Italian coachbuilders have long been the maestros of automotive style, famed for sculpting curvaceous Ferraris and elegant Alfa Romeos. But what happens when these Italian artisans team up with the engineering might of Japan? The result is a fascinating cross-cultural road trip spanning decades, filled with sleek sports coupés, quirky concepts, and even the occasional mini-truck. In this article, we explore how Italian design houses – led by pioneers like Giovanni Michelotti and later joined by legends Bertone, Giugiaro’s Italdesign, Pininfarina, and others – collaborated with Japanese car manufacturers from 1960 to 2020. Fasten your seatbelts: it’s going to be an eccellente ride through history, design language, and a bit of East-meets-West automotive magic.
Giovanni Michelotti: Pioneering the Path East
Our story begins with Giovanni Michelotti, the prolific Italian stylist who first opened Japan’s doors to Italian design. In the late 1950s and early ’60s, Japanese automakers were eager to shed their reputation for drab, derivative styling. Prince Motor Company – an upstart Japanese luxury marque – boldly sought Michelotti’s help to create a halo sports car. The result was the Prince Skyline Sport (code BLRA-3), a luxurious coupe (and companion convertible) penned by Michelotti and handcrafted by Carrozzeria Allemano in Italy. Debuting at the 1960 Turin Auto Show, the Skyline Sport wowed crowds with its Italianate elegance – a far cry from the utilitarian sedans then common in Japan. It was the first Japanese car styled by an Italian designer, and audiences in Turin were amazed when a blue Michelotti-styled coupé and a white convertible representing Japan rolled onto the stage.
Prince was so impressed that they put the Skyline Sport into limited production in 1962, albeit largely built by hand. Only about 60 units were ever produced, making it a rare specimen. With its flowing lines, oval grille, and upmarket flair, the Skyline Sport proved that Japanese “hardware” could be packaged with Italian “soft goods” – a bella figura on a Japanese chassis. It also earned the distinction of being Japan’s first domestic luxury sports coupe and “the first domestic car of Italian design”. This cross-continental experiment planted the seed for future collaborations, marrying Japanese reliability with Latin style.
Michelotti didn’t stop with Prince. Next, he lent his touch to Hino, a smaller Japanese manufacturer. In 1962, Hino unveiled the Contessa 900 Sprint – a petite rear-engined coupé designed by Michelotti as a showpiece. It featured a lightweight, sporty body on the humble Hino Contessa platform and even bore “Hino-Michelotti” scuff plates on its door sills to proudly announce its pedigree. Introduced at the 1962 Tokyo Motor Show (and shown in Turin the same year), the Contessa 900 Sprint had all the Italian flair you’d expect: elegant lines and an upgraded Nardi-tuned engine with twin Weber carbs for a bit of brio. Though essentially a concept (it was a prototype not intended for mass production), the Sprint demonstrated Hino’s global ambitions. It was a true cultural exchange: an Italian designer shaping a Japanese car, then displaying it on both Japanese and international stages (even the 1963 New York Auto Show). The effort signaled to the world that Japanese makers could dance the passo doppio with Italian masters.
Michelotti’s collaboration with Hino continued as he styled the next generation Hino Contessa 1300 Coupe (launched 1965), again infusing European proportions into a Japanese compact. By reaching out to Michelotti, Hino followed Prince’s example – leveraging Italian design to elevate their image. In these early partnerships, Michelotti essentially played the role of design envoy, bringing Italian coachbuilding finesse to a Japanese industry eager to mature. He was the trailblazer who proved the concept: an Italian pen could indeed redraw the future of Japanese cars.
