The Toyota MR2: A Sportscar with a Twist
The Toyota MR2 is a legendary sports car that needs no introduction. As one of the famous "Toyota triplets," it's the smaller brother of the Supra and was once faster than its sibling. In this article, we'll delve into the history of the Toyota MR2, its design experimentations, and what made it a standout on the roads.
The Birth of a Concept
In 1979, Lead Designer Akio Yoshida was experimenting with a design concept that would change the face of sports cars forever. He wanted to build a car that was not only fuel-efficient but also a blast to drive. With his sketch pad in hand, Yoshida had an epiphany - what if he placed the engine behind the driver? This radical idea led to the creation of the Toyota MR2.
Aerodynamics and Weight Balance
Yoshida's innovative design featured the engine situated behind the driver, which provided exceptional aerodynamics and a perfect weight balance. The car's designers wanted to achieve a sportscar-like experience without compromising on practicality. With this setup, the MR2 was poised to handle twisties with ease.
A Cutting-Edge Design
When Yoshida presented his design to his bosses, they were both intrigued and skeptical. The prototype rode a fine line between cutting-edge technology and cost-cutting measures. While some critics might view the use of MacPherson strut suspension as an attempt to save costs, Toyota saw it as innovative and minimalist design.
The Benefits of Minimalism
Macpherson struts, although less advanced than other suspensions, took up less space in the compact MR2. This was crucial when designing a small mid-engined car with an engine in the rear. By saving space wherever possible, the designers ensured that every aspect of the car worked harmoniously together.
Powerful Engine
The Toyota MR2 was powered by the world's first production twin cam, 16 valve engine - the 4A-GE. This little four-banger delivered a whopping 7,400 rpm redline and screamed its way to performance greatness. The engine was a freakin legend in its own right.
Racing Legend's Input
Toyota took the MR2's development seriously, even enlisting the help of racing legend Dan Gurney. He worked with the team for four days at Willow Springs, fine-tuning the suspension to get it just right. Gurney was so impressed that he convinced Toyota to let him take the prototype on Angeles Crest highway for real-world testing.
A Love Affair with Speed
Gurney's experience with the MR2 left him smitten. He texted the car randomly and even asked it to marry him. When it picked up, he would call her late at night, only to hang up. Gurney's love affair with the MR2 was a testament to its exceptional performance capabilities.
The MR2 Prototype
Yoshida's design experiment led to the creation of a car that defied conventional wisdom. With the engine behind the driver and pop-up headlights, the Toyota MR2 embodied a unique blend of innovation and practicality. Its development story is one of passion, creativity, and dedication to performance.
Conclusion
The Toyota MR2 may not be as well-known as its Supra sibling, but it's an iconic sports car in its own right. From its radical design concept to its impressive engine performance, the MR2 left a lasting impression on the automotive world. Its legacy continues to inspire car enthusiasts and designers alike, reminding us that sometimes, the most unexpected ideas can lead to something truly extraordinary.
WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enMR2.Mr. 2 if you're nasty.It’s a badass spaceship from Japan thatwent head to head with some of the best exoticsin the world.What it lacked in size it made up for in puredriving joy, and it helped Toyota establisha decade’s long reputation for performance.It'sone of the famous Toyota triplets, it's theSupra's little brother and at one point itwas faster.That's right.Here’s everything you need to know to getUp to Speed on the Toyota MR2.(8-bit music plays)This episode of Up To Speed is brought toyou by Movement Watches.I wear mine everyday and I've already beenmarried nine times.(Engine revving)The Toyota MR2 began as a design experimentin 1979.Lead Designer Akio Yoshida was trying to builda car that got great gas mileage and was fun to drive.I love it, I love this car.He was playing around with his sketch padand thought “WHOA, what if I put the enginebehind the driver?”The car could be really aerodynamic and theweight balance would be great for drivingaround on the twisties.“Holy crap guys, I think I just made a sportscar!”Yoshida’s bosses were like “Dude, you’rea little crazy, but we like it.Let’s make this thing!”The MR2 prototype rode a fine line betweencutting edge and cutting costs.The car was equipped with disc brakes at everywheel, which was advanced for the early eighties,but also used simple MacPherson strut suspension,which...wasn’t so advanced.What critics might see as a way to cut costs,Toyota saw as innovative, minimalist design.The simple nature of Macpherson struts madefor less sophisticated handling, but theytake up a lot less room.Which is important when you are putting anengine where it's not supposed to be, huh.When you’re designing a small mid-enginedcar, you have to save space wherever you can.I cannot stress this enough I learned it thehard way.Don't make the same mistakes I have.The Car was also powered by the world’sfirst production twin cam, 16 valve engine,the 4A-GE.Ever head of it, it's a freakin legend.The little four banger hit redline at 7,400rpm.It freakin screamed, and it ripped.The MR2 was Japan's first mid-engine car andit also had pop up freakin headlights.Toyota was serious about making the MR2 reallyreally good, they even tested the prototypeout at Willow Springs and had racing legendDan Gurney help develop the suspension.You know how every race car driver sprayschampagne on the podium after they win?Yeah, Dan Gurney invented that, so I thinkhe knows a thing or two about making fast cars.Sh*t cops.Get down on the ground!Dan and his team spent four days at Willowmaking tweaks to the car, to get it just right.Gurney liked the car so much, he convincedToyota to let him take the Prototype toAngeles Crest highway so he could see howwell it handled on real world conditions.He freaking loved it.He practically asked it to