How old does a car have to be to be considered a classic? When Eric Clapton sang about ’57 Chevys in his song “I’ve Got a Rock and Roll Heart,” he was singing about a car that was, at the time, 26 years old. This 1988 Toyota MR2 is 34. Located in Englewood, Colorado, and up for auction here on eBay, the bid on this Japanese sports car currently rests at $17,100, with an unmet reserve.
Does design play a role in classic status? If so, the MR2 checks this box as well. One of several mid-engined cars to emerge in the Eighties, the MR2 would face stiff competition– primarily in the form of the Mazda MX5/Miata. Though the car suffered from a lack of cargo space and the engine access issues that plague all mid-engined designs, the first-generation MR2 caught the very tail end of the wedge design trend. It may be the best example: the body flows in a way that the Fiat X 1/9, for example, does not, and the vents on the rear fenders evoke a Ferrari aesthetic without blatantly aping the Italian design.
What about performance? Here the MR2 really starts to shine. Suspension and handling were developed in consultation with Lotus, with substantial input from Lotus engineer Roger Becker. The near-perfect weight distribution contributes to the its reputation as a driver’s car. Not that there is too much weight to distribute: the heaviest of these has a curb weight of under 2,500 lbs. This particular car is a supercharged example, the 1.6L inline-4 producing 145 horsepower at 6800 RPM, and 137 lb.ft. of torque. The seller reports a top speed of 135 mph; when they tested it, Road and Track reported a zero to sixty of 7 seconds flat.
From the photo evidence, this low-miles example might be one of the best MR2s currently on the market, and that’s without taking into account the rare supercharged engine. In fact, aside from some road grime on the exhaust and wear on the sticker showing the shift pattern, you might mistake this for a new car. It shows virtually none of its three decades of history. Can you get one cheaper? Absolutely. But this may be a textbook case of getting what you pay for. Assuming the reserve isn’t astronomical, this could be a great opportunity for someone to pick up an immaculate example of what is, definitely, a classic.
I love these and better buy one soon because $20k for an automatic is getting steep! Masterpiece of design. It looks like a 70s Italian prototype yet drives like what it is – a reliable Japanese car.
Bought one of these at an auction back in the late 90’s , Red , supercharged, five speed , super clean, 143,000 miles $1500. Most fun I have ever in a car I have ever owned including BMW’s Sold it 6 weeks later for $2300
This must be a blast to drive.
Fun car to drive. Very neutral handling and a good performer even without the supercharger. Obviously Toyota was trying to copy the Pontiac Fiero. Even looking at the graphic on the MR2 badges at the front, it bears a significant likeness to the Pegasus caricature that Pontiac used on the Fiero.
The MR2 was a better handler at least until the late production run Fieros had, but the material quality and unique space frame construction of the fiero make that the superior choice for me, if I had to pick. Of course having one of each would be the best!!
Actually, Toyota was not focused on Pontiac or the Fiero. They were focused on making an affordable sports car to fill a gap in their lineup and to offer the public an economical alternative to the typical small car at the time. The bird emblem came about when Toyota brass decided to give the car a European flair and the bird was their attempt at that. It was not related to the Fiero emblem. I’d argue the AW11 MR2’s build quality is significantly better then the Fiero (although the plastic skin of the Fiero was a cool idea) and while neither car is particularly light weight by 1984’s standards, the MR2 weighs 200 lbs less when compared apples to apples. It also has much more engineering baked into it’s handling thanks to Lotus engineer Roger Becker and track time at the hands of Dan Gurney. Production for the Fiero topped 300,000 while the MR2 was around 160,000 with the Supercharged models (only available in Japan and U.S. markets) a tiny fraction of that. The first gen MR2 manual is most certainly on the hot list for collectible Japanese cars but the Supercharged model is the red-hot one and my choice between the Fiat X19, Fiero and MR2 trifecta.
I had a 1980 X 1/9, man i wish it had been supercharged lol,
These never crossed my path while i was car buying and selling in my youth…….
My buddy worked at a Toyota dealer as a car jockey he was always very impressed with these and had driven many Supra turbos as well but he like the MR2 better ..with the supercharger that is. Id rather have the Supra turbo any color. But these are sure nice. The lite weight is beyond rare in todays cars.
Mmmm… need ta learn more bout these (a SC model?)
and
just bought a red ’92 bigger engine (no turbo tho). Know
it asa carolla motor~
I remember the first ride i gave my beautiful girlfriend in my mr2
The first hihway onramp that i took she screamed so loud
She wanted to throw up and was dizzy grom the gforce of that curve
So , yes the handling of these tiny pocket rockets is phenomenal and if i can find another one , i will buy it and spend lots of money on upgrading the engine to really get it going
After the fact , i enjoyed the mr2 more than i did the boxster