Bluespring

Overview

Following on from the Honda NSX-based Bossa Nova body set, the ND-generation Mazda MX-5 (aka the Roadster in Japan) served as my next target for remodelling and expansion. As with that project, the original body was lacking in variants (consisting of only two wheelbases with two variants each) and in dire need of a remake.

My plan was not only to supplement the existing softtop and hardtop convertible variants with a fixed-roof fastback and a shooting brake, but also make it morphable into the Mitsuoka Rock Star, a second-gen Corvette-esque boutique rebody of the MX-5. This latter part was no small undertaking, but well worth the effort.

Available in vanilla Automation

Shortest and longest wheelbases (Automation)

Rear of replica build (BeamNG.drive)

Concept and Morphs

The Mitsuoka Rock Star has a special place in my heart. Between its strong "rock" motif and the base MX-5 being an ideal "fun" sports car geared towards more youthful drivers, if Bocchi the Rock! was a car, it'd be the Rock Star.¹ That also led to the project's name, "bluespring" being a calque of the Japanese seishun (青春).

Most of the section of the MX-5 between the wheels (roof, doors, etc.) remains the same on the Rock Star, with the biggest differences being the longer and differently contoured front and rear overhangs. In addition to the standard dual-axis "hood slant" and "boot slant" morphs (plus a lower rear bumper shape key) to get the side-on contours down, front and rear "angle" morphs stretch the corners outward to help square off the top-down shape. Lastly, a pair of front and rear detail keys pull the edge loops at both ends together to turn the top-down curves into subtle points, à la the nose of the third-gen Chevrolet Corvette.

Rock Star aside, coke-bottle beltline morphs were added as a different kind of retro styling feature. The bases of the A- and B-pillars have a similar movement range as on the Bossa Nova, which allows for the entire cabin to be moved forward for transverse mid-engine builds. Unlike with the Bossa Nova, the cabin and both engine bays remain large enough to dispense with separate front- and mid-engined variants on different chassis.

Variants

Variant-wise, the most notable addition is the 3-door shooting brake, which is predominantly based on an Instagram render by sugardesign_1; that car's proportions in turn take after the "clownshoe" BMW Z3. In contrast to most other coupe-based shooting brake variants which are included at the whims of the modellers, this one was a request from the developers, citing the potential for luxury shooting brakes such as the Ferrari FF. To make morphs cleaner, the trunk seams along the rear window were simplified and the spoiler area was made flat by default, with the spoiler itself being a morph.

The wheelbase lineup is also unusual in that the default 2310 mm (91 in) wheelbase is the second shortest, with only a shorter kei wheelbase compared to three longer wheelbases. The longest measures in at 2870 mm (113 in), the same as the Lexus LC.

Shooting brake variant with a few morphs active