Jalopnik: mitsuoka orochi

Mitsuoka Himiko: The Classiest Mazda Ever

Matt Hardigree — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST

The Mazda MX-5-based Mitsuoka Himiko is surprisingly gorgeous (for a company that makes the Orochi, the ugliest car we've ever seen and the Viewt, the weirdest) but also unsurprisingly familiar.

We say unsurprisingly familiar because the Morgan-inspired follows the company's trend towards auto-anglophilia, as seen on the Mitsuoka Galue. And underneath the very becoming skin?

With the exception of the stretched wheelbase and some added wood on the interior, this is a fairly stock NC MX-5 Miata equipped with the same 2.0-liter fourbanger good for either 160 or 168 horsepower mated either to a six-speed manual or automanual, respectively. So for just over $50,000 you can get most of the famous handling and performance of the MX-5 with most of the classic British look of a Morgan — assuming you live in Japan.

[Mitsuoka via Autofiends]

Top Gear Drives Mitsuoka Orochi, Proves It's Still The Ugliest Car In Existence

Ray Wert — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:01:57 EDT

If you haven't seen this week's blisteringly fast episode of Top Gear already and you plan on doing so without having plot details spoiled, you should probably ignore this post in its entirety. The rest of you should hit the jump.

On top of this week's star in a reasonably priced car snagging himself a whopper of a run around the track (click here to see where Jay Kay ended up on the board), The Stig whipping the Gumpert Apollo around the same track for a similarly monster run (click here to see where the Gumpert Apollo ended up on the board) and some hot Brit-on-German action with Sabine Schmitz and Tim Schrick, our main man James May had a chance to drive what we now believe to be the ugliest car in all the world. Yes, yes, we know the Mitsuoka Orochi snagged second place rather than the top spot on our list of the top ten ugliest foreign cars currently for sale, but after seeing it on the road in the above segment we think we may need to change our minds.

We fear the Orochi is what happens when you let a sushi chef design a car using his favorite fish as inspiration. The result, as you can see above, is positively revolting. But the ugly isn't just skin deep. It's slow; powered by a six from Toyota with an anemic 230 HP. The ride's apparently soft and rubbish. Predictably, May absolutely loved it. Hold on a moment while we run off to vomit. If you're able to stand it, there's a gallery below. Don't say we didn't warn you.

The Ten Ugliest Cars Sold Outside The United States

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

We've already shown you our list of the ten ugliest cars currently sold in the United States. Although epic, it meant exclusion of some fantastically ugly cars sold only on the international marketplace. Until now. After scouring the globe from Australia to Russia, these are the ten top cars that make us want to run from the computer and hurl ourselves out the nearest open window. Vote for your favorite foreign fugly-mobile in the poll at the bottom or chime in via the comments if you think we've missed one.

10. Reva Electric Car (India)

Though we're supportive of the electric car idea, especially in India, it's hard to get excited about the Indian-built Reva Electric CitiCar from an aesthetic angle. The car voted "Worst Car Of The Year" by Top Gear is, also, one of the least appealing vehicles out on the road. It's like an unattractive car, cut in half, and then painted in a variety of unappealing ways.

9. Covini C6W (Italy)

The Covini C6W is advertised as the only six-wheeled supercar in the world and, after looking at it, you can probably understand why. Despite having the look of a modern Italian exotic from a few angles, take a step back and the abundance of wheels makes it look like something out of a photoshop contest.

8. Lada 111 Touring (Russia)

The wagon version of the Lada 1110, the Lada 111 Touring takes the otherwise boring Russian sedan to unattractive heights. The Lada brand was created because the old name, Zhiguli, sounded like "gigolo," which turned off foreign buyers. The car was originally designed in 1996, but since it's Russia they'll probably make it for another 30 years. Modern style, like modern democracy, hasn't fully blossomed in the former Soviet Union.

