Anyone who knows anything about Mitsuoka knows that the company has made some very controversial cars in the past. Other makers are limited in what they can do. For example, the Honda NSX-based Orochi and the Buddy, a Toyota RAV4 that was restyled to look like a K5 Chevy Blazer, are both examples of Mitsuoka’s freedom. So, I’m sure the company doesn’t care what you or I think of its newest product, the M55 Concept, which is just a Civic hatchback that has been changed to look like a pocket-sized Japanese sports car from the 1970s or an American sports car from the 1970s. The name of the M55 does everything it needs to do. Mitsuoka has been around since 1968, which makes it 55 years old. According to the company’s literature about the M55, it was a time of major societal change marked by the introduction of color TV, air conditioning, and, most importantly, reasonably priced GT cars. This era is what the M55 is meant to honor. No matter what you think about how it was done, it’s clear where the idea came from. The 11th-generation Civic hatchback isn’t a hatchback, but Mitsuoka made the best choice for this entry-level car. Back-up cars like the first-generation Toyota Celica, the “Kenmeri” Nissan Skyline GT-R, and the 240Z were all the fastest cars made in Japan at the time. Lastly, the shape looks like a Civic with a Dodge Challenger’s front end and a back window with louvers. The M55 doesn’t have side mirrors on the fenders, but it’s easy to tell how it left the factory because it has a known greenhouse. I only understood some of the idea, but Mitsuoka was supposed to turn a modern compact into a racing car from the 1970s, so any improvement would have been amazing. As long as we’re talking about crazy-expensive Civics with weird looks, this is still better than a new Integra. I don’t know if Mitsuoka was okay with making these hardware changes. That’s different from how the company does things; the Buddy was basically the same as a regular RAV4 underneath its old-fashioned body. The only other difference between the car and the M55 that can be seen is that the M55 has better seats. Blue leather and grommets look great together. It doesn’t matter if most of what you see inside looks like an 11th-generation Civic; your butt will be able to tell the difference. When asked if Mitsuoka plans to make the M55, the company has been very clear about what it wants to do. A Japanese magazine called Car Watch says the answer is clearly “no.” Japanese people were given a Toyota Yaris that looked like a Jaguar Mark 2 or a Mazda Miata that looked like a C3 Corvette with a special left-hand drive upgrade. Those people must have thought the M55 was too strange to sell. Yes, Mitsuoka does have standards, even if they need to be clarified for us.
