Matano-san was responsible for two iconic 1990s designs, the NA MX-5 and DC RX-7. But he was a whole lot more than that.

Born in 1945, Tsutomu “Tom” Matano’s home town, Nagasaki, was the target of the second atomic bombing after Hiroshima. He was born barely a month after that calamitous event.

He studied for an engineering degree at Seikei University, graduating in 1969 and immediately headed off to the US aboard his uncle’s container ship. He ended up in New York and along the way studied English before graduating again in 1974.

He went to work for GM in Detroit before being packed off to GM Holden for a few years where he worked with Phillip Zmood on the Torana and a few little bits and pieces like wheels for the forthcoming Commodore.

In 1977 he once again he packed his things and headed to BMW’s Munich HQ before returning to the US in 1983 to take up the role of Chief Designer for Mazda North America.

An ever-rising star, he became Vice President of Design and then on to other higher executive roles in operations, research and development and design.

He was also a motoring journalist and executive director of the School of Industrial Design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and vice-president of design at Next Autoworks.

He worked to the very end, dying at age 76. He leaves behind a spectacular legacy as not just the designer but one of the driving forces behind the cult status of the MX-5.

Godspeed, Matano-san.

Perhaps the nicest thing I’ve seen about him – and there has been a lot of nice stuff about him – is this video by the wonderful Alanis King, a US motoring journalist and co-author of the spectacular Racing With Rich Energy. I’ll leave you with it: