Mitsuoka's new Corvette C1-styled roadster likely hides a Mazda MX-5 underneath
Japanese automaker Mitsuoka has released a second teaser of its upcoming roadster, set for a full reveal in November 2026. The car's proportions and detailing clearly evoke the post-1958 Chevrolet Corvette C1, complete with quad headlights. The two-seater is widely expected to be based on the Mazda MX-5 platform underneath its retro bodywork.
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Mitsuoka’s next roadster will reveal in full this November.
A second teaser now points clearly toward C1 Corvette styling.
Two-seater likely hides a Mazda MX-5 underneath its bodywork.
Update: Mitsuoka Motors has dropped a second teaser ahead of the car’s full reveal in November 2026, and this one shows the front quarter. Its proportions and detailing appear to confirm what the first teaser’s open-top silhouette only hinted at, that the styling will ape the C1 Corvette, specifically the post-1958 version with its quad headlights. More teasers are due in August and September before the debut.
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Mitsuoka does things its own way, which is to say it builds cars that look like nothing else on the road and answers to no design logic but its own. The eccentric Japanese coachbuilder has confirmed its next creation with a single teaser sketch. It looks to be a two-seat roadster wearing heavy retro styling, and it arrives in November.
The boutique outfit kept the specifics to itself. That tracks. Nearly everything Mitsuoka builds is a rebodied version of an existing production car, the lone exception being the in-house Orochi supercar .
Mitsuoka
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Judging by its proportions, the yet-unnamed roadster could be built on Mazda MX-5 underpinnings. That would be nothing new. The Mitsuoka Rock Star pulled the same trick in 2018 , dressing up an MX-5 ND as a C2 Corvette, while the Himiko rode on stretched MX-5 NC or ND bones.
The sketch carries the signature of Takanori Aoki, the designer behind both the Himiko and the Rock Star. The body looks bespoke, with round headlights, a large grille, side gills that faintly echo the C1 Corvette, and sculpted rear fenders falling away to a dropping tail. There are hints, too, of a sharp splitter, sporty side skirts, and a matching diffuser.
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If the roadster is indeed based on the MX-5 ND, it will likely come fitted with the naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine which is good for 181 hp (135 kW / 184 PS). Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox.
Mitsuoka Rock Star
Mitsuoka has promised to say more about the “fun and exciting origin of Mitsuoka’s identity” over the coming months, doled out across its social channels and a dedicated website.
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More precisely, further teasers are due in July, August, and September, building toward the official reveal in November. If past Mitsuoka models are any guide, this one will be a limited-run offering for the Japanese market.
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Mitsuoka Himiko
Do retro-styled roadsters based on the Mazda MX-5 have a place in today's market?
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