Anyone ever own a Toyota MR2 MK1?

[MOPAR MITCH]

Toyota MR2 you say? Never owned one - but I knew at least one, quite in-depth...
Ed Story Time - you've been warned:

A good friend I worked with in the late 80's raced in SCCA's SSC (Showroom Stock C (slowest) class) in
an MR2. Rod was a quiet, polite, unassuming fellow who was advanced in years from the rest of us
younger folks; I wouldn't find out until much later he'd been retired as a Navy Lt. Commander and had
"seen some ****" in Vietnam, as the story went.
You'd never know it to speak with him or work with him; he never brought it up much at all; once I found
that out though, a lot of his mannerisms made sense. Just very precise in his work, very direct, yet easy-going
and quiet.
He worked our reproduction room (blueprinting mostly, running one of those massive old
ammonia-powered behemoth monsters I wound up helping to fix all the time. I can still smell that damn
thing...)

All of that to say that this quiet, shy-appearing older fella of smaller stature had a hobby - road racing, SCCA
style - and once behind the wheel, the quiet left and the competitor emerged.
Again, Rod never bragged about his racing exploits (of which, it turned out, he had many, going all the way
back into the early 60's, in those days racing an Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite).
He was a perennial top 5 guy at the National Runoffs each year; he was known as being able to get every
ounce out of a car and would race you hard, yet never dirty.
That sort of amateur racing was spendy, even in those days - you had to be pretty hardcore to compete at
that level, all for what they joked about being "a $5 plastic trophy".

By the time I met and eventually befriended him in 1986, though, he had sold off his beloved Sprite and
decided to step back to regional racing only and he wanted a fuss-proof car to do it in.
The rules favored certain new-car models for the Showroom classes and he chose an MR2, new and bright
red, bereft of any adornments, not even a spoiler - because he knew Lotus had been instrumental in
designing the suspensions on them.
The engine was truly tiny, but it had dual overhead cams and the redline was insane for those days - perfect
for road racing, where you just wrung it out and kept it up there all race, if it would take it.
Well, Rod didn't know much about electronic fuel injection and ECU's and such and he was alone in life, so
since he knew I was a greasemonkey for a hobby, he and I hit it off and I became his "crew" on the Toyota.
No, I didn't know a damn thing about the car either (and true to 'Murican prejudices and Mopar blood, didn't
really care much about 'em prior, honestly) - but for Rod and for going to the races at Summit Point?
Sure, what the heck, I'm in....

In Showroom classes, you weren't allowed to monkey with anything much at all. You even had to run the
stock sized tires (any DOT brand was acceptable) - but since that thing had like 112hp, it handled a ton but
went like pokey.
Ed being Ed, though - I learned ways to "fool" the computer into doing things, the sort of cheats it would take
someone sharp to catch - in order to get Rod competitive with the other cars in his class.
The driving part, he was one of the best of ANY class out there (and everyone knew Rod at the races too, of
course) but he needed some power, so I set about messing with sensor lines, mechanical advances, things
of that nature and got him a little more to play with.
The results? The 3 years I crewed for him, he won his class championship twice - once in SSC, then later in
ITA (Improved Touring A class) when the car became too old to stay in SSC.
That MR2 took everything Rod and I threw at it, pounded mercilessly as racing does to them - and never gave
a moments' problem. Not one...

In the end...
I left the company after that; Rod had finally retired-retired as the economy crashed in 1990 and the company
collapsed from lack of work and I eventually lost track of Rod and the MR2, much to my later regret.
It's one of those all-too-brief periods of my life that I look back fondly on now and realize with hindsight
how much there was left to benefit from, had I not been so youthfully hasty to move on constantly...
I genuinely miss Rod, the MR2, my life at that stage of it (entering my third decade shortly thereafter).
Great car, for what it was. Great friend, that guy too.
Rod's up there givin' them hell in heaven's Saturday features somewheres...
I hope to see him again one day.

 

[MOPAR MITCH]

Nice write-up... my wife bought a new 1986 model... specifically for SCCA-type autocross racing.. and as her daily driver... a real blast of fun... every day! I set my T/A aside for a couple seasons to race her car and did pretty well (as I was used to the BIG Challenger back in the mid-80s). We'd like to get another one some day... but a super-charged or turbo model would be preferred.... very reliable and took a lot of racing usage without ever any problems! We sold her car when baby #2 arrived.. and bought a Chrysler 2000 GC Minivan... great for the family!

