All that power, so little weight…
Rumors about the return of the Toyota MR2 have been circulating for years. It’s one of the most exciting cars Toyota ever made, considering it’s a mid-engine two-seater non-car people routinely think is a Ferrari. That fact makes gearheads laugh since the MR2 is a fun vehicle, but it’s nowhere near the performance level of any car from Maranello, at least not in stock form.
But people do tune MR2s and there are some sweet builds out there, however this 1992 Toyota MR2 is the craziest we’ve ever seen. It boasts the same power as a Dodge Hellcat using the factory motor. That’s insane, but realize a ’92 MR2 weighs under 2,800 lbs.
Using pump gas, the car produces 480-hp, which isn’t too shabby for such a lightweight car. It’s when you put in E85 that the full 707-hp potential is unlocked. The guy reviewing this car says there’s a dial you can turn on the fly to control just how much of that power is unlocked. You might wonder why the owner would ever take it off the top option, but if you’re just cruising through your neighborhood you don’t really want your car behaving like a jackrabbit that’s just gulped 5 mochas.
If you want to get your hands on a nice Mk II MR2 they’re not too expensive at the moment. Values have been staying relatively flat for the past two years, but with more collectors and enthusiasts turning their attention to Japanese sports cars from the 90s that might not be the case for much longer.
Will Toyota come up with modern MR2? And if it does, will they screw up the legacy? To answer the first question, likely not. Enthusiasts don’t like to hear it, but there’s a sliver of a market for two-seater cars and it’s mostly dominated by options which are expensive and European.
Obviously, that didn’t used to be the case, but a lot has changed in the past decade or so and people’s values have shifted. Toyota has gotten where it’s at in the market by selling a lot of cars and not taking stupid risks, so don’t expect it to shoot for the moon with a lightweight, high-powered MR2 for 2022. We hope we’re wrong, but we probably aren’t.
