The first Toyota MR2 (W10) was originally conceived as a fun, economical two-seater, but by the time it was launched in 1984 it had a much sportier persona.
The mid-engine layout and light body gave it sharp and responsive steering and good performance from its relatively modest engine.
This was a pretty conventional 1.6-litre in-line four, but with double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and fuel injection. It had a healthy power output of 128hp (112hp in the US), a 0-60mph time between 8 and 9 seconds and a top speed of around 120mph.
This was an era when the average 1.6-litre family saloon would struggle to push 100mph.
But while the original MR2’s performance might not turn heads today, its flinty wedge-shaped body still does. Along with its arch rival, the beautiful Fiat X1/9, it brought something new, dramatic and exciting to the affordable sports car market.
There was even a supercharged 145hp version with stiffer springs and uprated transmission and a sub-7 second 0-60mph time, although this was only ever sold in the US and Japan.
So the second-generation (W20) MR2, introduced in 1990, could be seen as a surprise. On paper, Toyota did everything right. The new car was larger, heavier, faster, more grown up and came with more rounded, streamlined styling.
But it felt like an overall ‘softening’ of the original concept – literally, in fact, in 1992 when Toyota modified the suspension to eliminate the snap-oversteer responses of the early Mk2 cars.
This is a general trait of mid-engined cars – having the weight in the middle produces low polar inertia, so it’s a lot easier to spin the car. The car was made safer, but keen drivers were less happy.
Nevertheless, the W20 went on to achieve great success, in various modified forms, on the track. The road cars were fast too, although the 218hp 2-litre turbo model was again sold only in the US and Japan. Europe received only the naturally aspirated model.
With the third-generation (W30) MR2 launched in 2000, Toyota returned partly to the MR2’s roots, with a light, sporty convertible fitted with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine pushing out 138hp – less than the previous version, but producing plenty of performance in a light and simple body. The third-generation MR2 was widely praised for its handling.
The W30 finally went out of production in 2007, 23 years after the first MR2 was launched.
