As the current-generation Dodge Challenger prepares to retire, Japanese coachbuilder Mitsuoka has previewed how it could keep the big coupe alive — with a twist. It unveiled a concept called M55 that puts a Challenger-inspired body on the current-generation Honda Civic
.
Mitsuoka’s latest creation hardly comes as a surprise. After all, we’re talking about the same folks that turned the Toyota Yaris hatchback into a Jaguar Mark 2 look-alike
Developed to celebrate the brand’s 55th birthday, the M55 features a squared-off, muscle car-like front end with four round headlights, a throwback grille, and a strip of bright trim. Viewed from the side, the M55 is clearly an evolution of the Civic
. The front and rear doors, the side window, and the roof line clearly come from the Japanese company’s perennially popular model. Out back, there are louvers on the hatch’s window, a spoiler, and oval headlights surrounded by a black panel. Specific alloy wheels add a finishing touch to the design. Inside, it’s mostly Civic fare with the exception of a Mitsuoka-branded steering wheel, concept-specific trim on the dashboard, and blue upholstery with a muscle car-like stitching pattern. The switches, the buttons, and the touchscreen come straight from the Honda
parts bin.
Power comes from a stock, Civic-sourced 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Turbocharged, it develops 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, and it spins the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. This concept should be more show than go, then. For context, the least powerful variant of the 2023 Challenger
