Mitsuoka is a company that is known for it retro-kitsch cars and their March K11-based Viewt is no exception to this. Today we will continue the March-athon and we’re deep-diving into the Viewt-rabbit hole.
However, we need to ask ChatGPT first if it can come up with a joke about the Mitsuoka Viewt:
Why did the Mitsuoka Viewt challenge the Nissan March to a makeover contest?
Because it wanted to prove that even though it’s based on the humble March, it could still turn heads with its vintage-inspired style. But in the end, they both realized that whether classic or contemporary, they were both just “viewt”-iful in their own unique ways!
ChatGPT is as brilliant as ever!
History of the Mitsuoka Viewt
The K11-based Viewt was conceived in a period when Mitsuoka was still doing small on-demand conversions. In the mid- to late-1980s, they started to build Mercedes-Benz SSK and Porsche 356 lookalike kit cars. After this, Mitsuoka created the Le-Seyde which was a Panther-lookalike and based upon the Nissan Silvia S13. This Cruella DeVille retro kitsch mobile sold moderately well and near the end of the run, Mitsuoka decided to build a Jaguar Mark II inspired car based upon the humble underpinnings of the Nissan March K11.
The K11-based Viewt was sold from 1993 onwards and was succeeded by the K12-based Viewt in 2003. The K12-based Viewt was succeeded by the K13-based Viewt in 2012. Mitsuoka still sells the Viewt, but as of February 2023, it’s based on the Toyota Yaris XP210.
Exterior modifications
From the outside, the March K11 was modified with a front end that completely resembled the Jaguar Mark II.
From the rear, the hatchback was replaced by a rounded tail section with a fixed rear window. If Mitsuoka also lowered the roofline, it would have looked like a shrunken-down Jaguar Mark II.
In reality, it was a mere 222mm shorter, 62mm thinner and 48mm lower. The reason why it looks shrunken down is because the wheelbase is 358mm shorter, making the front and rear overhang look comically out of place.
Interior modifications
On the inside, the base version featured the exact same interior as the OEM March. Naturally this meant there was a huge difference between the classy retro outside and the bland plasticy 1990s inside.
Optionally the interior could be complimented with leather seats and wood trim.
For the latter it depends on the choice of the user as it could be as simple as some wood trim inlays to a complete bespoke wood trim dashboard. As the dials are really deeply sunken in the wood trim, it’s assumed this is just an overlay over the standard Nissan March K11 gauge cluster.
Also the full width wood trim dashboard required a relocation of the dash vents and climate controls to the lower console.
Whenever Nissan would facelift the March, the Viewt would follow. This meant that the optional leather seats and wood trim had to change accordingly as well. Sometimes it came with standard climate controls, sometimes with the chromed items of the later March.
Cabriolet
In 1997, Nissan introduced the March Cabriolet. Mitsuoka followed suit and offered the Viewt cabriolet as well. When the roof is folded down, a big roll bar remains in the centre of the car to protect the occupants whenever a rollover happens.
As the foldable roof has to be stored inside the modified boot, this meant Mitsuoka couldn’t offer the same rear end as on the (not so) normal Viewt. This meant the March cabriolet tail lights were replaced by retro-ish tail lights. This meant the Viewt cabriolet only looked retro before the windshield and modern after the windshield.
Sales
There are no official sales figures available for the Mitsuoka Viewt. As expected from the history, the Mitsuoka Viewt sold really well. This meant Mitsuoka was able to expand their range in the 1990s beyond the Viewt with the Nissan Crew-based Galue and Mazda Carol-based Ray. You could state that the Viewt enabled Mitsuoka to thrive.
At Goo-net there are many Mitsuoka Viewts for sale. For the initial K11-based Viewt, the resale value is still quite high. Late spec models still fetch between 780,000 yen for a base model and 1,800,000 for a full leather and wood trim model.
Bonus K12 ute
While I was researching the Mitsuoka Viewt, I came across a very special Mitsuoka Viewt K12: a pickup variant! This must be the ideal car for any Australian living in Japan! I hope you are reading this Alexi Smith and Daniel O’Grady!
This K12 ute definitely deserves its own post on my blogs, so I won’t bother you too much with it!
Conclusion
Where Nissan kickstarted the retro-car craze with their March K10 Pikes-cars, continued with their Autech-built March K11-based Tango, Ruba, Bolero and Polka, Mitsuoka took over with the Viewt. Compared to the Autech-based cars, I was able to find so many more Mitsuoka cars. The Viewt must have appealed the customers more than the Autech-quintet!
I secretly love Mitsuoka as a company. They dare to stand out, dare to take a risk and dare to expand their horizons. With the Viewt they certainly did all this!
Photo credit: Various Goo-net ads and Jag-lovers (brochure)
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