Japanese company turns Mazda MX-5 into vintage-styled roadster

A small Japanese company plans to build 10 examples of a Mazda MX-5 styled to look like a classic British sports car.

Japanese car builder Mitsuoka – which has for decades turned modern Japanese vehicles into classic-car look-a-likes – has unveiled the Himiko, a Mazda MX-5 made to look like a vintage Jaguar or Morgan roadster.

The production run is limited to only 10 examples, and will be available for the Japanese market only priced from 6,787,000 yen, or $AU72,000.

The Himiko is based on the latest ‘ND’ Mazda MX-5 – but aside from its underpinnings, cabin structure, doors and wheels, little from the donor vehicle appears to carry over.

MORE: Copycat – Toyota Yaris transformed into classic Jaguar look-a-like

This means the Mitsuoka Himiko shares the MX-5’s 97kW/152Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which runs through a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Compared to the MX-5 donor vehicle, the Himiko is stretched significantly to 4580mm in length (up from 3915mm), with a longer wheelbase to boot (2910mm, up from 2310mm).

This also means the Himiko is a heavier vehicle, tipping the scales at 1190kg. In Japan, the Mazda MX-5 (where it is called the Roadster) weighs between 990-1060kg, depending on specification.

Mitsuoka currently offers six different models for the Japanese market, all of which use existing vehicle platforms with various design inspirations.

The Buddy is based on a Toyota RAV4 but looks like a 1970s Chevrolet K5 Blazer, while the Viewt is a Toyota Yaris built to look like a 1963 Jaguar Mark II.

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