Remember the Fiat X1/9? It was a lovely little go-kart by all accounts, but with its rust-prone steel and thin-on-the-ground Fiat dealer network (at least in the U.S.) it slowly faded from the scene. Believe it or not, there is a nice bright blue one still living around here. I’ve seen it in a driveway several times.
Sadly, not at car shows or on the street, so no pics yet. Anyway, Toyota took the Fiat’s general hard points and then produced a sporty two-seater of their own: the MR2, or “Mister Two,” as it was affectionately dubbed by its fans.
The MR2 was the result of a mid-’70s Toyota project to develop a fun, sporty car that would also give good fuel economy: the best of both worlds. It was not originally intended as a rip-rorting speed machine or “real” sports car, but as time passed, the MR2 turned into just that soon after its 1984 debut. It must have looked a bit jarring in the showroom sitting amongst the vanilla Corollas, Coronas and Cressidas. Like Opel GTs sitting in Buick showrooms in the ’60s and ’70s!
The MR2 wore its intentions on its sleeve, so to speak, as “MR2” stood for “mid-engine, rear-wheel drive and two-passenger.” It utilized MacPherson struts at both front and rear, unitized construction, and was initially powered by the 4A-GE 1.6-liter DOHC four-cylinder with DENSO fuel injection. This tiny but sturdy mill produced 112 horsepower in U.S.-bound cars.
That might not sound like much, but keep in mind that the MR2 had just 2,350-lb. of curb weight, was 155.5″ long, and had a 91.3-inch wheelbase. Even with the sub-2.0 engine, zero-to-sixty came in a bit under nine seconds–pretty good for a mid-’80s sporty car saddled with tons of emissions spaghetti under the hood. North American sales were decent, totaling 37,674 in 1985 (its first full year on the market), and 31,352 in 1986.
There was even a supercharged version available starting in 1988. These special MR2s got an 4A-GZE engine with a Roots supercharger, good for 145 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-100 km/h (0-62 mph) knocked about a second off the normally-aspirated 1.6-liter’s time. Supercharged MR2s also got a fortified transmission, stiffer springs, special alloy wheels and several “Supercharged” logos throughout the vehicle.
Both standard and supercharged MR2s came with a five-speed manual transmission; a four-speed automatic was optional. Minor changes were the general rule during the first-gen’s run. A leather interior became available in 1986, and a T-top roof became an optional extra for 1987.
My only experience with one of these was in 1995, when my parents moved us all into a new house. Shortly after we got settled, someone abandoned one of these on the street, just beyond our patio. I was very curious about an abandoned car literally below our patio. It was black and silver two-tone and it had clearly seen better days. It was a definite beater. Before it finally got towed away, I must have walked around that car and peeked inside a dozen times.
The aforementioned supercharged model came out in ’88, and the swan-song ’89 saw the center rear brake light moved from the rear window to the trunk spoiler. By the late ’80s, the first-gen’s folded, origami styling was getting little stale. “Organic” (AKA jellybean or potato-shaped) styling was the new trend, and an all-new ’90 version would take over. But sales tanked quickly–only 933 were sold in the U.S. and Canada in 1995-its last year there, though it continued to be sold in other markets through 1999. Full production records of the non-Spyder MR2s can be found here.
One by one, Toyota’s cool cars–Celica, MR2, Supra–disappeared from the lineup. Toyota’s current lineup is composed of perfectly adequate if combover-heavy cars and a BMW in a “Supra” Halloween costume. Is the FR-S dead or not? Haven’t seen one in years. But at any rate, no rear- or mid-engined two seaters!
One final kind of amusing note. Ran by this on accident recently. Some tall elderly blogger re-ran it. Out of professional curiosity I scrolled down and it seems said elderly dude is re-running 2-3 of my old posts on a semi regular basis. Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, I presume. Bwa ha!