The world of car design has come a long way, and while the rush to be futuristic has resulted in some divisive efforts today, there was a time when looking to rivals – or to the past – proved rather more fruitful. And that’s exactly what some Japanese manufacturers did when creating some of their most memorable models.
Some would go on to be huge successes, while others would be seen as odd. However, none of the cars we’ve gathered together here could be accused of being boring, and all of them have touches of European inspiration. Were any of them better cars than the ones that influenced them? We’ll let you decide…
MAZDA MX-5
Mazda was rather sensitive over accusations it had robbed from the past to create its MX-5, but it’s something of an open secret that Mazda looked to the original 1960s Lotus Elan for inspiration and styling cues. But that wasn’t all, for during development, Mazda compared it to cars as diverse as the Triumph Spitfire and Fiat X1/9, too – there’s photographic evidence of both.
The Japanese car was far more sophisticated than any of them, though, and it wouldn’t take long to become the world’s best-selling two-seater convertible. It’s easy to see why because the basic recipe was nothing short of brilliant, and being fun to drive was of paramount importance. Launched at the 1989 Chicago Motor Show, the cracking roadster now is celebrating its 35th birthday, and the passing of those years has done nothing to dim its appeal.
Light in weight, innovative in construction and with just the right amount of power to entertain, you’ll only need to cover a handful of miles to emerge with a huge grin on your face. The first cars were powered by a
