- [Alex] When people think of Toyota,
a lot of them automatically assume the Supra
because it's, well, it's just the Supra,
and you gotta say it like that,
but even before the Supra, Toyota was dabbling
in making fun, exciting little sports cars
that still got decent gas mileage for the average driver.
The average joe like you and me
because, guess what?
We're people too.
And even though the car is 40 plus year old,
40 years old now, what?
Even though the car is really old,
it still makes an absolute racket in the scene
because for some reason, these cars end up being built
with like 650 horsepower
and they're just like drag destroyers.
It's just how the car do.
I'm Alex, Alex.fi at Instagram
and today, ladies and gentlemen, we're talking
about the car that always slides underneath the radar.
The car that, just like your high school crush,
got a little weird and then fell off the deep end
in the last bit of college.
Today, ladies and gentleman, we're talking about
the one and the only, the Toyota MR2.
(thumping electronica music)
(engine revving)
(thumping electronica music)
Hi.
And, of course, if you're looking
for after market wheels, tires, or suspension,
be sure to check out fitmentindustries.com
where we have it all.
From stuff for your, like, newly acquired MR2
because your watching this now,
which is pretty much every type
of wheel, coilover, air suspension kit
we have for that platform,
or you're just looking to take a little peek-skies.
If you can spell it, we probably have it.
And don't forget to hit the little subscribe button
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Plus if you guys are looking to get entered in
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- wheels, tires, and suspension -
check on fitmentindustries.com.
We've got a little bit more information.
This is how I talk to my cat sometimes
and then he gets really worried
because then he runs away from me.
(chuckling)
So I have to talk to him like a normal adult.
The Toyota MR2 had some humble beginnings
because Toyota was spending their time back in 1976
wondering how Nissan and Datsun
were crushing the competition when it came
to the German counterparts at the time.
They wanted that too.
They wanted to play sports ball like the rest of the kids
but it's Toyota, so they weren't just gonna put
all their eggs in one basket with a sports car
like the Supra or the Celica at the time.
So to start it off, they went in to design a car
that was just simply fun to drive, had good gas mileage,
and wasn't inherently a sports car
but just something enjoyable to own.
That was like the thing.
Those were the boundaries that they had set.
The limitations of the oil crisis
was weighing down on auto manufacturers
from doing pretty much anything fun
and ended up stalling the design work
for the MR2 until 1979.
Designer Akio Yoshida would finally had the chance
to begin working on the car
and ended up with a mid-transverse engine placement.
(stuttering)
Not a sports car.
But it had a coupe-style body
but it wasn't a sports car
and they called it the SAX and even with it
not wanting to be a sports car,
it had everything to be a sports car.
Come on, you put the engine in the middle of your car
and you don't expect it to be a sports car?
That, what, the,
(grunting)
(gagging)
(grunting)
It doesn't even make sense in 1978.
Maybe it was just because of all the (sniffs).
There were some drugs going around back then, okay?
Once they completed their initial testing,
the car made it's debut on the tracks
to see if it was actually capable of handling itself.
They had people like Dan Gurney,
the racing man in Formula One at the time,
that would take it through the tracks like Willow Springs,
to make sure it was actually up to snuff
and, spoiler alert, it was.
It was actually a pretty decent sports car
that could make it's way around the track pretty darn well.
Even with the Toyota Celica Supra
taking precedence in the Toyota lineup,
- [Announcer] A fuel-injected engine.
- [Driver] More horsepower!
- [Announcer] The independent suspension,
the four wheel disc brakes. (tires squealing)
- The MR2 would be successful
in it's initial launch in 1983 as the SV3 concept.
When it launched in 1984, it hit extremely well.
The MR2 would be the first Japanese mid-engine car
to hit the market and that blew absolutely everyone away.
The Japanese auto manufacturers
have always been paramount in terms
of pushing the envelope and the MR2 was that at the time.
Now, even with it not being called a sports car, it was,
because the development of the MR2
was not really intended to be one but it did it.
