Liberty Walk Autozam AZ-1 is a Ferrari Fan’s Dream Come True

A $40,000 Ferrari F40 would be any auto enthusiast’s dream, and Japanese tuner Liberty Walk is making it a reality — almost. Liberty Walk took the wraps off of a heavily modified F40 lookalike, based on an Autozam AZ-1, at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon last Friday. The kit is officially titled the LB Works LB40 AZ-1 and buyers can pick one up for $36,960, a fraction of an F40’s $2M price tag.

Liberty Walk has been on the car scene since 1993 and is renowned for taking unassuming sports cars and turning them into something of their own. This often includes almost cartoonish designs shaped by extremes: the widest fenders, largest wings, and lowest suspension.

Enthusiasts of this Japanese tuner might notice this isn’t inspired by just any F40. Liberty Walk intended the “kei car” a Japanese micro car for city use akin to a downsized Honda Fit — to take after the same one the company chopped up and showcased at last year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. 

This bite-sized F40 started its life as an Autozam. These tiny sports cars were an unsuccessful Mazda derivative from the early 1990s, competing alongside the Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino. It’s no F40 on the track either. A Suzuki-derived turbocharged 3-cylinder making just 63 horsepower and pounds/feet of torque powers this lookalike Ferrari.

The kit includes a redesigned cowl, door panels, side-skirts, rear fenders and bumper, and a rear diffuser. Radical aerodynamics characterize the LB40 AZ-1 and mirror the tuner’s F40. Fender flares as wide as ever catch the eye most and are a Liberty Walk signature. NACA ducts throughout further emulate the Ferrari’s cutting-edge aerodynamics, as does a colossal rear wing. Iconic tri-exhaust, smiling front vents, and a large hood scoop pay further homage to the Ferrari.

Despite the similarities the LB40 AZ-1 is no carbon copy. The stock Autozam’s gullwing doors are untouched, and the rear window louvers on the LB Works F40 have been omitted. The same can be said about the side NACA ducts. For a tuner all about aerodynamics, embossed NACA ducts on the doors don’t follow the rest of the body kit’s functional design.

Details regarding the interior are scarce. However, initial photos highlight a Sparco racing wheel and carbon Sparco racing seats with a harness, which likely is overkill given the stock Autozam’s 87 mile-per-hour top speed. 

Autozam owners drawn to the bodywork alone will have to fork over $22,660, a price that only steepens if they want the forged wheels. The 16-inch front/17-inch rear set of six-spokes brings the total up $14,300, well over half of the bodywork’s cost, to a final cost of $36,960. Neither the headlights, taillights nor installation are included either. Liberty Walk and Ferrari F40 enthusiasts alike can view and order the body kit through the tuner’s website.