Manufacturer Mitsuoka Assembly Toyama City, Toyama Body style 2 door convertible | Production 2010-present Designer Takanori Aoki Layout FR | |
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The Mitsuoka Himiko is a Japanese sports car designed and built by Mitsuoka. It is named after Himiko, an obscure shaman queen of Yamataikoku in ancient Wa. In the UK it is known as the Mitsuoka Roadster.
Based on the Mazda MX-5 NC, Mitsuoka replaces most of the body panels, fits Fibre-reinforced plastic panneling, leather seats and extends the wheelbase front of the A-pillar to generate the long bonnet line reminiscent of English roadsters such as the Jaguar XK120 and particularly the Morgan Aero 8. Designed by Takanori Aoki, the exterior theme of the Himiko is said to mimic a 'ship riding the high seas cruising majestically as one with the waves'. Transmission and roof options are similar to the MX-5 with the option of either a 6 speed automatic transmission with manual shifting or a 6 speed manual transmission. Each Mitsuoka vehicle is handmade by just 45 skilled craftsmen at the Japanese Mitsuoka factory in Toyama City, Japan.