It's just kind of weird.
They just wanted it to be a fun commuter, you know?
They just wanted to have fun.
Still don't believe that for a minute.
But the MR2 had collaborations with Lotus at the time
to gain performance at handling
within the little two door coupe-ay, okay?
So just so you know, p.s. Lotus did assist
with the development of the suspension
but the car was actually designed by Toyota,
so don't let those garage talks fool you.
It's not as much as you actually think.
In addition, the MR2 is it's own hot tamale,
not a rip off of the Fiero
or Guy Fiera, if that's what you're up to.
The two design teams actually found out
about their competitor's platform by accident,
pretty much at the same time.
You also have to remember that it was the 80s
and everybody was gunning into the sports car,
compact, not sports car, market.
So, the more you know.
The first generation was a hit.
It came in some different models
and didn't do half bad against the competition
because you have to remember that
it was faster than the Fiat,
it was lighter than the Fiero, and it did it all
without too much fuss because it was still a Toyota.
The car would become the car of the year for 1984 and 1985.
Slap that on your LinkedIn profile, buddy,
and send it, because it was Japanese best car,
which put it ahead of the CRX and the Nissan Laurel.
- [Announcer] The Toyota MR2.
So exciting, it just won Motor Trend's
Import Car Of The Year.
The fun is back!
♪ Whoa-oh-oh oh, what a feeling, Toyota ♪
One of the lovely trends was the supercharged model,
which kicked in a nickel in pretty much every way possible.
Fun, it had the scoot scoot,
it had stiffer springs, aluminum wheels.
It wasn't too shabby.
It was little bit heavier
but it was still a little bit better.
It was a good car and it's a little bit rare now
but it got the job done.
The car would enter into different kinds of motor sport,
including the African Group B rallies
and some European stuff as well.
However, it didn't really get to anything.
It's kind of like the kid that says
he's always going back to college but never does
and it did okay but by the time Toyota put
all their ammo into the MR2 for those racing classes,
the class was actually disbanded
and never really brought back again,
never really got into it.
They made some cool concepts though
and if you can find one, you're rich.
In 1989, Toyota introduced their second generation
and it made everything that was fantastic
about the first generation and made it even better.
It was sleek, sexy, and it was fancy.
Kazutoshi Arima, the chief engineer, wanted
to make it even more up, up, up, up, up, upmarket
or whatever you want to say.
What do you wanna call it?
I'll call it just exotic.
They wanted to make it neat
and look like a Ferrari pretty much, at the time,
and they did a damn good job with it.
In short, they really just took design cues from Ferrari,
dubbed it practically the poor man's Ferrari,
and launched it into the world
with new Toyota development underneath a new style.
Now, that doesn't mean that they copied Ferrari
because it was still a Toyota
and they did so good with their first generation,
they just made it better.
A lot of their styling cues came from that
because it was just what you did back then
and with the improvements being made solely on their car
and the personal feedback of more racers,
it did really well.
The MR2 would be introduced with two models for the oosa,
which was the base model and the turbo.
They had about 130 horsepower
and 200 horsepower respectively.
What the car did so well was be a sports car
that was in it's own category
without really being dismissed
as the lower tier option for a sports car.
But it wasn't a sports car.
The car even went up against cars
like the Toyota Supra, the RX-7, and the GTR
and held it's own in plenty of comparisons
when you were looking at it's actual function.
In the racing world, it saw much more success
with the second generation through the JGTC
and the world accepted the second generation MR2
as a proper sports car without all the negatives
that came with most sports cars.
In fact, Toyota did a fantastic job
with the placement of the MR2 when you compare it
to the Supras and things like that at the time.
The third generation was a bit rough
but still has love out there for many people.
Many people think that the third generation
is the best handling MR2 out and about
but it didn't get much love because
just look at the little softie.
He's just kind of like, you know, he's a soft boy.
But enough history, we're done, it's over.
Stop talking about it.