7. Renault Trafic Crew Van (French)

As much as we love quirky French cars, we've had a hard time getting on board with the Renault Trafic Van, especially in "Crew" trim, which adds an extra window. The bulging cockpit, asymmetrical hood feature, flared fenders and little mustache all combine to make one fugly van.

6. Geely Beauty Leopard (China)

The Geely Beauty Leopard, other than proving that you can't just name a car beauty and expect it to be beautiful, is famous for being the first production vehicle with an in-car karaoke machine. We were sort of fans of the previous Beauty Leopard, so we were sad to see it take such a bloated, cladded and altogether funky-in-a-bad-way look. [Photos: ChinaCarTimes]

5. Bolwell Nagari (Australia)

In case you didn't know there was an old Bolwell sports car, the Australian automaker did the exciting Australian auto show circuit with their brand new Nagari two-seater this year. Powered by a Toyota V6, the car is clearly set to put performance ahead of style. Though it has the classic sports car look from the front, a peak around the side reveals misshapen, almost reptilian, vents and proportions only a Fierrari owner could love.

4. SEAT Altea Freetrack (Spain)

No longer an ugly concept car, the SEAT Altea Freetrack is finally a horrible reality! Built by VW's Spanish subsidiary and designed by someone who cleans their glasses with oil rags, the Altea Freetrack is essentially a crossover: combining the utility of a car with the look of an object created as a warning to humanity.

3. Ssangyong Rodius (Korea)

Once referred to as the R-Class with Down's Syndrome, the Korean-made Ssangyong Rodius is an exercise in just how strong a force thrift can be in allowing someone to rationalize a purchase. With it's dopey eyes and two-tiered rear, the Rodius is the trick this designer played on the world. Voted Britain's ugliest car, we had to work hard to find something more grotesque than this huge monstrosity.

2. Mitsuoka Orochi (Japan)

The Mitsuoaka Orochi is named for a Japanese mythical dragon that, apparently, destroyed others by looking at them. Part supercar, part dragon, part collection of random creases, the Orochi is phenomenally unattractive. Though relatively unique (they're going to make 400 of them), the Orochi is what happens when you take the classic design of a mid-engined supercar and combine it with a nightmare. The Orochi will haunt your dreams.

1. Weber Sportscar Faster One (Switzerland)

What can you say about the Weber Faster One that hasn't already been explained to a court-appointed psychiatrist at the war crimes trail for the designers behind the Swiss monstrosity? Though fast, wicked fast, the Faster One looks like an angry Frenchman whose head has been bashed in and has taken revenge on the world that has made him an outcast. Hide the children when this car is around.

Tokyo Motor Show: The Mitsuoka Orochi Is Still The Ugliest "Super Car" Ever

Ray Wert — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 09:15:00 EST

As we get ready for next week's LA Auto Show, we're working on cleaning our SEMA and Tokyo Motor Show pictures off our camera. The first ones from Tokyo we need to get rid of — for fear we'll break our shiny black DSLR due to accidentally dropping it while retching — are our newest shots of the Orochi, a mid-engined "super car" from the folks at Mitsuoka. While it's certainly exotic-looking (and by exotic, we mean "fugly") Mitsuoka's contention of "super car" status is probably more wishful thinking than reality, as the Orochi's powered by a 3MZ-FE V6 mated to a five-speed auto tranny. If it sounds familiar, it should — it's the same six-cylinder found in Toyota's 5th gen Camry, Solara and Highlander. The Orochi weighs just under 3,500 lbs, so that not-so-huge powerplant gives Mitsuoka's "new hotness" a mere 230 HP — about 10 horses less than a 2000 Dodge Intrepid R/T. It's hard to call something a "super car" when it's got less horses under the hood than an LH-platformed Mopar. Still, if you drive one of these limited-edition $91,000 cars, you'll certainly be noticed. Of course, you'll probably be laughed at too.

[Mitsuoka Orochi]