Tsutomu Matano, known as Tom Matano, passed away on September 20 in San Francisco. The news was shared on social media during the weekend of the Miata Reunion.
Born in Nagasaki in 1947, Tsutomo “Tom” Matano graduated in engineering from Seikei University in Tokyo in 1969, and moved to the U.S. in 1970 to pursue a career in automotive design.
He joined the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and later was hired by General Motors (GM) to work in the Oldsmobile division, before being sent to Australia for the Holden design studio.
After working at GM Australia and BMW in Germany, Matano joined the Mazda studio in Irvine, California.
There, he led Mazda’s first design studio in the U.S. starting in 1983, overseeing the design work for the original MX-5 Miata and developing the vehicle’s globally famous chassis.
The renowned designer said that the goal behind the Miata was “not just to make a sports car, but to nurture it throughout its life.” As a result of this philosophy, the RX-7 was also born, a product of the work in his studio.
After the successes of the Miata and RX-7, Matano climbed the ranks, leading Mazda’s North American R&D and later overseeing all of the automaker’s global design studios.
Tom was known for being a kind and humorous person. He leaves behind a legacy of over one million Miatas produced by Mazda. His passing was mourned by the Miata Reunion, which promised to pay tribute to the designer.
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Photos: Instagram @miatapapa. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