The 1960s: Italian Style Invades Japan’s Auto Industry
Once Michelotti opened the floodgates, the 1960s saw a rush of Italian design houses collaborating with virtually every forward-thinking Japanese automaker. Japan’s car industry was growing explosively, and to gain international credibility, many Japanese firms sought a shortcut to world-class styling – and Italy had it in spades. Let’s look at some key collaborations of that swinging decade:
Daihatsu Compagno (1963) – Design by Vignale. Even tiny Daihatsu got in on the action. The Compagno was a compact sedan/convertible introduced in 1963, and its very name means “Companion” in Italian. Fittingly, Daihatsu turned to Italian coachbuilder Vignale to shape the car’s design. The first prototype shown in 1961 looked rather ungainly (resembling a scaled-down Fiat 1800), so Vignale refined it into a much more balanced production design. The result was a neat, stylish little car – free of excessive chrome and clutter that would plague some later Japanese designs. In fact, the Compagno’s dashboard on the upscale “Deluxe” trim even had an “Italianate” flavor courtesy of Vignale – complete with a three-spoke Nardi steering wheel, that quintessential Italian touch. The Compagno was modestly successful; about 120,000 were built through 1970, and it holds the honor of being the first Daihatsu sold in Europe. Its Italian styling certainly didn’t hurt its appeal. For Daihatsu, this collaboration showed that even economy cars could benefit from a dash of la dolce vita.
Mazda 1500 Luce (1965) – Design by Bertone (Giugiaro). As Mazda sought to move upmarket, they forged an early bond with Carrozzeria Bertone. In 1962, Mazda signed a deal with Bertone to design its new flagship sedan. A young Giorgetto Giugiaro (then a rising star at Bertone) penned the Mazda Luce 1500 show car, which debuted in 1965. True to Giugiaro’s form, it was low, sharp, and decidedly European – observers noted it looked more like a contemporary BMW sedan than the typical Japanese fare. By the time the Luce entered production in 1966, some changes were made (a taller roofline, for instance), but it retained the clean, sleek “continental” look Giugiaro intended. Here was a Japanese executive car with an Italian soul: even the name “Luce” means “Light” in Italian. The Luce wasn’t a huge seller (it was relatively expensive in Japan), but it established Mazda’s reputation for elegant design. It also kicked off a long-running trend: Mazda would continue courting Italian design input for decades, as we’ll see. The Luce’s success demonstrated that Italian design houses could effectively shape mass-produced Japanese models, not just limited editions.
Isuzu 117 Coupé (1966 prototype, prod. 1968) – Design by Ghia (Giugiaro). Perhaps one of the most celebrated Italian-Japanese creations of the ’60s is the Isuzu 117 Coupé. Isuzu – then a smaller Japanese maker with big aspirations – went to Carrozzeria Ghia and their star designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to craft a sporty grand-touring coupé. The 117 Coupé was unveiled as a prototype at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966, astounding onlookers with its sophisticated lines. It was among the first Japanese cars styled by a famous Italian designer, and it showed – the 117 had the lithe silhouette of an Italian GT, with a fastback roof and delicate roof pillars. Isuzu put it into limited production starting late 1968, essentially building them by hand at a rate of under 50 cars per month initially. The early 117s were exclusive and almost artisan in construction, akin to how Italian exotics were built. Over its long production run (1968–1981), the 117 Coupé amassed a cult following and about 86,000 units were made – making it one of the first successful Japanese luxury-sport coupés. It also packed advanced tech for the time: one of the first Japanese cars with a DOHC engine and even available electronic fuel injection. Critics in Japan and abroad lauded the 117’s elegant styling; it even won design awards. Isuzu had proven that an Italian-designed car could elevate its brand image dramatically. Interestingly, when shown in Japan, some thought the 117 was almost too pretty to be Japanese! This partnership also sparked a lasting relationship between Isuzu and Giugiaro that would span many projects (hint: we’ll see more of them in the ’70s and ’80s).
Also in the 1960s: Virtually every Japanese automaker flirted with Italian design. Michelotti himself continued to influence Japanese designs through the mid-’60s: he worked on projects like the 1965 Hino Contessa 1300 (production coupe) and even some proposals for Nissan. Young Giorgetto Giugiaro, aside from the Luce and 117, was extremely productive – he even styled the 1963 Mazda Familia 800/1000 sedan, giving it a crisp look said to foreshadow the BMW 1602. Carrozzeria Zagato made an appearance too, engineering a run of Ginza-friendly microcars for Subaru (the 1968 Subaru Young SS was tuned by Zagato, though not restyled). In short, by the late ’60s, Italian design became the shortcut to world-class styling for Japan’s burgeoning industry, helping Japanese cars appeal to a global audience. Japanese manufacturers gained chic designs and Western credibility; Italian carrozzieri gained new clients and the satisfaction of seeing their artistry in far-flung markets. It was a win-win cultural exchange conducted on four wheels.
