Tom Matano, Designer of the Original Miata & Executive Director, School of Industrial Design, Academy of Art University, San Francisco

 

The automotive world lost one of the good guys on September 20, 2025. His death struck close to home for me, we were very close in age. Beyond that he was an icon, and the world cannot afford to lose too many true icons.

I didn't know Tom that well. We were both members of the Western Automotive Journalists (WAJ) and I'd see him at meetings and events, maybe we'd exchange a few words. 

I first met him years ago when he was a guest speaker at a WAJ dinner meeting. I knew his name from the car magazines I read but to hear him speak of his time at Mazda was inspiring. I may be old but when I meet someone I've only read about, someone who has had a monumental impact on the industry I love, I become an awkward teenager.

I have met more than my share of "important" people, even other car designers, and few were as down to earth as Tom Matano. The world is a better place because of him. He will be missed.

I don't think I every told Tom that my wife's true love is a bright red Miata, the one she never got.