The Merciful end of the Mitsuoka Orochi
One of the most… unique cars of the last decade, the Mitsuoka Orochi, will finally be phased out, after being sold for almost a decade without any big changes.
The Japanese-made sportscar has had a lot of (bad) press during its career. Named the World’s Ugliest Car by the media, the Orochi splits people in two groups: those who like it, and those who see a smiling frog when they look at it.
Powered by an older Toyota 3.3L V6 producing 233HP coupled with a 5-speed automatic transmission, the Orochi is not really a performer. 0-100 takes 6.7 seconds, and top speed is limited to 180 km/h. But because of its hand-made chassis and bodywork, the vehicle still costs about $125,000…
Mercifully, Mitsuoka decided it was time to kill the poor thing. The last one will roll out of the factory in September 2014. But, while I am glad this eyesore is finally gone, I can’t help but wonder what the company designers will come up with to replace it…