From Mini Trucks to Supercars: Giugiaro and the 1970s Evolution
By the end of the 1960s, Japanese carmakers were growing bolder and developing in-house styling talent. The collaborations with Italian designers didn’t stop, but they evolved. Not every new model was being farmed out to Turin or Milan anymore – yet for special projects or image cars, the Italians remained go-to partners. Giorgetto Giugiaro in particular became a repeat collaborator, practically an honorary Isuzu family member and a friend to companies like Suzuki and Nissan. The 1970s saw fewer mainstream production cars styled in Italy, but a mix of niche vehicles and concept cars kept the relationship alive.
Suzuki Carry Van (1969) – Design by Italdesign (Giugiaro). Leave it to Giugiaro to prove that even utilitarian vehicles can be style-conscious. Around 1968, after leaving Bertone and Ghia, Giugiaro founded Italdesign and one of his first clients was Suzuki. The project? The fourth-generation Suzuki Carry, a tiny kei-class truck/van. Launched in July 1969, the new Carry (chassis L40) featured Giugiaro’s unmistakable modernist touch. It was a cab-over micro-van with a twist – Giugiaro gave it a symmetrical look front-to-back, a novelty for Japan’s market. The Carry’s design was extremely clean and functional: flat panels, simple lines, maximizing space efficiency. The van version in particular showed off Giugiaro’s philosophy, with similar styling cues on the nose and tail (making it hard to tell which way it’s facing at a glance!). For Suzuki, a brand known for motorcycles and miniscule cars, hiring an Italian designer for a workhorse truck was a bold move. The result was arguably the most chic little breadbox on wheels in Japan. It might not have been an Alfa Romeo, but the Giugiaro-designed Carry proved Italian design wasn’t just about exotic sports cars – it could improve everyday vehicles too. The Carry sold well through the early ’70s, and if its body looked a bit snazzier than the average delivery van, now you know why.
The Isuzu–Italdesign Love Affair: After the success of the 117 Coupé, Isuzu kept Giugiaro on speed dial. In the 1970s, this partnership yielded a series of dramatic concept cars named after playing cards – a metaphor perhaps for the high-stakes styling game. The pinnacle was the Isuzu Asso di Fiori (Ace of Clubs), a 1979 Italdesign concept that previewed Isuzu’s next sporty coupe. Giugiaro envisioned the Asso di Fiori as the spiritual successor to the 117 Coupé. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 1979, it drew huge crowds – everyone wanted to see the next chapter in the Italo-Japanese saga. The Asso di Fiori’s design was very much Giugiaro in late-’70s mode: angular, wedge-like, with innovative details (it boasted flush-fitting glass and eliminated traditional rain gutters for a smoother look). It was a showcase of new ideas (“the fifth Copernican revolution” by Giugiaro, as Italdesign cheekily put it) and it directly gave birth to the Isuzu Piazza. Indeed, the production Isuzu Piazza (also known as the Impulse) launched in 1981 was largely the Asso di Fiori made real – a wedgy 2+2 fastback designed by Giugiaro and built by Isuzu to take on the world. Isuzu benefited immensely from this continuity: Giugiaro’s concepts provided a clear design DNA for their brand. The Asso di Fiori was a one-off prototype (clubs in the hand of a master stylist), but its legacy was a mass-produced sports car that won acclaim for style. Nota bene: Giugiaro also did an Asso di Picche (Ace of Spades) concept for Audi in 1973 and an Asso di Quadri (Diamonds) for BMW in 1976 – but it was the Asso di Fiori for Isuzu that actually translated into a production model. Chalk it up as another Italian-Japanese success story, bridging concept and showroom.
