JAPAN’S WEIRDEST AUTOMAKER IS TURNING THE MIATA INTO A C1 CORVETTE
Mitsuoka Is Doing the Corvette Thing Again
When you think of Japanese car brands, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Nissan are probably the first names that pop up. But then there's Mitsuoka, the quirky little automaker famous for transforming everyday Japanese cars into some of the wildest creations on the road.
Now, Mitsuoka is cooking up another open-top sports car built on the bones of the Mazda MX-5 Miata. This one follows in the tire tracks of the Rock Star, Mitsuoka's Miata-based roadster that paid tribute to the second-generation Chevrolet Corvette, the C2.
This time around, Mitsuoka seems to be digging even deeper into Corvette history. The early teasers hint at a Corvette C1-inspired design, and we'll get to see the whole thing unveiled in November.
The New Mitsuoka Is Still Hiding Under a Sheet
Mitsuoka has been playing the slow reveal game, dropping little glimpses instead of just showing us the whole car. The latest teaser finally gives us a better peek at the real thing, though most of it is still hiding under wraps.
The first teaser sketch already dropped some big hints: a stretched-out front end, a cabin shoved way back, and fenders that stick out just enough to nail those classic front-engine roadster proportions.
The second teaser flashes a bright red body with white accents up front, and the car hugs the ground with big wheels that really sell the sporty look. We also get a peek at the windshield and front section, but Mitsuoka is clearly having fun keeping the rest a mystery.
Mitsuoka Is an Actual Automaker, Not Just a Novelty One
It's tempting to see something like the Rock Star and write Mitsuoka off as just another Japanese novelty brand cranking out wild body kits. But there's a lot more going on here.
Mitsuoka has actually been building its own cars since the early 1980s, with a lineup that now includes the Rock Star, Himiko, Buddy, Viewt, and Ryugi. The company's roots in original car development go all the way back to the tiny 50cc BUBU Shuttle from 1982.
The company has also built a reputation around reimagining ordinary Japanese cars with unusual retro styling. The Himiko, for example, is a two-seat convertible with an exaggerated long-nose, short-deck design – also based on the Mazda Miata.
If these teasers are anything to go by, Mitsuoka's next Miata-based project might just be their most Corvette-obsessed build yet. We'll have to wait until November to see how wild they really go with it.
