Tsutomu ‘Tom’ Matano, visionary designer behind the era-defining ‘NA’ Mazda MX-5, passes away aged 76
Tsutomu ‘Tom’ Matano, one of the designers behind icons like the NA Mazda MX-5 and FD RX-7, sadly passed away on September 20 at the age of 76.
Born in Nagasaki, Japan, Matano qualified as an engineer in his home country, but by 1974 had moved into automotive design. He started at General Motors in Detroit, and later Australia, before a six-year stint at BMW.
In 1983 he made a career-defining move to Mazda, becoming chief designer at its California design studio. There he found a team including Bob Hall and Mark Jordan who were already working on a small, rear-wheel-drive sports car inspired by the British roadsters of the 1960s, and by August 1984 he had created the first model of what became the Mazda MX-5. The model would go on sale in 1989, creating huge demand.
Matano also aided Wu-huang Chin’s third-generation (FD) RX-7 design, before taking inspiration from the RX-7’s flowing lines for the second-generation (NB) Mazda MX-5. This was Matano’s final credited design to make it to production, and it took the model close to a million units.
Retiring from Mazda in 2002, Matano then enjoyed a long spell teaching design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. His enthusiasm for Mazda went beyond his work as he drove a silver FD-generation RX-7 and an MX-5 M Edition, as well as attending and supporting various Mazda-related events around the world, playing a prominent role in the MX-5 Owners’ Club’s 30th anniversary rally last summer.
“Tom believed cars should inspire joy and connection, a philosophy that lives on every time a Mazda takes to the road.” said Mazda UK in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the entire Mazda community. Thank you, Tom, for creating cars that make us smile.”
