In 1989, the Mazda Miata changed the world. It revived the formula of classic British roadsters, a compact and lightweight way to get the wind in your hair, but with the reliability of a Japanese manufacturer. Before the Miata could change the face of auto enthusiasm, though, someone had to change the face of Mazda. That man was Tsutomu “Tom” Matano, who passed away at the age of 76 on September 20, 2025. He will be dearly, dearly missed by the automotive world.
Matano held all manner of positions in Mazda between 1983 and 2002. He was Chief Designer at Mazda’s North American studio, then Vice President of Design for Mazda of North America, then later Executive Vice President of Western Operations for Mazda R&D of North America as well as Executive Designer & Director for Mazda North America. Eventually he moved to Japan to continue his work with the company, where he became an Executive Designer at the company’s Global Advance Studio, and General Manager of Mazda Design globally.
Matano left a mark on the automotive world
When Matano arrived at Mazda’s California design studio in 1983, it wasn’t even expected to deliver car concepts — he was there to monitor trends in the U.S. market. The first-ever clay model out of that studio came during Matano’s tenure, and it went on to become the NA Mazda Miata. Wherever that model name went, Matano himself enthusiastically followed. He would appear at car meets, speak with fans, even his Instagram profile went by the name @miatapapa. Matano loved the Miata as much as — if not more than — the rest of us.
Matano designed plenty of enduring cars for Mazda. He gave us the MX-6, MX-3, even one of the all-time greatest looking cars ever put together in the FD RX-7. But the Miata, that early design, will always be the one that sits alongside his name. If you’ve ever owned a Miata, driven one, or even looked longingly at one in a parking lot or on Facebook Marketplace, pour one out for Tom Matano tonight. You have him to thank.
