Mitsuoka is one of Japan’s most exciting and weirdest automakers that most people don’t know about. The company has been in business for decades but rose to prominence in the 1990s by specializing in completely rebodying existing vehicles to give them a retro appearance. For example, it offers a Jaguar-inspired Toyota Yaris and a Chevrolet Blazer-esque Toyota RAV4.
Now, Mitsuoka is teasing that its next creation is an open-roof sports car. At the moment, the product doesn’t have a name, and there’s only a line drawing showing the design. The company plans to release additional images in July, August, and September. The full debut is in November.
Taking A Closer Look At The New Mitsuoka
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The teaser sketch shows a sports car with a pointy nose, low hood, and steeply angled windshield. The lines suggest curved sculpting along the flanks, with the tail coming to a sharp point. The machine has an aggressive silhouette, mixing hard edges and rounded details. There appears to be room for only two seats.
Mitsuoka’s drawing has a similarity to the company’s currently discontinued Rock Star model. Announced in November 2018, the Rock Star used the fourth-generation (ND) Mazda MX-5 Miata as a starting point but featured a body evoking the second-generation Chevrolet Corvette from the 1960s. The initial model used the Japanese-market Miata’s 1.5-liter four-cylinder, and the company initially limited production to 200 units. Before retiring the Rock Star in 2022, Mitsuoka built a one-off in left-hand-drive configuration with the larger 2.0-liter engine.
In addition to their styling similarities, the vehicle in the teaser being a new Rock Star also makes sense because the Mitsuoka lineup currently lacks a sports car. The company previously built the Miata-based Himiko, with a design inspired by 1940s and ’50s British sports cars such as those from Morgan and Jaguar.
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To put Mitsuoka’s business into context, it is not a restomod maker. While it creates vehicles with styling that evokes classic models, the creations are not one-off builds. Mitsuoka assembles hundreds, even thousands, of units of its products. Typically, the chassis, powertrain, and significant portions of the interior come from an existing vehicle. For example, the Buddy is mostly a Toyota RAV4, except for the boxy exterior.
What Should You Expect From The New Mitsuoka
Mitsuoka RockstarMitsuoka
If Mitsuoka is teasing a new Rock Star or a successor to it, the vehicle should be fairly affordable. For example, the 50th Anniversary Special Model (above) of the Rock Star was 4.688 million yen ($29,320 at current exchange rates).
The proportions of the sketched vehicle look similar to the Miata, and Mitsuoka has a history of working with Mazda on the earlier Rock Star and Himiko. By sharing powertrains, the new Mitsuoka could offer 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Either a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual could send power to the rear wheels.
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CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Mitsuoka
Mitsuoka revels in the whimsical side of the automotive world. There’s just something fun about enjoying everything that makes the current Miata great but wrapping it in a body like a Corvette C2.
Looking really closely at the sketch, it appears that the new vehicle has round headlights, which might give the nose a flavor out of the 1960s and ’70s. The exact inspiration that Mitsuoka is pulling from isn’t entirely clear yet, though. Once we see the grille, the inspirations should be more obvious.
Unfortunately, Mitsuoka doesn’t sell its creations in the United States, so don’t expect to see the sporty roadster in this country.
Source: Mitsuoka via Facebook
