Photo: Mitsuoka
We've got great news if you're into cars that are both extremely rare and weird. Mitsuoka Motor Company, a Japanese company famous for its coachbuilt creations, will bring a car known simply as the "Roadster" to Britain.
The launch is scheduled for June 2015 and already the first example can be viewed at one of the dealerships of T W White & Sons.
What really strikes us about this car are the headlights, which look like they were taken from a previous generation MINI Cooper S (R56), right down to the placement of the washer jets. Meanwhile, the grille is a tall chrome piece with vertical bars, vaguely reminiscent of the Rolls-Royce.
Even if the car is a bit of a copycat, the design is beautiful and elegant. Leave it to the Japanese to revive the classic British sportscar silhouette!
Only the photo at the top of our article is from the UK-market press statement. We got all the others from the official Facebook page of the manufacturer. Apparently, over there it's called the Mitsuoka Himiko after a shaman queen of times long gone.
The underpinnings are from a Mazda MX-5 NC (the ongoing model). Everything is manufactured by 45 skilled craftsmen out of fiber-reinforced plastic and made to replicate the Jaguar XK120. The section between the A-pillar and the front axle has been extended to give it that long-nosed look, but the engine under the bonnet is still a 2-liter Mazda MZR with around 160 horsepower.
They've also adopted the Mazda folding roof mechanism, which opens and closes in 12 seconds. The Mitsuoka Roadster boasts four-wheel anti-lock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Traction Control System (TCS). So even though it looks like it's from the 40s, it's perfectly safe to drive.
Jen White, Mitsuoka Project Manager for T W White & Sons, said, "The UK represents one of the largest classic car markets in the World. The unique design of the Mitsuoka Roadster draws inspiration from the classic Roadster heritage and combines this traditional styling with the latest state of the art technology."
If you're sold on the design, you might want to consider that the Roadster comes with the low price of £53,800, or about $82,000. Surely, everybody will ignore the Porsche Cayman and BMW Z4 to get this.
What really strikes us about this car are the headlights, which look like they were taken from a previous generation MINI Cooper S (R56), right down to the placement of the washer jets. Meanwhile, the grille is a tall chrome piece with vertical bars, vaguely reminiscent of the Rolls-Royce.
Even if the car is a bit of a copycat, the design is beautiful and elegant. Leave it to the Japanese to revive the classic British sportscar silhouette!
Only the photo at the top of our article is from the UK-market press statement. We got all the others from the official Facebook page of the manufacturer. Apparently, over there it's called the Mitsuoka Himiko after a shaman queen of times long gone.
The underpinnings are from a Mazda MX-5 NC (the ongoing model). Everything is manufactured by 45 skilled craftsmen out of fiber-reinforced plastic and made to replicate the Jaguar XK120. The section between the A-pillar and the front axle has been extended to give it that long-nosed look, but the engine under the bonnet is still a 2-liter Mazda MZR with around 160 horsepower.
They've also adopted the Mazda folding roof mechanism, which opens and closes in 12 seconds. The Mitsuoka Roadster boasts four-wheel anti-lock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Traction Control System (TCS). So even though it looks like it's from the 40s, it's perfectly safe to drive.
Jen White, Mitsuoka Project Manager for T W White & Sons, said, "The UK represents one of the largest classic car markets in the World. The unique design of the Mitsuoka Roadster draws inspiration from the classic Roadster heritage and combines this traditional styling with the latest state of the art technology."
If you're sold on the design, you might want to consider that the Roadster comes with the low price of £53,800, or about $82,000. Surely, everybody will ignore the Porsche Cayman and BMW Z4 to get this.
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