A shuttered elementary school in Hiroshima is becoming a sports car museum this summer, led by a legendary former Mazda engineer, to celebrate Japan's iconic roadsters.

What happened: The Sportscar Jinba-Ittai Museum will hold a preopening event on Aug. 23 at a former elementary school in Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture. The museum is being led by Takao Kijima, 77, a former chief engineer of Mazda's Roadster, who relocated to the city in April to help transform the community.

Why it matters: The museum centers on the jinba-ittai concept—literally 'a horse and a rider as one'—which was a key philosophy behind Mazda's Roadster development and embodies the company's approach to seamless harmony between a car and its driver. The project aims to turn the area into what organizers hope will become a pilgrimage site for motorsports fans.

What to watch: The museum will open this summer at the former Kuruhara Elementary School site in the Takamiya district, marking a new cultural use for a shuttered school building in the region.