Bertone and Others in the ’70s: While Giugiaro was prolific, other Italian studios also dabbled with Japan in the 1970s. Bertone, for example, designed a little-known 1974 Mazda AP (Autozam) prototype and worked with Nissan on some concept proposals. Pininfarina lent its aerodynamic expertise to Honda in developing the 1978 Honda HP-X experimental mid-engine car (a concept that would later influence the Honda/Acura NSX, though that production car was designed in-house by Honda). These projects were more under the radar – often the Italian involvement wasn’t heavily advertised. As one Italian stylist remarked, “The Japanese are strange. They pay us top money, they take our designs, but they won’t put our name on them.” Indeed, by the late ’70s Japanese companies were officially going solo on design, even if an Italian house quietly helped behind the scenes. Still, the 1970s collaborations set the stage for what was to come: the era of concept cars and limited editions in the 1980s.
The 1980s: Concepts, Cabriolets, and Creative Exchanges
If the ’60s were about Italy teaching Japan how to style, and the ’70s were about solidifying a few key partnerships, the 1980s were about playing with ideas. Japan’s automotive might was at full throttle in the ’80s – their in-house designers were world-class – yet the allure of Italian creativity remained. In this decade, we see collaborations resulting in bold concept cars and niche production models, where Italian designers could really flex their imaginative muscles with Japanese manufacturers.
One fascinating example is Mazda’s partnership with Bertone. Mazda had already tasted Italian design with the Luce in the ’60s, and in 1981 they went back for more – this time not for a production car, but a futuristic concept.
Mazda MX-81 Aria (1981) – Concept by Bertone. At the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda stole the spotlight with the MX-81 “Aria” concept, a wild wedge-shaped coupe designed by Marc Deschamps of Bertone. Painted metallic gold and looking like it drove off the set of a sci-fi movie, the MX-81 was actually built on humble Mazda 323 underpinnings. It was notable as Mazda’s first-ever “MX” model (MX standing for Mazda eXperimental), kicking off the MX tradition that would later include the famous MX-5 Miata. The collaboration with Bertone allowed Mazda to explore advanced ideas: the MX-81 had pop-up headlights, a periscope-like rectangular steering “wheel” with a built-in CRT screen, and rotating front seats trimmed in disco-tastic suede. Its design featured flush glass and an airy canopy, and interestingly it borrowed cues from an earlier Bertone concept (the 1979 Volvo Tundra by Marcello Gandini). In short, the MX-81 Aria was a rolling testbed of futuristic design and technology, blending Italian styling flair with Japanese tech know-how. Mazda’s choice of Bertone was no accident – their relationship dated back to the early ’60s when a young Giugiaro at Bertone helped design the first Familia and the Luce show car. Now in ’81, Bertone delivered a concept that challenged conventions and got people talking about Mazda’s innovation. The MX-81 didn’t directly spawn a production model, but it did foretell Mazda’s late-’80s design language – for instance, the 1989 Mazda 323/Protegé sedan carried a very clean shape not unlike the MX-81’s principles. In 2020, Mazda even restored the long-lost MX-81, underlining how proud they are of this Italian-designed chapter of their history. The Aria proved that Italian design houses, freed from production constraints, could help Japanese manufacturers envision the future.
Honda City Cabriolet (1984) – Design by Pininfarina. Not all collaborations in the ’80s were just for concepts; some made it to the streets in limited numbers. A fun case is the Honda City Cabriolet. The Honda City was a popular Japanese micro-hatchback in the early ’80s (famous for its “Tall Boy” design and even a trunk-mounted folding scooter), but Honda had no experience designing convertibles that small. Enter Pininfarina, the Italian masters of the convertible form. Honda tasked Pininfarina with creating a droptop City, and in August 1984 the City Cabriolet launched in Japan. Pininfarina engineered and styled the conversion, grafting a neatly folding cloth top onto the City’s stubby frame. They widened the car’s track for stability and used some sporty body addenda from the City Turbo II model to give it a chunky, fun look. The result was adorable – a spiaggina-esque little runabout that felt half Tokyo, half Turin. It wasn’t a big seller (a niche novelty, really), but it added a touch of la dolce vita to Honda’s lineup. The City Cabriolet even caught the eye of fashion designer Courrèges, who created a special edition with unique wheels – underlining the lifestyle appeal of this Italian-crafted Honda. This project also signaled a growing trend of the 1980s: Japanese automakers collaborating with Italian firms on low-volume specialty models (another example: Toyota commissioned open-top show cars from Italdesign and others). In the City Cabrio’s case, Honda gained a chic image booster, and Pininfarina gained a foothold with a Japanese client, foreshadowing bigger things (in the 1990s Pininfarina would go on to design entire cars for firms like Mitsubishi).
