“Oh, sweet Jesus.” That was the prevailing sentiment when we were told that Japanese automaker Mitsuoka, the same company that introduced us to the admittedly awesome Himiko Roadster, was bringing its production run of the Orochi to an end with a special edition->ke2041 model. Then we saw what the “special edition” model looked like and let’s just say that there were a few awkward blank faces in the room. First introduced in 2001 as a concept model, the Mitsuoka Orochi unbelievably went through two design revisions before Mitsuoka->ke59 sent it to production in late 2006, proudly proclaiming it as a “fashion supercar,” arguably the greatest use of marketing irony in the automotive history.

Incredibly, the 2014 Mitsuoka Orochi is still around in 2014, but this is where the good news comes in: the “special edition” model Mitsuoka is releasing, dubbed the Orochi Evangelion Edition”, is actually a final edition set created to give the Orochi its proper and long-overdue send-off.

Eleven examples of the Orochi Evangelion Edition will be made, each paying tribute to the hugely popular Evangelion anime series in Japan. Once all 11 models are sold, the Orochi will be no more, and all will be right in the auto world once again.

Click past the jump to read more about the Mitsuoka Orochi Evangelion Edition.

Exterior

Since Mitsuoka introduced the Orochi as a production model in 2007, the naively described “fashion supercar” has undergone little aesthetic revisions. To be fair, the overall dimensions of the Orochi isn't actually bad. There are some strange curves that do little to create a design balance, but the overall swooping lines and the aggressive fenders do have the appearance of a full-fledged sports car.

Where everything seems to fall apart is the car’s front end. The same four headlights are there, largely contributing to the car’s boorish looks. The misplaced chrome grille is also there. That grille has been panned for looking like the small opening of a fish’s mouth and yet, it has lasted long enough to to still be a prominent feature in the car’s final production run. Go figure.

The case for the Orochi Evangelion Edition is its inspiration from the ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ anime series that revolved around a group of children selected to pilot gigantic Evangelion robots and battle evil Angels bent on destroying the world.

The splashy body color may be a complete eye sore to a lot of people, but fans of the hit 90's anime series will understand the method behind the colorful madness and how it recognizes the intricate colors of those spindly Evangelion 'bots from the series.

Interior

As obnoxious as the Orochi's exterior is, the cabin is actually quite nice, even if you have to lower your standards on what "nice" means.

The car’s two seats and the steering wheel have all been dressed in Alcantara. The dashboard is smooth and clean and the center console is neatly arranged to include the car’s gears and knobs, as well as a small infotainment system located at the base of the console.

It’s a shame that little attention has been paid to the Orochi’s cabin because if there ever was any saving grace to the car, it’s definitely the interior.

Drivetrain

Powering the Orochi Evangelion Edition is the same Toyota-sourced, 3.3-liter, 3MZ-FE V-6 engine that was used in a handful of Toyota and Lexus models in the mid 2000s.

The engine comes with an output of 230 horsepower and 242 pound-feet of torque with power sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission.

Prices

The Mitsuoka Orochi has never bent to conventional rules. Now that it's nearing its production run, it's prepared to go to the grave in the same unorthodox fashion.

Multiple reports indicate that the Orochi Evangelion Edition can only be purchased via lottery tickets that will be sold at 7-Eleven stores throughout Japan until the end of November 2014.

You read that right. No dealerships for these 11 bad-boys; just lottery tickets from the same store that sells condoms and chewing gums.

In any case, successful buyers will be informed of their “winning” tickets on December 23, at which point they have the opportunity to score dibs on the Orochi Evangelion Edition for 16 million yen, or about $157,000 based on current exchange rates.

Conclusion

The tie-up with Evangelion is a stroke of genius, especially for those who lived their childhood vicariously through those awesome robots. But other than that, there's nothing about the Mitsuoka Orochi Evangelion Edition that draws us to it. On the contrary, the mere sight out of it might cause people to just run to the other direction as fast as they can. That's not something we want to subject people to.