Some people just need to be different, including when it comes to their wheels. For them, Japan's Mitsuoka has spent decades turning ordinary economy cars into rolling retro curiosities. The coachbuilder and customizer has been at it since the 1960s, building a reputation for grafting classic American and British styling cues onto decidedly un-classic underpinnings.MitsuokaFew of its creations better capture that delightfully strange formula than the Viewt Story – a car so odd that even its name sounds like it survived a bad translation and nobody bothered to fix it. But it's real. And it has very humble underpinnings. Yes, There's A Toyota Under Those Retro-Themed Body Panels MitsuokaDespite looking like it escaped from a 1960s British car show, the current Viewt Story, the fourth generation of a nameplate introduced in 1993, is a surprisingly recent creation, having only debuted in 2023. Underneath its vintage costume sits the fourth-generation Toyota Yaris subcompact hatchback sold overseas. Mitsuoka grafted on a front end inspired by the Jaguar Mk2 and a rear treatment that recalls a Fiat 500, creating a stylistic mashup that sounds ridiculous on paper but somehow works on the tiny Yaris platform. Mitsuoka Updates Coincide With 2026 Yaris Updates Mitsuoka announced a handful of updates for the Viewt Story last week, mirroring changes Toyota made to the Yaris for 2026. The biggest addition is a new 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and a backup camera, although Mitsuoka oddly skipped the larger 10.5-inch display that's now available in the donor car. Other changes include five new exterior colors, bringing the palette to 15 choices, and the addition of Toyota's Safety Sense suite of electronic driver-assist features. But the upgrades are more than skin-deep for this curious car.Mitsuoka Mitsuoka has also trimmed the Viewt Story's powertrain lineup. The 1.0-liter inline-three that previously served as the entry-level engine has been dropped, mirroring Toyota's own changes to the Yaris. That leaves the naturally aspirated 1.5-liter inline-three as the standard offering, producing approximately 118 horsepower. Buyers can still pair it with either a six-speed manual transmissionor a CVT, and both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations remain available.A hybrid variant built around the same 1.5-liter engine also returns for the latest update. It delivers a combined 114 hp and, like the gasoline-only version, can be ordered with either front- or all-wheel drive. New for hybrid-equipped models is an electronic parking brake with an auto-hold function. None of the available powertrains qualify as thrilling, but with a curb weight of less than 2,800 pounds, the Viewt Story should feel lively enough to match its playful personality. An Expensive Small Car You Can't Get In America MitsuokaThe updated Viewt Story doesn't come cheap, at least by subcompact car standards. Prices now start at ¥3,691,600 (about $23,200) for a front-wheel-drive gasoline model with the six-speed manual and climb to ¥4,803,700 ($30,100) for the range-topping hybrid model with all-wheel drive. That's a hefty premium over the donor Yaris, which in Japan starts from $10,700.As for seeing the retro-styled oddball in US showrooms, don't hold your breath. Still, there's a precedent for Japanese nostalgia machines making the trip across the Pacific. Flex, a Japanese company nearly as old as Mitsuoka, recently established a presence in San Diego and sells new Toyota Land Cruisers reworked to resemble classic off-roaders. So while the Viewt Story may remain a forbidden fruit, Americans can at least get a taste of Japan's obsession with making new cars look old.2026 Mitsuoka Viewt Story