 

[70chall440]

Nice write-up... my wife bought a new 1986 model... specifically for SCCA-type autocross racing.. and as her daily driver... a real blast of fun... every day! I set my T/A aside for a couple seasons to race her car and did pretty well (as I was used to the BIG Challenger back in the mid-80s). We'd like to get another one some day... but a super-charged or turbo model would be preferred.... very reliable and took a lot of racing usage without ever any problems! We sold her car when baby #2 arrived.. and bought a Chrysler 2000 GC Minivan... great for the family!

Thanks for sharing that, I am looking forward to playing with it. I do know that Toyotas are pretty durable as I have seen many overseas used hard for many many years without the slightest amount of maintenance, they just keep going.

Variety is the spice of life so they say, so this should definitely be different.

 

[moparedtn]

Nice write-up... my wife bought a new 1986 model... specifically for SCCA-type autocross racing.. and as her daily driver... a real blast of fun... every day! I set my T/A aside for a couple seasons to race her car and did pretty well (as I was used to the BIG Challenger back in the mid-80s). We'd like to get another one some day... but a super-charged or turbo model would be preferred.... very reliable and took a lot of racing usage without ever any problems! We sold her car when baby #2 arrived.. and bought a Chrysler 2000 GC Minivan... great for the family!

Thank you kindly.
Yep, SCCA wrote the rulebooks in those days targeting (favoring) specific new models, for whatever reasons...
I think it was some of the long-time National officers of SCCA that were actually playing favorites, but what do
I know?
Power was always what Rod fussed about with them as well (and keep in mind, he was coming from a Bugeye -
not exactly a powerhouse either!) but as I reminded him, an increase in power would mean he'd have to jump up
in class to more competitive machines, not to mention the chassis was set up for this much power, not more....

As the two year window on the cars' eligibility to run in Showroom passed, he decided to step up to the IT classes,
where he was put in the ITB (middle) of it amongst much faster, somewhat modified cars.
We didn't do a lot to the engine for power even then - bored it, ported that tiny head, exhaust mods, a PCM
"flash" all amounted to maybe 150-160hp all told.
We put the time and money into the suspension (keeping the stock brake setup, less more grippy pads of course).
He was middle of the pack competitive that year; I was gone by the time the next year came around and honestly,
I think he wanted to keep going despite some health issues (and a doozy of an "off" into a tire wall one race that
scared all of us to death...).

Ironically, I had partly bought my 5.0 Mustang to try to race it also - went to the schools, got my comp license,
all that jazz - and then life changed and I wound up in an entirely new Region. The car did fantastic (SSGT 2
years champ!) but it just wasn't the same in a "foreign" Region and without my friends - and Rod.
I walked away from the sport after that and regret a lot about those days - not what I'd seen and done, but
that at the time I thought there were more important issues (career - eff that!) to address than that life.

In the end, it turned out I was in process of leaving all that life behind - and the good parts suffered with that.
"No matter where you go in this life.....there you are."
My picture ought to be right next to that quote in the books....

 

[70chall440]

I can definitely relate in many ways, I spent 26 years in the Military much of it overseas and while I loved it I had basically no life beyond it (not that thats a bad thing, it is what it is and I would do it all over again if I could). Since retiring from the Army, I worked in the firearms industry for almost 14 years throwing myself into that almost as much as I did the military but I did start to work on cars more and more to the current moment where that is about all I do anymore. I always wanted to get into Autocross but never make the time to go out and do it. I would love to take some of my classic cars as well as my Viper and my 10 Challenger RT and do it, but I am always building something.

None of this really has anything to do with this MR2 per se, but you never know maybe this is something I will try with this car just for fun which might give me a segue into doing it more with the other cars.

 

[moparedtn]

I can definitely relate in many ways, I spent 26 years in the Military much of it overseas and while I loved it I had basically no life beyond it (not that thats a bad thing, it is what it is and I would do it all over again if I could). Since retiring from the Army, I worked in the firearms industry for almost 14 years throwing myself into that almost as much as I did the military but I did start to work on cars more and more to the current moment where that is about all I do anymore. I always wanted to get into Autocross but never make the time to go out and do it. I would love to take some of my classic cars as well as my Viper and my 10 Challenger RT and do it, but I am always building something.

None of this really has anything to do with this MR2 per se, but you never know maybe this is something I will try with this car just for fun which might give me a segue into doing it more with the other cars.

First off, THANK YOU for your service.
Yep, I could see taking that MR2 and doing some manner of amateur racing with it.
It's not your daily driver, it's not anyones' "baby" right?
Well there ya go - it's a candidate for racing!

