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MA61 Design Study: The Underlying Influence and Inspiration

48K views 67 replies 42 participants last post by  Greg G 
#1 ·
Some people here may recall my comment in the Hemmings Buyers Guide article where I shared my reaction when I first laid eyes upon the 82 Supra in the Autumn of 1981. It looked like nothing Id ever seen before… or maybe not?

I wanted to put together a thread to examine what might have served as inspiration when Akihiro Wada (Chief Engineer) and Kazuo Morohoshi (Lead Designer) dreamt up the MA61. At a time when the Japanese were known for copying and improving European and US products, the 82 Celicas and Supras were radically unique from head to toe. A long time ago, someone here on the forum drew a parallel to the MA61 and the Lamborghini Jarama… I wanted to take that a little further. I suspect Wada and Morohoshi had a few iconic European cars in mind infact.

The following is purely my speculation and opinion. None of it can be proven factual, and I certainly don’t have any secret knowledge. Nevertheless, I thought this might lead to a fun and lively discussion.

First I want to start with the nose.

Welcome the Ferrari 365GTC/4, introduced in 1971. It was penned by Pininfarina and was regarded as a supreme 4-place GT cruiser. I believe it roughly forms the same bumper/grille/fog lamp shape known on the MA61.













The nose of the Bitter Coupe and Sedan bears an even closer resemblance to our MA61. Bitter was created by racer Erik Bitter – as best I can tell, this design was conceived somewhere around 1979-80.


























The power bulge on the MA61 hood is another strong characteristic not found in many cars. However the XKE Jaguar seems to following the pattern of a long sloping hood with the bulge extending almost the entire length.




















Greenhouse Effect: Check out the B-Pillars, Quarter Glass, and C-Pillars on the Iso Rivolta Lele. This design came from Bertone and was unveiled in 1969.
















The Lamborghini Jarama, penned by Marcello Gandini, first appeared in 1970. I think the greenhouse similarity is obvious. Apologies to the forum member who first mentioned this – I don’t recall who it was.



















 
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#34 ·
You're all pretty much car guys so I assume you just forgot this car but maybe some of you never heard of it before - the Bricklin. I always thought the MKII was a Japanese version of the Bricklin. Move the bumper strip out of the grill and add a few styling cues and they're practically the same car. That's why I bought my first one in '84 'cuz when I was comin' up I always wanted a Bricklin. Here's a little background for those who might want to know:

The Bricklin is a gull-wing sports car that was manufactured in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada for exclusive sale in the United States. Production at the plant began in mid 1974 and continued through late 1975 with three model years resulting (1974, 1975 & 1976). There were 2854 cars built before Bricklin went bankrupt. An estimated 1500 still exist today. Bricklin International (BI) reports 570 active members with cars on the road and in restoration.





 
#35 ·
It is my recollection somewhere that the mid 70's celicas were influenced by Ford Mustangs. The 1982-1985 Celica coupe looks an awful lot like the Fox body mustang coupe.

As for the MK2, I can see many different influences as mentioned in the thread. The hood copied from the E-Type jag (and later Datsun Z car). Heck you can even argue the angular cues/creases were influenced from an Aston Martin Lagonda.

I agree with Ken about the L-Type fender flaring with the Lancia but not so much the other cues. Just my $0.02.
 
#36 ·
I should mention that a patent was awarded for the scorpion (1976) in the way the windshield glass was 'glued' in rather than within a rubber gasket allowing a more 'flush' installation.
1979-80 would be when the japanese designers chose to use this method in the Celica XX design, and also when royalties would have had to be paid on the patent.

Notice I reference 'Celica XX' in my posts.
That's to get Greg going on his love for his ricer P type flares :ptdr:.

Ken
 
#37 ·
The 200SX has already been mentioned as a descendant of mk2 design (I came within probably $100 of buying a 200SX turbo back in 87 after looking at dozens of mk2s and deciding I just probably wasn't going to be able to afford one.)

I also thought the Dodge Daytona and Chrysler Laser were influenced by mk2 design.



But then again, the mk2 was at the head of a general design trend that carried through much of the 80s - that being the wedge-hatchback shapes. Think about it - there were dozens to follow besides those listed: Starion/Conquest, Cordia, Honda Accord hatchback, Mazda 626 hatchback, Ford Escort EXP, Pontiac J2000 Sunbird and the list goes on. As Greg points out, a lot of it probably started with styling cues from the exotics from the italian design houses in the late 60s early 70s. Probably one of the first mass-produced cars in this style was probably the 74 Volkswagon Scirocco and y'all probably don't remember the infamous GM X-bodies, the 78 Buick Century/Pontiac Pheonix. Supra was clearly the best looking of all the wedges.
 
#39 ·
I also thought the Dodge Daytona and Chrysler Laser were influenced by mk2 design.

LOL look at that Daytona Laser thing.... the entire front end is stolen off a 3rd Gen Camaro (Chevy shldve sued)! The greenhouse and ass end were "inspired" by the 928. They were the biggest piece o' shits too. Iaococca was a whore!
 
#41 ·
Greg -
Nice work & great thread. Love the pics, comparisons, and early sketches.

Note: Bricklin is brokering the deal to bring the Chery - first Chinese car to the US & he also imported the Yugo.

I always thought the Lotus Esprit shared some lines with the MKII. front end, 82/83 door handles, and roof-line.




 
#48 ·
#49 ·
Hey Wade... yeah the XKE may have been somewhat of a reach, but I couldnt find anythng else that had a bulge as long and prominent as that of the Jag. Datsun Z-cars sure, but thats too obvious, and they were clearly inspired by the XKE, right down to the headlamp nacelles, roofline, and fender haunches.

What other hood bulges are you thinking of?

Bimmer M1 is cool comparo... that car spawned the 850 which always reminded me of the MA61 from dead on front angle, perhaps even moreso an MA70.



 
#50 ·
The louts did get a V8 the GT350. I didn't really think much about this till now, but I know now I'll be noticing all over now.
 
#51 ·
Espada for angular lines, XJS for "flying buttress" c-pillars, and US gummint headlight height laws for flip-ups. Love those design sketches, cooooollll! Id like to add that in the time frame MKII was designed, that the Porsche 924 was on every automakers radar. More of a concept forerunner, than exterior design cues. There were numerous small, sporty, 2+2 hatchbacks that sprung up after Porsche showed the 240Z worked with 4 seats.....I always thought Supra was best executed of these later examples.
 
#55 ·
Very well done! Thanks for your great information and pictures. A must read.

As designer/artist I have a good feelig for what other designers go through as a development process. I often feel my way through design inovation by being inspired by other work.

I feel they did a great job. Thanks for sharing your excellent research.
 
#56 ·
i dont know if this has been talked about yet but if you ever get a chance to take a close look at a lotus esprit (i think thats the correct model) take a close look at the tail lights..... read what it says on them. ill give you a hint
starts with the letter T and ends with the letter A.. i was shocked when i saw that! although i do know that they were and are in bed together.
 
#57 ·
More Ferrari influence?

From the original post in this thread, the Supra's front end definitely shows some similarities to the Bitter SC:



If you look at this picture, however, you can see that the Bitter was pretty blatantly influenced by (copied?) the Ferrari 365 GT4/400i, which predates the Bitter by about 8 years. The overall shapes, especially the 'greenhouse' areas, are difficult to tell apart. See if you can spot any design differences in the C pillars between the two:



No matter, I've always thought there were some Ferrari GT car influences in the Supra.
 
#63 ·
I agree - that's even more true of the MkI. It's also got four-wheel disc brakes. It's amazing how many people are surprised when they see the discs on the rear.
 
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