Other Notable 1980s Ventures: The ’80s were ripe with experimental tie-ups. For instance, Zagato made waves with the wild-looking Autech Nissan Zagato Stelvio AZ1 (1989) – a limited-edition luxury coupe with pop-up lights and a body full of Zagato’s trademark eccentricities (double-bubble roof and all). It was a love-it-or-hate-it design, but certainly a product of Italian creativity applied to Japanese mechanicals. Italdesign wasn’t quiet either: Italdesign wasn’t quiet either: while not officially involved in the 1985 Toyota FXV concept, the car clearly showed design cues reminiscent of Giugiaro’s folded-surface aesthetic — a testament to his influence on Japanese concept styling of the era. Giugiaro did lend his hand to production models such as the Subaru SVX sports coupé, which debuted in 1989 with a distinctive Italdesign body, complete with its signature half-window side glass. We also saw Italian studios influencing mainstream Japanese cars subtly – for example, certain Nissan models of the mid-’80s bore a strong Italdesign resemblance, leading some to suspect Giugiaro had a hidden hand in them. Indeed, Giugiaro himself noted that the only major carmaker he never worked for was Honda – implying he worked with all the others! This blend of public and covert collaboration in the ’80s enriched Japanese car design, bringing in fresh ideas. By the decade’s end, Japanese companies were confident global players, but as we’ll see next, they still welcomed Italian design when it came to creating a certain luxury aura.
The 1990s: Italian Imprint on Japanese Luxury and Performance
As the automotive world entered the 1990s, Japanese manufacturers stood at the top of their game – dominating segments from family sedans to supercars. They had less need to outsource design, having developed strong design teams of their own. Yet, in the pursuit of a premium image or a unique statement, the Italians were never far away. This era saw Italian design houses contributing to Japanese luxury sedans and continuing to craft occasional sports cars. The collaborations became more selective, but arguably even more significant in impact.
Lexus GS / Toyota Aristo (1991) – Design by Italdesign (Giugiaro). Perhaps the crown jewel of early-’90s collaborations is the first-generation Lexus GS. In the late ’80s, Toyota was planning a new luxury sports sedan to slot below its LS 400 flagship. To ensure a distinctly upscale, cosmopolitan look, Toyota commissioned Italdesign and Giorgetto Giugiaro to style the car. Giugiaro started sketching in 1988 with a clear goal: give the sedan a sleek, refined, European-inspired aesthetic that could take on BMW and Mercedes. The result debuted in Japan in October 1991 as the Toyota Aristo (and in the West in ’93 as the Lexus GS). The Italdesign influence is evident in the GS’s purposeful stance, wedge-like profile, and absence of gaudy trim – it was a clean break from the boxy, chrome-laden Japanese sedans of prior decades. In fact, some observers noted a resemblance to an Italdesign Jaguar concept of the time, the Kensington, though Italdesign clarified the GS was an independent design. Under the skin, the Lexus GS was all Toyota engineering; but on the outside, it radiated Turin flair. The collaboration paid off: the GS/Aristo was praised for its style and helped establish Lexus as a bona fide luxury brand on the global stage. It demonstrated that even as Japan came into its own, an Italian touch could elevate a design’s prestige. Interestingly, the Lexus GS wasn’t a one-off dalliance – Italdesign and Toyota also worked on a mid-’90s concept sports car (the 1995 Alessandro Volta hybrid concept), showing the relationship had depth. The GS stands as a commercial success born from Italian-Japanese teamwork, produced in high volume and seen on roads worldwide – a far cry from the niche prototypes of earlier years.
