Japanese coachbuilder Mitsuoka is at it again

Do you remember the movie Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift where they put in a Skyline GT-R engine on a Ford Mustang fastback? Well, a coachbuilder in Japan has done something quite similar; though this time it's pure Japanese steel mixed with American muscle aesthetics.

 

 

Mitsuoka turns Civic into a Dodge Challenger look-alike image

This is the Mitsuoka M55 Concept, which is essentially an 11th-generation Honda Civic remodeled into a Dodge Challenger look-alike just because... well, they can.

In the past few years, Mitsuoka has done some fun creations by infusing retro styling into modern cars. There was one time they made the RAV4 look like a K5 Chevy Blazer, and they even had the MX-5 turned into a scaled-down Corvette Stingray.

Mitsuoka turns Civic into a Dodge Challenger look-alike image

On the outside, the M55 Concept has the 70s Challenger's front fascia and the louvers on the Civic's fastback rear. Speaking of the back, the M55 Concept has retro Japanese coupe vibes similar to that of the “Kenmeri” Skyline C110 and the Celica fastback from 1977.

Mitsuoka turns Civic into a Dodge Challenger look-alike image

Inside, you'll still find the familiar Honda Civic dashboard that's shared with the CR-V, but the seats themselves have been reupholstered to have that old-school look.

Mitsuoka turns Civic into a Dodge Challenger look-alike image

Of course, with old-school aesthetics comes an old-school transmission. Mitsuoka chose a 6-speed manual transmission variant Civic as its base for the M55 Concept, and the 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo unit has also been carried over.

Mitsuoka turns Civic into a Dodge Challenger look-alike image

Mitsuoka says the M55 remains a concept as of now, and they will be putting it on display in Japan. However, nothing is really stopping them from putting it into production, and they are probably doing the public display to gauge interest.