Mazda’s ‘Cosmo’ nameplate has been dormant for over 20 years, which is why we’re excited to show you this concept that resides in both the virtual and the real world. Well, sort of.

The original Cosmo was a grand touring coupe that sat atop Mazda’s range as a flagship model between 1967 and 1996, when the fourth and final generation Cosmo (under the Japan-only Eunos brand) went out of production.

Since the Cosmo has always pioneered new technologies for Mazda, it makes perfect sense that any all-new version would also sport at least one or two very impressive technological features, especially if the year in question is supposed to be 2027.

On paper, this 2027 Cosmo concept stays true to the original as a two-seater sports car. Novelties include the electric powertrain with a hydrogen-fueled rotary engine acting as a range extender, Level 4 autonomous features and 3D facial recognition.

The concept was designed by Seok Hyun Kim as a BA thesis project, and it’s even been built as a 1/5 scale clay model.

As far as styling goes, it does away with Mazda’s own design language, which embraces lots of curves, in favor of sharp creases and wedges. Now, if Hiroshima deigns to roll out a rotary-powered sports car, is this something that would resonate with you as a future model or not?