marry him.He called it late at night and when, whenit picked up he hung up.He would text the MR2 randomly and say "What'sup, how you been?Just thinking about you."That's how much he liked it.Toyota gave us the ‘Midship Runabout 2-seater,that is actually what MR2 stands for, in 1984,when it went on sale in Japan, and it wasan instant favorite.It was modern and exotic- the car was reminiscentof the prototypical driver’s car- the Lotus,which was intentional.Lotus helped Toyota design the suspension,and Toyota ‘borrowed’ a few Lotus designcues for the body.Alongside the Celica and Supra, the MR2 gaveToyota some serious performance cred.If you wanted an affordable and reliable sportscar in the 80s, you had get a Toyota!Why did people love the MR2 so much?Well I’ll tell ya bud!Like the Miata and Nissan Z, the MR2 gaveowners the raw driving thrill of a car exponentiallymore expensive.And since it was Japanese, you didn’t haveto worry about getting it serviced every tenthousand miles like a Ferrari.For around 38 grand in today’s money, youcould own a mid engined sportscar that lookedlike a spaceship.Yes, that's awesome.In 1986 the MR2 was offered with a superchargerthat produced 145 horsepower, which pushedthe car from zero to sixty in six and a halfseconds.That was faster than the Supra and almostas quick as the Ferrari 328.The supercharger also had an innovative featurethat allowed it to be disengaged when it wasn’tneeded to save gas.It could also be bought with T-tops whichpretty much makes the MR2 the most 80s car ever.You got the T-Top, you got them Pop Up headlightsand you got a supercharger.This thing is everything we love from the80s in one car, it’s amazing.So now Toyota’s got a real sports car that’sbeating everything on the road, so what do you do?Naturally, they take it off road.In the mid eighties Toyota built an MR2 rallycar called the ‘Two Twenty Two D’.It may have looked like an MR2, but sharedvirtually nothing with the production version,except for some body panels and that Macphersonstrut suspension.It was all wheel drive, and reportedly madeover 600 horsepower.It also looked like freaking monster.So how did this beast perform?Well, it didn’t.Unfortunately the class it was designed for,Group S, was scrapped with Group B. What’s Group B?Only the most badass collection of Rally Carsever assembled.(Loud exhaust notes)The second gen Mr. two debuted in 1990, witha fresh face and a sleek new bod.Critics soon started calling the W20 the ‘Poorman’s Ferrari’ because it kinda looked like one.The new MR2 embraced the Exotic mindset witha more luxurious interior and larger overall design.It's still very small.Chief Engineer Kazutoshi Arima.Chief Engineer Kazutoshi Arima exclaimed that“The MR2 should be the perfect expression of freedom.”Freedom!Arima wanted the car to be a space where theJapanese driver could be themselves, and hefelt the rigors of life in Japan made it hardto do so.The W20 weighed 400 pounds more than the previouscar, but that didn’t matter because Toyotagot rid of the Supercharger and threw on aturbocharger.It's a turbo Elaine, a turbo!Making 200 horses, and it was only availablewith a manual transmission.Which is freakin awesome.These days the Turbo models go for about 2 to 3times as much as the naturally aspirated ones,which sucks because I'm paying like $6500dollars a month in child support.He's 22 years old Jessica!The updated MR2 was again a legitimate threatto the ‘fancier’ sportscars.The stock turbo MR2 beat the NSX, Supra andFerrari 348 in the Quarter mile.On the Japanese car show “Best Motoring”the MR2 went head to head against cars likethe M3, R32, RX7 and the Supra, all of thembrand new at the time, and the MR2 held themall off for a lap, like it was playing GranTurismo on easy mode.Toyota Racing Development, TRD, offered theMR2 with an official body kit and tuning packageturning the car into a replica of their TRD2000 GT race car.Customers could order the package with whateverengine and suspension upgrades they wanted,with some rumored to produce over 500 horsepower.Making it the most badass deathtrap Toyotaever made.The second Gen MR2 was produced for ten yearswith only very few changes throughoutit was just that good.The one major change Toyota made to the 2ndGen MR2 was the suspension.The car had a tendency to let the tail outif you let off the gas during a turn, whichwould then snap back when the car found itsweight balance.Snap oversteer.This is easy to correct if you have F1 driverlevel skills like me or Dan Gurney, butit caught a lot of regular people off guard.Toyota made tweaks to fix the problem in ‘93,but critics said the car had lost it’s edge.Would you make up your mind?Do you want the car to kill you or not?I swear these car critics, I don't know man.The third generation MR2 “Spyder” witha "y" was unveiled in 2000, this time offeredonly as a convertible.Fans were a little disappointed with the toneddown looks but that didn’t matter becausethis thing was really freakin’ good.Some journalists called it the best handlingcar you could buy, even better than the freakingMiata.The new MR2 was being compared to the PorscheBoxster, which is exactly what Toyota wanted.Ya hear that Mazda?Not only is our car better than your’s we’rebetter than Porsche too!Suck it!Ohhh!The Spyder’s design was entirely focusedon the driving experience.Sure, It made ‘only’ 138 horsepower butthe car was so light that it didn’t even matter.Like the Miata and the Boxster, the Spyderrewarded drivers who kept their momentum going.However, if you still find the power to bea little lacking, swapping for other Toyotafour cylinders or even some 6's is prettyeasy.The Spyders gained popularity as a great choicefor first project cars.They’re pretty cheap and since it’s aToyota, you don’t have to worry about itbreaking down all the time.MR2 sales started to decline around the world,and the Spyder ended production in 2007.Toyota shifted their focus away from sportscars and towards building more practical carslike the Prius, until 2013 when they Introducedthe GT86, but that is a story for another day.The MR2 was Toyota’s take on the exotic,both in terms of looks and driving feel, andthey did a pretty damn good job.While it may have started 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