TAKUMI YAMAMOTO

Car Designer

Takumi Yamamoto had one burning question growing up in Tokyo: How do I become a car designer? His desire to design cars began with his first encounter with a Supercar—a Lamborghini Jota. The sleek curves and waist-high roof sparked a fire in young Takumi Yamamoto. That was the moment that defined his life’s mission.

“My goal has always been to design cars that deliver the exhilarating experience I felt when I saw that Jota.”

After studying Automotive Design and working in his hometown, Yamamoto relocated to Coventry, England to achieve a master’s in the same discipline. His inherent creativity and imagination flowed into the curves and corners of his school designs with such elegance that he was offered a job three days after graduating. He was off to France.

“Great pioneers in design have made the world more beautiful with their creations. I hope to continue that tradition.”

Yamamoto moved to Poissy, France, and spent seven years designing for PSA Peugeot in their state-of-the-art Advanced Design Studio. His car designs blended the real world with the digital, and this led to his move to Citroen.

Yamamoto designed the legendary GT by Citroen, a super-sleek, futuristic concept car developed for Gran Turismo 5. So magnificent and impressive was this virtual racing car, it was subsequently designed and manufactured. This led to an unprecedented collaboration between car manufacturer and video game producer. Blazing a new frontier, Yamamoto brought his digital car to the road. Even in reality, the car looks unreal, drawing stares and photos.

“I am happy when my designs make people happy.”

Today, working in his own studio in Paris that bears his name, Yamamoto continues to push the envelope of design. As well as one-off hypercars that wow, Yamamoto is producing exemplary furniture and robots leading us into the future.