Extravagant Japanese coachbuilder Mitsuoka has just teased a mysterious retro-looking roadster, underpinned by the Mazda MX-5 architecture. The sketch reveals a heavily sculpted vintage-inspired body with circular headlights, a typical design for the brand.
The roadster also sports an elongated hood, following the typical lines promoted by Mitsuoka, which has been transforming the Miata into bespoke British and American-styled sports cars. Their portfolio includes the Itsuoka Himiko and the Mitsuoka Rock Star.
The Himiko, officially unveiled in December 2008, is a stretched, elegant roadster, heavily inspired by the 1960s British sports cars like the Jaguar XK120 and the Morgan Roadster, while it is an MX-5 ND underneath. It comes with bespoke fiberglass bodywork and an extended wheelbase, which are a big departure from the Miata's very compact proportions.
The MX-5's 1.5-liter four-cylinder powers the model, paired to either a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission, bringing the fun factor of the original car along.
In the meantime, also hiding a Miata heart under the hood, the Rock Star, which made its debut back in November 2018, is a C2 Corvette-inspired conversion, which brings the Japanese sports car some American muscle. In fact, only the doors, windshield, and fabric roof are carried over from the original Mazda, along with the internals.
This time, Mitsuoka is preparing to debut a new Miata-based sports car in November, but isn’t too generous when it comes to revealing details, so nobody outside the company knows what to expect except for the underpinnings.
Mitsuoka's only in-house developed car is the Orochi. Labeled as a supercar by its maker, the dramatic-looking model is engineered for comfortable cruising rather than high-speed track performance. It is powered by a 3.3-liter Toyota V6 engine, which produces 231 horsepower, which doesn’t exactly make it a supercar.
So we should by no means expect a supercar this time, either, because the most powerful Mazda MX-5 ND is powered by the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder, producing 181 horsepower (184 metric horsepower).
The sketch uploaded to social media bears the signature of automotive designer Takanori Aoki, the same who designed the Himiko and the Rock Star. Just like its predecessors, the upcoming model will most likely be a limited-run car, available on the local market. Mitsuoka will release more information over the summer and the fall.
No, Mitsuoka does not have official dealerships or sell brand-new cars in the United States. However, those who want one can still acquire it through direct imports or by purchasing from U.S. specialty dealers once the cars are legally eligible for the road.