We're here to help decide if the MR2 is the car for you
and that's a rap and I'm a rapper.
After all, it is a Toyota but it isn't the Supra.
It shows similarity to the Fiero
and not many people are about that platform anymore,
so why would you want it?
So you want a Toyota MR2?
Well, set down your hair gel there, bud,
and put down the initial deed
because we're gonna into
this mini, not sports car, sports car
and figure out if it's the one for you.
Now, the MR2 is a fantastically good sports car,
especially the first and second generation.
They have an incredible platform
that many people find themselves diving head first into.
The first generation, even with it being a bit older,
has quite the loyal following.
A lot of people that have MR2s will tell everybody
that they have MR2s because they're a fun car to own.
Most enthusiasts end up restoring them, driving them,
and just enjoying them for what they are.
Although after market modifications do exist,
the first generation isn't really touted
as the one to modify.
No, no, that is, how does the kids do it?
(children cheering)
Yeah, second generation.
The second generation is where a lot of the community sits.
Now whether that's through engine swaps, turbo supercharges,
full motor builds, BC Racing coilovers,
Enkei or Avid 1 wheels, Michelin tires,
and pretty much everything in between,
the car is an absolute champ.
You can get all those at fitmentindustries.com, by the way.
The second generation is like (hands rubbing).
How do I say this?
It's like that one taco joint
that you always go to that you're never disappointed with.
The second generation MR2 has such a following
that you can do some pretty insane stuff with them,
including making them absolutely stupid fast.
The two fastest cars from my little hometown in Eau Claire
were both MR2s and they are owned by brothers.
The cars are stupid scary to be in
as they run around town with way too much horsepower.
The car out of the gate is reliable.
Parts exist for it and modifications continue
to be bought and sold through third party plages
and main vendors, pretty much all the time.
I'm gonna be honest here.
There's not much wrong with the second generation MR2.
I prefer the facelift styles
because it really just locks in the styling
that I think Toyota was really trying
to accomplish at the time.
The third generation is a bit questionable
because it didn't really hit the aftermarket world
as hard as the previous two and although it does
have a racing background professionally,
it never really hit the streets.
Now it could be due to the styling,
the focus on the convertible aspect of the car,
or that it was just a hair slower
than it's predecessor, stock for stock.
However the car is no slouch as a weekend warrior
and can put as many smiles on your face
as turns you can find.
The second generation is probably the one to get
if you're looking to modify the car.
First generation is a cool, legacy car
if you're looking to restore something
and just own a piece of history.
And the third generation is probably one
you're gonna wanna wait until you maybe,
I don't know, retire.
It's just one of those things.
It depends on the styling that you're looking for
but Toyota has always made fantastic sports cars
and regardless of the generation, they all have their pros
with really the only cons
being the fact that they are a bit older,
harder to find, and sometimes,
depending on the body style that you're getting,
can be a little bit prone to rust.
Now, if you can get past all of that
and you're okay with owning a small sports car
that has literally no space, then the MR2 is for you
and you can make them so insanely fast,
that you may just find yourself wondering
why you even built it as fast as you did.
I love every single MR2 I find
and I wish more people added them to the gallery.
So if you want to or you have one,
you should head on over to fitmentindustries.com/add
to add it so that I can see more,
because we have like only 40 and it makes me sad.
I'm Alex from Fitment Industries.
Let us know what you'd like us to talk about next
in the comments section below and if you're looking
for aftermarket wheels, tires, or suspension,
be sure to check out fitmentindustries.com.
Don't forget to subscribe and I think that's it.
By the way, in case you guys are wondering, all right,
we get asked this nine million times.
That's a KNP, Concept KNP.
That's what that one is, okay?
That's a TSW, that's a Klutch Four's three piece,
it's a Concept over there.
I think one of these is the Nurburg, Konig Ampliform.
You know, maybe we should just do the wheel wall quiz again.
I think that'd be fun.
Anyway, I'm Alex from Fitment Industries.
We'll see you later.
All right, goodbye.
Peace.