Driveway Outtake: A Lover of Red MR2s Lives Here
– Posted on February 17, 2021
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Does he call one of them MR-1?
It’s a good thing he doesn’t like Mazdas. He would have to have somewhere between 3 and 9 of them, depending on which model he prefers. 🙂
What’s not to love?
Are those California Blue Plates on the front one? I thought California quit using those in the 70s?
Those are Oregon plates with a silhouette of a bicyclist and a “number” consisting of 4 letters, no digits. I assume that not all possible 4-letter combinations are used. 🙂 I see these plates now and then in Seattle. Presumably an Oregon resident can give us the full story on them.
The front car looks like it has a California Blue Plate (i.e., starting with “1”), which is odd, because the Blue Plates predate the MR2 by several years.
The rear car has the Oregon “Share the Road” specialty plate. I believe the LWBG combination on this plate is random… odd to have a 4-letter plate that’s completely random, but that’s how Oregon apparently does it for these Share the Road plates and also for certain military veteran plates.
It’s unfortunate that Rick’s Plates doesn’t cover Oregon or California, as his website is really informative, for plates around here anyway. But it looks like you’ve explained it well, Eric.
Regarding the California plate predating the MR2, couldn’t he just have transferred the tags from an older car? When I had the original Chesapeake Bay Plates… literally (750-BAY)… I originally got them for my ‘97 T-Bird; they were transferred to my ‘97 Grand Prix GTP, and finally they were transferred again to my ‘07 Mustang. I’ve since swapped in the Maryland Proud Plates onto the Mustang.
In California, the plates stay with the car, not the owner. The only way you can swap a plate from one car to another is if it’s a vanity plate. Or with some CA year-of-manufacture shenanigans, but that only applies to cars 1980 and older. This is an ’86 MR2, per the license plate (1PEY656, through some smog-check-database trial and error), which means it slots in near the end of the CA blue plate lifespan (which ended that year).
California blue plates were issued through 1986, switching to a 1AAA000 format in 1980. From 1982-86, they were the standard plate, and the new ‘sunset’ plate was an extra-cost option: but in my experience, the sunset plates outnumber the contemporary blue plates. Sunset plates were numbered starting at 2AAA000 despite being concurrently issued with blue plates that were still numbered with a leading 1 (which is what you see on the MR2 here).
Yes, that’s right… I forgot the blue plates were offered at the same time as the Sunset plates for a few years. And it looks like the first two digits on this one may be “1R” which would place it at about 1986 in the numbering sequence – about right, given the car.
That is a CA plate and it is correct for the year 1986. Month sticker in top left, year in top right. My 1986 GTI was 1RSU678 on a blue plate and that one on the MR2 looks to start with a 1R…
Bad repaints. Super Red (3E5) isn’t that bright, never mind the lack of black:
I think the car looks better with out the spoiler, That’s a very nice model you have!
I considered getting an 88 MR2 back in the day. To me, it was the poor man’s Ferrari 308–mid-engine, virtually same redline (7500 rpm vs 7700), half the cylinders, with Toyota reliability, minus the great looks.
I think it’s time for a “CC Face-Off” The original, US-spec, MR2 vs orig, US-Spec Miata.
Which one do you prefer and why?
Interesting fact: The MR2 came with 185/60HR-14. Same size tire as original Miata, and Mk1/Mk2 GTI
Karen Velez, Playboy model of the year, 1985 (I could care less, but that dress I would snatch in a heartbeat). I don’t fit into the original Miata so MR-2 for me. That’s not taking into consideration the 4A-GE has tons of aftermarket support. I’d wager that “dress” is equal in price to a used MR-2, because I’d bet money it’s Pucci.
The PMOY used to get win a car–is that a picture of her with the car she won?
Interesting comment about the roominess–and the parts, the Miata support network is huge.
In 1985, the 4V per cylinder was still pretty novel. Five years later, they were much more common.
I give Toyota credit–as with the 5-speed in the 70s (73 Corolla), they led the way with mass market 4V/cyl engines with the MR2 and Corolla GTS, and the 2nd gen Camry 4-cyl.
Yes, she got her MR-2. I still want whatever it is she’s wearing. Reeks of high end expensive, and would work equally as well today. It probably is silk, judging from how easy the wind manipulates the fabric. God I’m a weird man…
I believe only the 1985 MR2 had the black bumper faces and rub strips. I’m guessing both of those pictured could be original paint. The stickers on the back had a habit of fading or falling off kind of quick from what I recall. They both have CHMSLs although the one in front has it in the window, leading me to believe the spoiler was added later. Either way, a very nice set of twins, I’d certainly be happy with one of them.
I mean, if you’re going to have two of something, that’s not a bad choice by any means.
Did the Doublemint Twins retire to Eugene?
MR2 & MRS2?
Some of the better off retirees down here in Naples/Fort Myers will have two exact cars down to the color, and more often the same brand but different models, especially Lexus. They go out in matching clothes I bet. I just saw a couple of elders shopping in Publix with matching hair dye, just like the Costanzas.
They hook them up together and have a garden tractor pull the grandkids around the back yard.
Perhaps it’s cos I grew up in the 80s but it sure seems like there were a much broader range of cars available then than now. Pontiac offered everything from a v8 powered rwd wood sided wagon to the fiero and the sunbird had a wagon, two door coupe, two door hatchback, and four door sedan. Toyota had some variety. You could still buy a renault or Peugeot. A young person wanting a sporty fun car was almost spoilt for choice and could buy anything ranging from this to a mustang to a grand national.
A lover of Polar Silver (VW paint name, looks gold or beige to me) Mk2 Jetta GL’s lives here. Too bad one of them got damaged not long after this was taken.
Lady turning left in a 2 lane I was in the right lane turning next to her, she didn’t see me in her Blazer with side steps and swerved into me.
The Blazer shoved me into the curb, bending the wishbone, the rim, ripped open the tires sidewall and shattered the wheel over.
Together, are they an MR4?
My favourite thing about the MR2 is when it’s pronounced in French, it sounds very much like “Merde”.
Didn’t they change the name in France for that reason? To just “MR” iirc.
In France, yes, they’re said to have done that.
But that’s not the only place where French is spoken; the MR2 was sold as the MR2 in Canada.