UPDATE: 2026/08/08 10:30 EST BY SEAN MCMANUS
The Miata Is A Perfect Platform For Body Kits
We added a section to talk about more body kits you can buy for your Miata.
Mitsuoka is a small Japanese automaker that specializes in injecting some much-needed style into the modern car industry. It generally uses existing vehicles as a starting point. For example, the Mitsuoka Viewt adds a Jaguar MK2-inspired nose to a Toyota Yaris, and the Buddy blends the appearance of a Chevrolet K5 Blazer onto a RAV4.
The company is now teasing its new vehicle that has some very distinct styling cues from the earliest days of America’s premier sports car. But there’s a major Japanese plot twist in this modern-retro makeover.
The Latest Mitsuoka Sports Car
Mitsuoka Third Teaser For Sports CarMitsuoka
This is the third teaser image released for the new Mitsuoka, and it’s our best look at the car yet. The rear three-quarter view reveals a two-tone color scheme, with a white section behind the front wheels that evokes the similar area on the C1 Corvette’s coves. The side sills are also white.
The rear deck is flat with a subtle, raised crease running down the center. The taillights mix cues from various years of the original Corvette. The raised, single lamp is similar to the layout on the 1953-1955 ‘Vette, but the metallic surrounds that follow the body lines are akin to the lights on the 1956-1960 examples.
Many model years of the first-gen Corvette have exhaust pipes that integrate into the rear bumper. It looks like Mitsuoka is planning something similar for its new car. The vehicle in the teaser has a pair of vertical outlets near the center, which could function as the surrounds for the pipes.
Mitsuoka hasn’t released any photos of the new car’s front end, but a teaser sketch suggests it has round headlights. The car would also have a pointy nose, and the drawing indicates there’s a prominent grille.
Mitsuoka won’t fully unveil the new model until November, and another teaser will arrive in September. So far, the company isn’t even giving it a name. However, the overall aesthetic fits with the brand’s earlier Rockstar model. It used the Miata as a starting point but gave the machine a body paying homage to the second-generation ‘Vette.
Could This ‘Corvette’ Really Be A Mazda Miata?
Mitsuoka TeaserMitsuoka
While Mitsuoka hasn’t said anything official, we are fairly confident the company is using the Mazda MX-5 Miata as a donor vehicle. The rollover hoops and door shut line seem to be the same as the MX-5, to our eyes. As further evidence, the automaker doesn’t build whole vehicles from scratch, and there are only a handful of convertibles to use as a starting point.
The powertrain likely carries over directly from the Miata. In Japan, the Mazda is available with a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 134 hp, in addition to the more familiar 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 181 hp. Buyers can choose between a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic.
Judging by other Mitsuoka products, the interior would likely largely carry over from the donor vehicle, too. The company might add some revised trim and upholstery, but the dashboard would probably come from the Miata.
The Miata Is A Perfect Platform For Body Kits
Liberty Walk Mazda MX-5 front 3/4 angle in white while parkedLiberty Walk
Since the MX-5 is so affordable on the used market (and even the new models aren’t too expensive when compared to other sports cars today), it’s always made for a great platform for modifications. Whether that be as extreme as installing a turbo kit, or new suspension for drifting, racing, lifting it for off-road use, or as simple as wrapping the body, the Miata has obliged. That said, owners are capable of changing its look entirely with any number of custom body kits.
Pictured above is a current-gen MX-5 with a Liberty Walk body kit. The brand is known for its aggressive widebody kits for a low-stance look, and offers kits for everything from the Nissan GT-R to Lamborghinis. The complete fiberglass kit will cost you $4,675. Miatas have even been turned into off-road-capable two-seaters in the form of a Ferrari 250 GTO, which we reported on a few years ago. That’s not the first 250 GTO Miata kit, and it probably won’t be the last.
CarBuzz Insights — Why This Matters:
Mitsuoka keeps the whimsy in the automotive world. Potentially using a Miata as a donor vehicle would allow the company to create a fairly affordable sports car that looks like nothing else on the road. Even the newest examples of the original C1 Corvette are over 60 years old, and they’re highly collectible.
The Mitsuoka would let customers enjoy this look without worrying about devaluing their investment. Unfortunately, like other Mitsuoka products, there is practically no chance for this vehicle to come to the United States because Mitsuoka focuses firmly on the Japanese market.
Source: Mitsuoka via X
