taken aback by the merging of the four companies into one cohesive car. It simply wasn’t anything the industry had seen up to this point. The car frequently found itself on the front page of various publications, even non automotive related ones.
In late 1987, Japanese magazine Variation took a European-spec car to the Nurburgring Nordschliefe, and lapped the famous racetrack in 8:30 in the wet on Michelin TRX tyres.
Safe to say, the Sendo experiment was a success, and over the next 7 years, the first-generation of the GT would continuously receive updates to keep it relevant in the ever-changing automobile market that it helped to revolutionize.
For 1988, addressing complaints from the North American market, the final drive was reduced slightly to take better advantage of the V12’s torque. The rear suspension alignment was also tweaked to give a sharper impression in combination with increasing the angle of the four-wheel-steering system at lower speeds.
1989 saw the GT’s first major update, where horsepower was increased with the 5-speed manual transmission to 385 as a result of a redesigned throttle body. Power remained the same for the 4-speed automatic. The engine mounts were also updated to improve front rigidity under hard cornering and high throttle applications.
A convertible variant was introduced in 1990. The chassis was reinforced heavily for the convertible variant. Engineers spent over a thousand hours and used 10 prototypes to identify weak links in the chassis that needed to be reinforced with the roof off. This resulted in additional bracing in 16 different areas underneath the body in an attempt to keep the vehicle as rigid as the regular coupe. The doors, hinges, and locks for the convertible were also redesigned to become a stressed structure within the vehicle’s chassis and keep the car rigid while the roof was down. 2 convertible types were available, a regular, power-operated Curtain Roof soft-top model, and a power-operated hard-top Pavillion model. The introduction of a convertible model allowed Sendo to broaden its horizons, and offer the choice of a sporty, luxurious, topless driving experience.
Aside from the convertible variant, the interior amenities were updated for that year too. A trunk-mounted 6-disc CD changer became available as an option starting 1990. New interior colorways were made available, such as Milano Red Leather.
The next year was the second major update the GT would receive. An in-house developed 5-speed self-learning automatic transmission was introduced, as well as a 6-speed manual to supercede the previous 5MT. The 5-speed automatic, called MAGIC, utilized various sensors for determining wheel speed, cornering force, acceleration force, throttle input, and engine speed, which were all fed into a rudimentary 16-bit computer that told the transmission how to behave, and learned the driver’s habits. The viscous coupling differential was also replaced with a helical-type limited slip differential, which reduced the amount of power lost to the drivetrain, and offered improved driving performance on-throttle.
Aside from the new transmission options, forged 18-inch 5-spoke wheels developed by RAYS Engineering in Japan were made available as an option in 1991. The Michelin TRX tyres and associated BBS wheels were replaced with the 18" RAYS wrapped with 255/45R18 Bridgestone Potenza tyres all around. The 16-inch staggered wheels were still available as standard equipment, but would be altogether discontinued in 1992.
1992 would feature yet another major update to the car. Chassis rigidity was improved with a slight redesign of the rear subframe. The active damper system was revamped with a new computer system that allowed for faster response times. The engine control unit was updated, with a 15 horsepower increase up to 400 hp at 6000 RPM, and a torque increase to 535 N*m at 4300 RPM when equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission. Power rating was slightly lower for the 5-speed MAGIC transmission, at 395 horsepower at 5800 RPM, and a lower 6500 RPM redline. The torque curve was adjusted slightly to address concerns from the North American market, with close to 60% of peak torque becoming available at lower RPMs.
1993 would be the final update for the first-generation GT, and this was ultimately its best form. A redesigned cylinder head, forged titanium conrods, and a variable geometry intake would preview the next-gen GT. Power was increased to 450 hp at 6500 RPM, and the redline was increased to 7400. The rear recieved wider 275/40R18 Bridgestone tyres and RAYS wheels, and the active damper system was tweaked once more. Additional chassis bracing, and various carbon fiber elements were used all around the chassis to tighten the handling while keeping weight down. The steering gearbox for the front and rear were marginally reduced for sharper turning at high speeds, and the active aero system was given the ability to angle itself more sharply under high speed turning.
All the changes for the 1993 model year would lead to a highly potent sports car package. A time of 7:59 was recorded on the Nurburgring Nordschleife in that year by German magazine Sport-Technik.
Before the discontinuation of the first-generation GT, a limited run of 20 Speciale models were available to order. This featured distinct badging, newer, lighter weight 18" forged RAYS wheels, a revamped exhaust system that sounded more aggressive at higher throttle input, and various minor chassis tweaks. The second generation GT would debut at the North American International Auto Show that same year, continuing the legacy of the ultimate Japanese luxury sports car.
ARCHIVE GALLERY
The Sendo GT has cemented itself in the automobile culture hall of fame, and has went on to become a living legend, especially here at the Sendo Museum in France.
Within our collection, we have multiple first-generation GT’s which have been gracefully donated to the museum to further educate future engineers of the possibility of teamwork, and hope for the future.
If you would like to witness first-generation GT for yourself, be able to sit in one, or even have the chance to drive one, the Musee de Sendo offers guided walking tours and opportunities to experience the living history of Sendo.
千度チームが感謝しています。
ありがとう
26 Likes
Impressive post, photos and work on the car indeed.
Amazing. Especially with the background lore for Sendo being the icing on a very sumptuous cake.
In fact, it reminds me of what the answer to “What if the Eunos Cosmo of the early '90s had a V12 instead of a rotary engine under its hood?” would be (or look, feel, and sound like, for that matter).
1 Like
New Sendopost, Absolute Cinema
2 Likes
That in turn sounds like something the failed Amati brand could have released…