Mitsuoka Galue Convertible: Mustang Madness from those Purveyors of the Peculiar at Mitsuoka

The New Mitsuoka Galue Convertible



Mitsuoka, without doubt the most enigmatic of all Japanese carmakers, never fails to raise both eyebrows and smiles on the infrequent occasions it launches new models. Indeed, displaying its customary eccentricity in choosing to launch its latest visually challenging model on Friday the 13th (of April), Mitsuoka looks set to once again make waves with its new, dare we say it, handsome addition to the curious Galue range - the Galue Convertible.


The Mitsuoka Viewt (2nd Generation)

Mitsuoka, although outlandish in its approach to vehicle design, has, until now, more or less stuck to a tried and tested formula when concocting its singular automotive creations, traditionally taking a standard vehicle from any number of Japanese manufacturers, before then endowing these aforementioned vehicles with numerous styling cues lifted directly from various British automobiles of the 1960s. To witness evidence of this approach to automotive design, one need only look as far as Mitsuoka's most famous export and perennial bestseller - the Viewt. This vehicle, now in its second generation, adheres firmly to the Mitsuoka formula, taking a standard Japanese domestic market vehicle - in this case the Nissan March/Micra - and extensively reworking it, incorporating various elements of British car design circa 1960 to produce an end product which bears more than a passing resemblance to the getaway car of choice for armed robbers in 1960s London, the Jaguar Mark II. Indeed, this pattern of paying homage - although some purists may prefer the term “bastardising” - to classic British designs repeats itself across the Mitsuoka range, with the Daihatsu Mira-based Ray mimicking a Riley Elf and the larger Ryoga showing traces of Jaguar Mark X and early Jaguar XJ.


The Nissan Fuga-based Galue Saloon

However, the newly launched Galue Convertible - Galue being derived from the Japanese word 我流 meaning "to go one's own way" - looks set to live up to its name and jettison the ageing Mitsuoka philosophy of melding antediluvian British design with contemporary Japanese hardware. Although the new Convertible's sister model, the Galue Saloon, gave intimations as to Mitsuoka's new direction, fusing, as it does Japanese underpinnings with a British Bentley-esque front end and an American Cadillac-inspired rear, the Galue Convertible consolidates this new design philosophy, breaking with tradition and becoming the first Mitsuoka offering not to be based on Japanese hardware. Whilst the Galue Saloon is a remodelled version of the Japanese market Nissan Fuga, the Convertible model has gone further afield in search of its inspiration and is based on the American market Ford Mustang Convertible.


The Galue Convertible's Mustang-based Interior

While the Galue Convertible still exhibits strong traces of Mustang -most noticeably on its flanks and in its interior, which is, bar the edition of a Mitsuoka-embossed steering wheel, carried over almost wholesale from the Ford - the front and rear of the Mustang have been extensively refashioned, duly imbuing the Convertible with the idiosyncrasy necessary to bring it sufficiently into line with the rest of the Mitsuoka range. Mitsuoka have traditionally been keen to preserve the more traditional elements of car styling however, the Galue Convertible sees the company show a distinct disregard for the Mustang's iconic design, Mitsuoka's stylists giving the Mustang a frontal treatment which bears similarities to Bentley S2s of the 1960s. Meanwhile the rear styling of the Galue Convertible skips a couple of decades and crosses the Atlantic Ocean, imbuing the vehicle with heavy doses of Americana and a derriere reminiscent of a mid-1980s Cadillac Eldorado. The overall result, despite the use of such disparate design motifs, is surprisingly coherent and sufficiently unorthodox to justify both the vehicle’s Mitsuoka badge, and its hefty premium over a standard Mustang.


The Galue Convertible's Cadillac Eldorado-inspired Rear

The Galue Convertible will be offered with two power plants, both of which are Ford engines found in the Mustang: one a 4-litre V6 (213ps), and the other a 4.6-litre V8 with a power output of 304ps. Both models are equipped with a 5-speed automatic gearbox and are only available in left-hand drive. Meanwhile, body colours are limited to black, red, or white, with the leather interior available in either red or black. Those wishing to own one of these Anglo-American/Japanese automotive oddballs will be required to shell out 6,720,000 Yen (£29,000) for the V6, or 7,770,000 Yen (£33,500) for the V8. Eccentric exclusivity never came so cheap.