The Honda Civic, which looks like a Dodge Challenger and is called the Mitsuoka M55, is going into production. With muscle car looks but tamed powertrain, it will hit the market sometime in 2025.
It is not a Dodge Challenger. It looks like one, but it does not act like one and does not have the powertrain of one. Back in November, we couldn't believe our eyes. We stared at the Mitsuoka M55 concept car, looking every inch a Dodge Challenger, unable to get our minds around the fact that it was actually a Honda Civic.
Well, no, it did not look every inch a Challenger, because that rear does not resemble anything that would come with the reputation of American muscle.
The model came with redesigned headlights and taillights and a new radiator grille. There was retro-styled blue upholstery on board, and the Honda badge vanished from the steering wheel and wheel caps, being replaced with the Mitsuoka logo. Because if you're going to go fake, go all the way.
But that was three months ago. Fast forward to February 2024, and the company announces that the M55 would be going into production.
Photo: Mitsuoka
The car is the creation of Mitsuoka, a Japanese car company that works on production models and converts them into retro-looking vehicles. And why does it look like a Dodge if it is a Honda?
They explain that the Americanised Japanese identity also influenced the design of cars. In the 1970s, when the color TV, AC, and cars were the new three sacred treasures, they explain, the performance of automobiles improved, and the GTs showed up.
These past few months, Mitsuoka has been receiving a gazillion messages. More than 1,300 people wanted to buy the fake muscle car. “This was the first time for us to receive such passionate messages directly from so many people of all ages and both sexes,” the representatives of the firm revealed.
The concept car built around the Civic is powered by a 1.5-liter engine linked to a six-speed manual gearbox. The production version will most likely retain the original powertrain.
The skyrocketing popularity convinced them to send the M55 concept car into production. However, they admit that they won't be able to build so many cars. Each of them will be made by hand and will take a lot of time to put together. The price is still undisclosed for the moment.
Mitsuoka's portfolio also includes a vintage-styled Mazda MX-5 Miata and several other builds that make it impossible for anyone to guess what lies beneath. And just to get an idea of how much the conversion changes the price of the car, the one-off Miata was for sale for $86,000. A brand-new Mazda MX-5 starts at $28,985.
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