Retroforza gives Mazda Miata a Ferrari complex
Click above for a gallery of the RetroForza Italia
If you've got an obsession with boomer culture, but don't have the budget to spring for a period-specific Ferrari, never fear, RetroForza makes it possible to be a nostalgic poseur. Sporting lines reminiscent of Ferrari's 275, RetroForza is claiming that its Italia bodywork kit for the Mazda MX-5 takes inspiration from vintage Lotus, Alfa, Jaguar and Cobra models. While It's not horrible, the proportions don't exactly work. There's too much front overhang, leading to a fierce underbite, but it avoids looking as stubby as it might on the MX-5's short wheelbase. The Mazda mechanicals mean that it'll be reliable and fun to drive, and with a coupe version supposedly available, there are worse ways to rebody your Miata.
Gallery: RetroForza Italia
[Source: RetroForza]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
CarbonBlack 7:33PM (2/23/2009)
Really nice!
Reminds me of the old TVR Griffith (a little bit)
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tuna 7:36PM (2/23/2009)
Proportions are too odd. Instead of forcing the lines of the Ferrari onto the Miata, they should work with the Miata's lines to create a homage to the Ferrari.
If you look at the front, middle and rear section of the car in the profile shot you'll see what I mean.
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JZeke 7:42PM (2/23/2009)
Good point.
Though I love the looks of this little thing, it would have been far nicer to work with the lines as you've suggested.
As a designer I would love to someday get a chance to do just that: rebody a car with an intent to reference another style - but stay true to the underlying form.
JDMlover 7:44PM (2/23/2009)
why??
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BoxerFanatic 9:15PM (2/23/2009)
If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand the answer anyway.
JDMlover 9:16PM (2/23/2009)
@ BoxerFanatic
S.M.D
Kattleox 9:44AM (2/24/2009)
Why would you put a Bradley GT kit on a perfectly good looking karmann ghia? Because you liked the bradley GT. The Miata is like the old VW body: you can do a lot to it and it has a massive after market, making it one of the few cars that you can actually customize to yourself in terms of performance, looks, and near everything else. You can even give it teeth. Everyone has a miata for their style, with a little (or lot) of work. Just see what I mean:
http://www.paul-davis.com/miata.html#anchor_morphed
phoenix 7:45PM (2/23/2009)
Proportions may be off somewhat, but it STILL looks better than 90% of the unmitigated garbage available in the US market right now.
I'd love to see the designers go back to the drawing board with similar inspiration, but also with orders to keep the design organic and smooth.
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Falcom 7:48PM (2/23/2009)
Looks very similar to the Banshee project being built by Stacy David. Probably the production version of the same kit. Its a new front clip, and a glue/bondo on rear kit.
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aj121489 7:49PM (2/23/2009)
Dear Autoblog,
This is the second s****y conversion you have given us today. Granted, the MR2 Mustang was MUCH worse, but seriously. You're killin us. A Miata trying to be a Ferrari?? Please show us stuff that we care about or is so bad that we'll laugh about it, not cry.
Sincerely,
Sane Autoblog readers
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number1carman 8:07PM (2/23/2009)
The silver coupe isn't bad, but the convertible is just off...
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tuna 8:57PM (2/23/2009)
Um... the silver one is a photoshop job. Of course it looks better.
416Hammy 8:10PM (2/23/2009)
Ah... now the poseurs can drive their riced-up Miatas Italian-style...
Risotto!!!
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Aki 8:15PM (2/23/2009)
I don't care for the fender gills or the whole side profile for that matter, but that's a really cool front-end to put on a Miata. I've always fantasized doing something like that to a Miata. Old-school European roadster looks with better reliability. The side profile should've conformed to Mazda's lines, like others have said.
On another note, those rims look atrocious.
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david.eric.mcintyre 8:41PM (2/23/2009)
This kit has been around for a very long time see the website below:
http://www.simpsondesign.net/
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BoxerFanatic 8:57PM (2/23/2009)
Beat me to it..
This is the Simpson Design Italia, I believe RetroForza is an alternate, possibly british distributor.
This kit has been around for years and years, and is a very nice look, somewhere between a Jaguar E-Type and a Ferrari 275 GTB NART convertible. Jim Simpson spoke about designing it as an idiom style, but not a direct copy of any one 60's european sports car. I like the fact that it is not a direct replica, but rather a general premise design, and it works well as such.
Along with some other available 60-s era sports car touches, interior and exterior, that are available for Miatas, I have wanted to turn an NA miata into a nuevo-classic roadster with this re-body for quite some time. I have ideas for a very authentic-looking new-stalgia roadster... with flyin' Miata forced induction horsepower, and the best of road/track balanced suspension and braking.
This is nowhere NEAR the attrocious as the MR2 that was unceremoniously abused with a horrific Mustang body, that does as much disservice to Mustangs as it did to MR2s.
Fooman 11:34PM (2/23/2009)
The Miami aka Daytona looks like arse... but the Manta is not half bad...
Daily Driver 8:58PM (2/23/2009)
I never was big fan of Miata, because it's uncomfortably small for me. Sadly I am too tall for Miata, I look like a man driving a go cart in Miata.
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Jason Bird 9:36PM (2/23/2009)
I can't imagine anyone taking this seriously.
And really...why is it that every time I see photos of a kit car, it has a dash mat on it covering up the old crappy cracked dash. C'mon, if you can spring for the crappy fiberglass and paint, can't you at least try and find a good used dashboard? It was the same way with the old Fiero kits...the center stack on everyone of those crap boxes was peeling and cracking, but they looked like a Lambo!
Thank goodness most of those fright pigs have burned to the ground.
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Jason Bird 9:40PM (2/23/2009)
Really, you could take the money you spend on this crap and build an incredible Miata. Suspension, wheels & tires, go fast bits (SPOILERS DO NOT COUNT)...but you decide instead that it should try to vaguely resemble something else. Please pass the duct tape, my head is about to explode.