Rate It: Not a Corvette, but the Miata-Based Mitsuoka Rock Star

Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:

RichardSIA said:

LHD version available? Importable to US?

Kit version? Price less than the 'Vette it resembles?

Not really a copy and certain the tooling cost them a bundle since it includes new bumpers and trim.

With GM announcing they are going full retard, er um, Electric, this may become the only option for a real "Corvette" soon. 

Buddy, don't use that word.  Period.  You can have your opinion, but that word shouldn't be used.

We can all point and laugh at the rest of your backwards opinion(s) around cars, but honestly when was the last time you bought a new car?

While I don't condone making fun of people due to disabilities, I REALLY WISH EVERYONE would realize the proper term for retard. Hell, we use it in the automotive industry for crying out loud! 
Ex: "That was a retarded way to do that." Acceptable. It may have been a backwards (or less than ideal) way of accomplishing something. 

more better ex: "don't retard my progress."

bad ex: "did you see that retarded guy?"- go read an encyclopedia.

Vajingo said:

Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:

RichardSIA said:

LHD version available? Importable to US?

Kit version? Price less than the 'Vette it resembles?

Not really a copy and certain the tooling cost them a bundle since it includes new bumpers and trim.

With GM announcing they are going full retard, er um, Electric, this may become the only option for a real "Corvette" soon. 

Buddy, don't use that word.  Period.  You can have your opinion, but that word shouldn't be used.

We can all point and laugh at the rest of your backwards opinion(s) around cars, but honestly when was the last time you bought a new car?

While I don't condone making fun of people due to disabilities, I REALLY WISH EVERYONE would realize the proper term for retard. Hell, we use it in the automotive industry for crying out loud! 
Ex: "That was a retarded way to do that." Acceptable. It may have been a backwards (or less than ideal) way of accomplishing something. 

more better ex: "don't retard my progress."

bad ex: "did you see that retarded guy?"- go read an encyclopedia.

Except in this case that wasn't the use he was going for.

Certainly if you're talking something like a distributor or similar, sure.  There are uses of that word.  There are other ways to describe the same thing, but it is understandable in the context of the situation.

The context is the important aspect, especially with his documented apparent hatred of anything past 1955 in terms of the advancement of society or technology (unless it serves his purposes, like the internet or this forum).  So screw him and his backward-ass comments and thinking.

The word is not to be used lightly.  Period.  The fact that you're quasi-defending it?  Seriously?  GTFO.

Just looking at that, without comparing it to anything else, I like that just as it sits. Any additional info on it?

The M1stang is about as ridiculous looking as anything I've ever seen, and the fake cobra ain't much better.

The baby vette looks decent - at about half that price, it be a fun novelty. The square body on a rounded body rav4 is as silly as it is ugly; That morgan aint bad.

In reply to Vajingo :

Since both those "people"  (and I use the term loosely) are being azzhats, when they should not have been posting at all, just ignore them.

I'm confused by the RX7 replicas.  Seems like a better platform for that would be an.....  RX7.  Especially since the Miata and the last 2 RX7's shared so much with the NA.

It would be interesting to see one in person- live matters- as I'm probably one of a handful of Miata owners who don't really like the ND looks that much.  So seeing a kit in person would really matter.  The "TVR" is cool- especially when the original had some peculuar design ideas on it.

03Panther said:

Just looking at that, without comparing it to anything else, I like that just as it sits. Any additional info on it?

The M1stang is about as ridiculous looking as anything I've ever seen, and the fake cobra ain't much better.

The baby vette looks decent - at about half that price, it be a fun novelty. The square body on a rounded body rav4 is as silly as it is ugly; That morgan aint bad.

Blackwell SPR1. 

Here, I'll just call a timeout. 

And we're back.

Thank you. 

03Panther said:

Just looking at that, without comparing it to anything else, I like that just as it sits. Any additional info on it?

The M1stang is about as ridiculous looking as anything I've ever seen, and the fake cobra ain't much better.

The baby vette looks decent - at about half that price, it be a fun novelty. The square body on a rounded body rav4 is as silly as it is ugly; That morgan aint bad.

I would get the fun out with that.

Colin Wood said:

Mmmm the goodness this would be with a swap from Keith

Keith Tanner said:

philacarguy said:

starting price $41,700 equiv, and sold out of all 50 made.  Yeesh.  The real deal is not too far from this cost, especially after you throw in a few options.

You don't buy one of these as a cheap way to get something that looks like a Corvette.

It may actually be that way. I have no idea how hard it is to register a vintage car in Japan and get it inspected and registered. I follow a couple 550 spyder guys in Osaka and if Instagram translate is anything to go by they have all sorts of trouble with inspections and road tax.  

Keith Tanner said:
And you can't use a fake TVR to troll American gearheads, but I kinda want one.

Now, something I have never said before, I want a Miata....

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but this thing reminds me of when Elf puts syrup on spaghetti.  Love syrup, love spaghetti, but the two together, not so much.  Considering you have a $25K Miata and apparently a $41K kit, that gives you $66K just in basic raw materials PLUS whatever it costs to integrate the two, paint and finish, add a semi-period correct interior, etc., etc., etc.   Seems to me you're at least bumping up against real Vette money, maybe even real Vette with performance oriented resto-modding already done.  

So that's a no for me.

My understanding is there are a few things going against a 'real Vette' in this situation: it would be a brutal process to get a 58 year old restomod legally imported & licensed in Japan, and city streets there are typically 2 feet narrower than the US. Using a recent vintage Miata starts to make a lot of sense for them.

Gonna have to be a no for me. Despite what looks like a lot of work put into the kit the styling looks tacked on to me. 

In reply to mblommel :

The proportions on the mini-vette don't look out of whack but that RX-7 thing is all the way wrong.

15f80 said:

My understanding is there are a few things going against a 'real Vette' in this situation: it would be a brutal process to get a 58 year old restomod legally imported & licensed in Japan, and city streets there are typically 2 feet narrower than the US. Using a recent vintage Miata starts to make a lot of sense for them.

Look at my pic on the previous page - old Vettes are a lot smaller than new Vettes :)

Be happier if they had gone for the Lotus Elan look rather than the Vette.

Miata was birthed in the dogma of minimalism and function while the Vette is the opposite, where form rules over the minimum of function.

• A number of those Miatae remind me of W2W racers from organizations such as the SCCA that has a pedantic desire to appease manufacturers. I’m thinking Super Saloons in Britain or various and sundry specials in the ICSCC.

I like the Fiat body style  a tad better than the current Miata, but hasn't the Corvette lookalike already been done - by GM?

As my Opel-loving ex-boss likes to point out - that predates the Stingray. So really, the Corvette is a GT lookalike.

I posted these pictures to the local Miata club Facebook page, expecting a significant pushback, but it was just the opposite. Lot's of "Looks good, but I'm not spending that much money" type of comments.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

I posted these pictures to the local Miata club Facebook page, expecting a significant pushback, but it was just the opposite. Lot's of "Looks good, but I'm not spending that much money" type of comments.

Miata forums= old dudes. 

Keith Tanner said:

As my Opel-loving ex-boss likes to point out - that predates the Stingray. So really, the Corvette is a GT lookalike.

And, IIRC, the Datsun Fairlady came before the MGB.