It’s a real celebration of the odd today with a post that I’m sure the Japanese car nerds will love. Today’s super short Single File takes us to the rather wonderful world of the Mitsuoka Viewt, and the brilliant scale version by Tomica.
Mitsuoka are a name that I’m sure a few of you will have heard of. They’re a Japanese coachbuilder renowned for their retro styled vehicles, and the Viewt was the car that allowed them to be recognised as a stand alone manufacturer.
The first generation Viewt went on sale in January 1993 and was based on the K11 Nissan Micra, sharing the engine, chassis and drivetrain but mating them to a redesigned exterior that mimicked the Jaguar Mk2. Updates mirrored that of the Micra parent car and when the K12 Micra appeared in 2002, an updated Viewt followed in 2005. The Viewt proved to be rather successful in its home market, and subsequently many second hand examples made their way onto the export markets, finding homes across the globe.
The Tomica version replicates the K12 based Viewt II and is rather sought after meaning examples can be sometimes hard to locate and more often than not, rather pricey. Not having an endless budget, I had to really hunt to find one that I could afford. But finally I got hold of this one.
It’s a great little thing, and surprisingly heavyweight with a metal base. Proportions are great and there’s gorgeous metallic green paint and a very suitable tan interior visible through the windows.
Tomica trademark sprung suspension is there and it glides along with great ease.
It’s a really unique looking thing and one that I’m very happy to own. It’s also got my cogs whirring for a custom version so if you follow my Instagram or Facebook then look out for this thing being in pieces at some point in the future!
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(Find the Tomica Mitsuoka Viewt on Ebay)
Hello Alex, Thanks for highlighting this Tomica toy. One which eludes me thus far because finding a pristine version of this weird little beast has proven difficult. I want the dark green version like your with the box. That combo seems to be rare (or very expensive) on Ebay.