MX-5-based Mitsuoka Roadster revealed

Legendary Japanese car-maker and coachbuilder, Mitsuoka, has launched a Mazda MX-5 based sports car it hopes will make a sales impression in Europe.

Unashamedly retro, taking inspiration from Jaguar, Morgan and many other 1960’s British sports cars, Mitsuoka’s new car is called the Roadster and is said to blend timeless styling with ‘advanced levels of modern technology.’

Underneath the new curvaceous body a previous Mazda MX-5 (NC) lurks. That means the Roadster comes powered with the little Mazda’s 122kW/190Nm 2.0-litre and sprints from 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds.

The Roadster is available with either the MX-5’s standard six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

Inside, there’s what Mitsuoka calls ‘luxury leather seats’, but it’s not known how the limited-run sports car differs from the regular MX-5.

Said to be the work of a small team of skilled craftsman in Japan, the roadster is almost entirely hand built, Mitsuoka says – which might explain the Roadster's pricing.

Only available with the MX-5’s Power Retractable Hard Top, in the UK it will set you back more than $100,000 – well over three times the base price of the all-new, fourth generation MX-5.