Italdesign Everywhere: Giugiaro’s fingerprints in the ’90s extended beyond Lexus. Remember Isuzu? In 1990, Giugiaro penned the second-gen Isuzu Piazza (Impulse) as well, and even dabbled in SUVs by designing the Isuzu Vehicross concept which became a limited production model. And while Honda famously claims Giugiaro never designed for them, one could argue the 1992 Acura NSX’s smooth shape had some Pininfarina concept influence (via the HP-X). Meanwhile, Zagato popped back up in the new millennium with the 2001 Toyota VM180 Zagato, a limited-production roadster based on the MR2. These were specialty projects, but they underscore an important point: the Italian design houses had become trusted partners for adding flair to Japanese performance and luxury vehicles.
Pininfarina and Others in the ’90s: Pininfarina, after the little Honda City, took on larger projects. They collaborated with Mitsubishi to design the 1991 Mitsubishi HSR-II concept and later helped with the styling of the Mitsubishi Pajero Junior SUV (or Pinin) in 1997 (adding Italian chic to a tough off-roader). Even Nissan drew inspiration from Italy — while the 1980s Nissan “MID4” concept sports cars weren’t designed by Italdesign, their sharp lines and proportions echoed the styling language popularized by Giugiaro and other Italian studios. By the 1990s, the exchange of design ideas between Japan and Italy had become so fluid that the lines began to blur. Japanese cars grew more expressive and daring (think of the ’90s Mazda RX-7 or Toyota Supra — not Italian-designed, but clearly world-class in styling), while Italian manufacturers began embracing Japanese-like reliability and production discipline. It was a decade in which the two cultures’ automotive design philosophies truly began to merge into a global aesthetic.
Grand Finale: 21st Century Collaborations and Celebrations
By the 2000s and 2010s, Japanese automakers largely handled design in-house or through their global studios. The era of needing Italian houses for mainstream models had passed – but the story wasn’t quite over. Instead, collaborations took on a new form: celebratory one-offs and limited editions that paid homage to the history shared by these two automotive cultures. Perhaps nothing encapsulates this better than the project that closed out our timeline:
Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign (2020) – Co-designed by Italdesign and Nissan. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nissan’s legendary GT-R in 2019 – and coincidentally Italdesign’s own 50th birthday in 2018 – the two companies joined forces for the first time ever. The idea: take Nissan’s latest GT-R Nismo supercar and give it an Italian tailored suit. The result, unveiled as a prototype in 2018, was the GT-R50 by Italdesign, a striking reimagining of Godzilla with a distinctly European supercar vibe. With a lower roofline, dramatic gold accents, and a completely bespoke body, the GT-R50 looked part Nissan, part Lamborghini (not surprising, as Italdesign is based in Italy after all). It was not just a show car – Nissan decided to offer a very limited production run of 50 units for customers at a cool $1 million+ each. Mechanically, it remained a Nissan GT-R, but Italdesign handled the development, engineering and coachbuilding of the new body and interior. In a way, this project hearkened back to the coachbuilt specials of the 1960s, but with all the modern trappings. It truly was a fusion of Japanese performance engineering and Italian bespoke design. Notably, Nissan’s own design teams collaborated on the styling, working with Italdesign’s craftsmen – a symbol of how closely intertwined the two design cultures have become. The GT-R50’s sharp, crisp lines and lavish details (that gold blade slicing through the body, for instance) gave a fresh take on a Japanese icon, and it serves as a rolling tribute to the long history of Italian-Japanese cooperation. As Nissan put it, this was the first-ever collaboration between Nissan and Italdesign – a statement that would have seemed surprising in the ’80s or ’90s, but is actually true at a corporate level. What a way to finally team up!
Continuing Exchanges: Even beyond the GT-R50, the 21st century has seen Italian studios like Zagato craft a few special models for Japan (for example, one-off Zagato concepts for Toyota), and firms like Alpine (the French sports car brand revived with help from Japanese partner Nissan) drawing on Italian design talent. However, these are the exceptions rather than the norm. Nowadays Japanese car design stands on its own feet globally – but the legacy of those Italian collaborations is firmly embedded. Many Japanese designers today are inspired by the mid-century Italian greats, and conversely, Italian designers have learned from Japanese minimalism and precision. The cultural exchange has made both sides stronger.
