Mk1 MR2 appreciation thread

[DavidB]

I love these cars, I had a white Matchbox one when I was younger (about the same time the car was a few years old), which was complete with the plastic TOYOTA spoiler. I read loads on them in magazines and I never got to see if the claims made by reviewers were true until about 20 years later when I asked an MR2 enthusiat mate if he had a spare 4A-GE engine for sale for a Corolla, he offered a taxed and MOT'd 89 model for 250 quid on it's very last legs, which arrived to me in a complete state with odd panels, crappy wheels, rotten backbox, front end damage and rust, rust, rust! I bought it with the last of my redundancy money.





I spent about 100 quid in total and did quite a good job on a rattle can respray and a £50 bulk purchase of running gear and panels.





I discovered full Koni suspension on the car which was nice.

Reasonable condition cars can be bought for less than a grand, while rotboxes for a few hundred. The engines go on forever, the interiors are solid and coz, and the handling is mindblowing. When I sorted the car I took it out on the back roads of Wales shortly before I sold it and it's always stuck in my mind.

The link to Lotus is dubious, but kind've obvious if you factor their relationship in the previous five years. It didn't matter if it was true or not, I haven't met anyone who has owned one who didn't think they were awesome machines. Only let down by the contagious tinworm that gets everywhere. It's strikes me as off that there are so many about that are still on standard wheels, interior, etc.
There's even room in the boot for shopping - but feck all else.
Toyota obviously couldn't hope to follow up the car, and brought out the mk2 which missed out the things that made the mk1 so much fun and the general cuteness factor that it had worn so well.

[ToolsnTrack]

I totally agree. Get on www.twobrutal.com to discover how insane they can be.

I'm on my 4th, a mica blue, and have never owned a mk2. Heres a few of mine (the third one I owned got the mk2 3sgte in it)


Current one:


Next to my mates tubby.


my t bar mica:


in goes the 3sgte:


My red one with its funky exhaust and rotten arches:






Get on them while you can, too many folk breaking them or scrapping them. They will run out and are soon to start rising in value... You wont get a better strickt 2 seater mid engine sportscar for the money.

[trevorbrady]

I restored one last year:

[ims]

how hard are panels to source?

[DavidB]

I love those 'cubist' wheels!

[jnoiles]

They also make rather good race cars. ;D

[Twincam]

My old one:


I'll never quite forget driving in home for the 1st time in the dark, down a pitch black road with no streetlights and only it's candle effect headlights, in bucketing rain and shitting myself when I nearly spun it on a roundabout thanks to tyres with less grip than vaseline! cleaned up well though, lol! ;D

[Foss]

Big up the mk1 MR2 (AW11)

Mine is what you would call 'reasonable condition'. Paid £400 for it as a rolling shell. New engine in and away I went. That was nearly 2 years ago now and I am still excited every time I get to go out for a blast in it.

It has the usual rotting arches but everything else is solid and the 4A-GE is just a great sounding engine. I would love to go for some throttle bodies. Dreaming aside, I am definitely going to keep it and restore it properly.

Nov 9, 2010 20:28:28 GMT master-b said:

Here is my 1985 Mk1a. Its a B reg, one of the very first UK cars. It looks almost completely standard, but has a few subtle mods.

Very nice I like them in 1a and 1b flavour. 1a is a very classic, subtle looking thing and the b ramps up the 80s feel with the bodykit and suits white/red paint.

Here is mine:

[octagonalpaul]

[jnoiles]

Nov 9, 2010 23:08:50 GMT Twincam said:

I'll never quite forget driving in home for the 1st time in the dark, down a pitch black road with no streetlights and only it's candle effect headlights, in bucketing rain and shitting myself when I nearly spun it on a roundabout thanks to tyres with less grip than vaseline! cleaned up well though, lol! ;D

I had a similar experience the night I picked mine up. After a few days ownership I got tired of the terrifying spin tendencies when braking and pulled the wheels off to discover this:

[scoobypete]

Theres a light met blue one rotting away at the top of my local pub carpark.....

will go and get a pic......

[milan]

Oh woohoo,liking this thread alot!

I always wanted a MK1 MR2 as a teenager (saying as a kid would be a lie,I wanted a tractor then,still do too!),don't know what it was about them,maybe the boxy shape,i've always been drawn towards the older boxy Toyotas!

I had a very strict budget when buying mine,was looking for a good while until this one popped up,it spent 90% of the summer sat in the shed,getting a few jobs done this winter in readyness for serious milage come next summer,touch wood anyway!
Easily the most fun i've had out of any car for years when I bought it,drove it home to Ireland from Newcastle,coming down through the North in the curse word rain,kicking it out off roundabouts,much much fun was had

[uncle silvia]

Ive always been a fan of these but never got my hands on one! Will make a lovely edition parked next to my KE70 Corolla one day!
I nearly had one recently but wanted something with a few more seats............... for now! I will get one oneday!!

[DavidB]

You won't regret it, the only box it doesn't tick is when you're taking garden waste to the tip. The interior is absolutely spot on, I can't fault them one bit.

I'm hopefully getting one in the next couple of weeks.

[Foss]

[jnoiles]

[Mystery Machine]

Had a fun afternoon tinkering on LeSpank's Mk1 today. Hope you got the reg plate sorted mate??

Some pics of my old Mk1 - 275+ bhp chargecooled turbo











....and some pics of others - I can't believe some of them haven't been posted yet:

[bmw156]

what are they like inside for space?
I'm a big fella. and would love one of these lol having sat if a few 2 seaters. i know they are tight normally

[robinmasters]

I don't normally go for Japanese cars, but I love these. One of the few cars my wife has an opinion on too (sub £50k that is )

[LowStandards]

I had one, (a mk1a) I'd happily say it's the best car I've ever owned.

Unfortunately when I bought my first house, I 'sold' my immaculate '2 to a friend for a few hundred I needed for carpet or summat on the promise I would buy it back for same money 6-12 months down the line.

A week later I got a phone call telling me he'd span it and written her off I never got a penny more back...