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Origins
The Himiko of 2008 — named for Japan's legendary shaman queen — applied Mitsuoka's craft to Mazda's MX-5: the wheelbase stretched dramatically, a long louvred bonnet and freestanding-look lamps evoking pre-war roadsters and modern Morgans, while the donor's folding roof, reliability and sweet chassis survived beneath. The proportions were genuinely arresting; the driving experience remained an MX-5's, which was the recipe's quiet genius — romance without sacrifice. Sold in small numbers domestically and exported to enthusiasts who wanted singular elegance with Hiroshima dependability, it continued across MX-5 generations. The Himiko distilled Mitsuoka to essentials: Japan's most trustworthy mechanicals, dressed for a costume drama, driven daily without a second thought. Even Mazda's engineers were said to regard the conversion with approval — the rare rebody that honours its donor.
Mitsuoka Himiko · TTTNIS · CC0