A Harmonious Fusion of Styles
From Giovanni Michelotti’s first steps onto the Japanese scene in 1960, through the heady days of Bertone, Ghia, Vignale and Pininfarina penning Japanese models in the ’60s, to Giugiaro’s enduring relationships and the conceptual playgrounds of the ’80s, all the way to modern commemorative supercars, the collaboration between Italian coachbuilders and Japanese manufacturers has been a rich and colorful journey. These partnerships produced cars that were often greater than the sum of their parts: Japanese engineering and reliability paired with Italian artistry and passion. The design languages exchanged – Italy’s flair for proportion and detail, Japan’s focus on innovation and user experience – resulted in cars that appealed to enthusiasti and everyday drivers alike.
Commercially, some of these ventures were home runs (e.g. the Lexus GS brought Italian sophistication into many a corporate parking lot), while others were low-volume experiments (only 60 Prince Skyline Sports were built, but their impact on Nissan’s image was lasting). We saw concept cars like the Mazda MX-81 push the envelope of what a car could be, and we saw bread-and-butter vehicles like the Suzuki Carry become a bit more stylish for their time thanks to Italian input. Culturally, the collaborations taught both sides valuable lessons. The Japanese learned how to inject emotion and elegance into their products, accelerating their acceptance on the world stage. The Italians, on the other hand, faced new engineering challenges and a new audience, at times adapting their designs to Japanese needs (often having to simplify or modernize their handcrafted approach for mass production – a learning experience in discipline).
For car enthusiasts, the Italo-Japanese cars hold a special charm. They are often off the beaten path, a little left-field in the pantheon of classic cars – a Prince Skyline Sport or an Isuzu 117 Coupé at a car show will draw quizzical looks followed by smiles of appreciation when the backstory is revealed. They represent a meeting of minds: the samurai and the artist, the Zen and the Baroque, all rolled on four wheels.
Today, brands like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Mazda largely design their own vehicles, yet the influence of that past collaboration lingers like a sweet aftertaste of gelato. And when anniversary time comes or a daring concept is needed, the phone lines to Turin still light up. After all, heritage is important – and what a heritage it is when you have Italy in your corporate family tree.
In the grand tapestry of automotive history, the collaboration between Italian coachbuilders and Japanese carmakers is a shining thread of innovation and style. It’s a story of how two very different cultures found common ground in a shared love of the automobile, each bringing out the best in the other. The cars we’ve highlighted – from the one-off showstoppers to the mass-produced icons – are testament to that symbiosis. They remind us that design knows no borders. As long as there are cars (and car enthusiasts), Italy and Japan will continue to inspire each other – una bella combinazione indeed, and one that has given us some truly unforgettable automobiles.
Sources: The historical and design details in this article are drawn from a variety of sources that document Italian-Japanese automotive collaborations. Notable references include Nissan’s official heritage archives, which recount Michelotti’s work on the Prince Skyline Sport, and contemporary accounts of the Hino Contessa by Michelotti. The influence of coachbuilders like Vignale on the Daihatsu Compagno is recorded in classic car reviews, while Mazda’s partnership with Bertone and Giugiaro for the Luce is detailed in Mazda’s own historical summaries. The story of the Isuzu 117 Coupé styled by Giugiaro at Ghia is confirmed by Isuzu’s corporate history pages and enthusiast literature noting it as one of the first Italian-designed Japanese cars. For the 1960s context, the article “Tokyo, Twinned with Turin” provides an overview of how widespread these collaborations were. Moving to later decades, documentation of Giugiaro’s work on the 1969 Suzuki Carry is found in Wikipedia’s chronicle of Suzuki’s models, and Italdesign’s own project archives describe the conception of the 1979 Asso di Fiori and its link to the Piazza. The Mazda MX-81 concept’s features and background are well-recorded in automotive media like MotorTrend, especially its restoration story. Pininfarina’s role in the Honda City Cabriolet is noted in Italian-language Honda history sources. The development of the Lexus GS by Giugiaro’s Italdesign is documented on our Carrozzieri Italiani website, attesting to the European design influence on that Japanese luxury sedan. Finally, the collaboration on the Nissan GT-R50 is described by Italdesign’s press information, highlighting the joint effort to celebrate a 50-year legacy. All these sources collectively paint a picture of a dynamic, decades-long exchange – a true fusion of automotive cultures.
