This fine shot posted at the Cohort by A. Kwanten really shows off this MR2 Turbo to its best advantage. The base version had rather pathetic little steel wheels with plastic covers and very modest little tires; hardly an effective Ferrari imitation. I wrote up one of those base MR2s here.
A. Kwanten left a brief comment with his shot:
The SW20 MR2 made an indelible impression when it was new – it was the Ferrari 348 that you could buy, and live with, the NSX that cost half as much. It still looks fresh today, 26 years after its debut. This one is a ’93 Turbo.
Yes, a reminder of a rather different time when Toyota was selling hot little turbocharged mini-Ferarris. But they didn’t sell in sufficient quantities, and…times change.
I saw two of this generation MR2s this past Saturday driving down my town’s main street. It was a nice day and I’m sure they were travelling together. 🙂 Kind of a reverse CC effect?
I had really liked the first gen as a little kid, but these came out right when I was about 10. Instant love. I’m still on my quest to own a nice one some day. Having 3 kids at home means it might be a while off still 🙂 Forget the college fund(s), MR2 time!!
I remember something of a brouhaha when this generation of MR2 was first released in 1990. Some auto magazines accused the cars of being a little spin-happy – especially in Turbo form. Supposedly Toyota instituted some quick fixes to cure the spins. These are nice cars that never got the sales that they deserved – perhaps Toyota priced itself out of the natural market for the MR2. It wasn’t the only 1990s Japanese sports car to suffer that fate.
I’ve always loved these. Toyota really picked up the knack of styling in the early ’90s, since these cars, the contemporary Camry and Supra, and the 5th-generation Celica all looked fantastic. Even their workaday cars like the Tercel were pretty stylish.
I have a hard time picking between a second-gen MR2 and a fifth-gen Celica liftback as my dream car. The Celica had the edge on styling (IMO) and day-to-day livability, but in terms of engineering and uniqueness there’d be no contest: The MR2 was in a league of its own.
I have a feeling these cars are going to start appreciating soon, if they haven’t already.
The only Ferrari I would want to own would be spelled Toyota. Come to think of it that’s also how I spell reliability and dependability. At least for the 90s.
Love it. Had a pilot friend with the 1st gen MR2 and he used to fly across Houston in it.
The sharp-edged 1st gen car is more of a standout in many ways, but these 2nd-gen cars are absolutely beautiful *in the right circumstances*. Meaning: shiny paint, appropriately sized wheels and tires, a lack of tacky mods. Meaning, just like the one pictured here. Many of them suffered from any combination of these problems, and your criticism of the base-hubcap-equipped faded red model in the full writeup is on target. But the problems are so easy to get rid of. And what you trade away in losing the sharpness and lightness of the 1st-gen car comes back in one of the best designs to come out of Toyota’s studios in the past 25 years. She cleans up well, one might say.
I remember when this generation MR2 was on the US market. I would’ve preferred this version of the 1st gen. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the money to buy one. So I went for the first gen.
I dunno… I drove one of these and it felt like my stepmother’s Corolla.
As a very minor point, that’s almost certainly a 1991 or 1992 MR2. The black plastic piece under the front overhang was changed in 1993, but this appears to be the older one.
I used to see these fairly regularly in the early 90’s, but by the late 90’s they all seem to have disappeared. I don’t even see them in junkyards anymore, while 90’s era Camrys and Corollas are common in junkyards. I even see a few 90’s era Camrys and Corollas on still the road. They seem to hold off rust better than the 90’s Hondas. I wonder why the MR2’s disappeared so quickly. Was it because they were raced and abused, therefore falling apart quickly, or was it because like most 2 door coupes, they simply went out of style, a victim of the SUV craze? The same question could apply to the Celica as well.
It’s too bad these cars have become rare, it represented an era when Toyota actually made cars that didn’t look and drive like over styled toaster ovens.
I owned a 1991 about 8 years ago. It was a bright yellow naturally aspirated model. It wasn’t the most reliable Toyota model I’ve operated–that’s for sure. The interior would flood during a car wash because of the leaky removeable roof, the car burned a quart of oil every fill up (valve guide seals?), it leaked oil, the second gear synchro never worked (I always shifted from 1st to 3rd) and labor was expensive because of the tight engine quarters.
I’d still own another one if I could, as they’re lots of fun to drive.
I justify owning mine as the second family car perfect for two person trips. I’m the second owner, original turbo engine has 250,000 miles and was rebuilt 20,000 miles ago. The car has enjoyed getting all new suspension, brakes. Rebuilding turbo will be next.