 

[joe smith]

Seems like a customer of mine bought a later model and it had much smoother body lines and a V6??

 

[moparedtn]

Seems like a customer of mine bought a later model and it had much smoother body lines and a V6??

Oh yeah, the 2nd gen ones got all swoopy fancy.... lost some of the simple innocence of the 1st gen.

 

[70chall440]

First off, THANK YOU for your service.
Yep, I could see taking that MR2 and doing some manner of amateur racing with it.
It's not your daily driver, it's not anyones' "baby" right?
Well there ya go - it's a candidate for racing!

Thank you, I appreciate it, I had an awesome time (overall). I never thought it would end but it did...

Yeah I agree, the MR2 would be a good candidate for some thrashing as I am not attached to it (like I am with my Mopars). I know they have a lot of AutoX here in WA but I think most is north of me, I've checked the SCCA website and they list the scheduled events. I need to go and watch, make some acquaintances and get on with it.

 

[moparedtn]

Thank you @70chall440 for starting this thread!
Although unintentional, your doing so spurred me on to find a pic I'd lost track of
that represented all the stuff I wrote about in previous posts. Lots of "feels" for me in this....
and I found the pic!

(Of course, I had to crank way down on the size of the scan to suit this sites' nanny...)
Apparently I had my years mixed up a little though - he won his last SSC class championship in '91
according to this. The next year, we stepped up to ITA division and after that, I was gone.

 

[moparedtn]

Keep in mind, Rod is in his late 60's/early 70's there. Wheeling hell out of that little car, too.
(Summit Point raceway, WV - "MARRS" was the SCCA division that ran there and stood for
something like "Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series").

 

[padam]

As much as I love drag racing, I would also love to try road racing like that.

 

[moparedtn]

As much as I love drag racing, I would also love to try road racing like that.

It's an absolute blast.

 

[70chall440]

@moparedtn Thanks for the picture and story. Not only did the story give me thoughts of saving this MR2, but also perhaps auto crossing it but even more than that it gave me hope (for lack of a better word). I am in my early 60's and was beginning to think that perhaps the hill of life was on the decent and that "maybe" I just needed to accept it. I have never thought of age as a limitation and really never thought about it much, however recently the aches and pains have become more and more frequent and being retired allows me to do what I want when I want so things have slowed a bit.

I am now having to fight myself for motivation more than anything else, it is too easy to fall back onto "I am retired and I don't have to do anything". I have lived a very active lifestyle for many years and now that there are few demands on my time I have to fight myself, however I am doing ok and getting out to the shop pretty much daily.

Again, thanks for posting all of that, I am looking forward to retrieving the car after the new year and seeing what I am getting. After that, we will see what happens.

 

[DeltaV]

Always admired the Toyota Mister Two styling that is reminiscent of the Triumph TR8.

Congratulations on your upcoming acquisition!

 

[DeltaV]

Oh, the OP is in Yelm, WA.! That's a great car to drive to Mt Rainier / Paradise / Sunrise next summer when the roads are clear!

 

[70chall440]

Yes I am, the wonderful PNW... LOL Actually I like it here for the most part. I have been all over the country and have not found anywhere that I like better. I am not saying this is "all that" because it has more than its fair share of problems and issues but I am pretty much stuck here now, two 40x60 shops full of cars, tools and equipment that I would be hard pressed to replicate anywhere else. I now have everything I wanted as a kid, 2 post lift, mid rise lift, mill, lathe, welders, all manner of metal working tools and equipment, etc.

 

[moparedtn]

@moparedtn Thanks for the picture and story. Not only did the story give me thoughts of saving this MR2, but also perhaps auto crossing it but even more than that it gave me hope (for lack of a better word). I am in my early 60's and was beginning to think that perhaps the hill of life was on the decent and that "maybe" I just needed to accept it. I have never thought of age as a limitation and really never thought about it much, however recently the aches and pains have become more and more frequent and being retired allows me to do what I want when I want so things have slowed a bit.

I am now having to fight myself for motivation more than anything else, it is too easy to fall back onto "I am retired and I don't have to do anything". I have lived a very active lifestyle for many years and now that there are few demands on my time I have to fight myself, however I am doing ok and getting out to the shop pretty much daily.

Again, thanks for posting all of that, I am looking forward to retrieving the car after the new year and seeing what I am getting. After that, we will see what happens.

You've earned that ability to say "when" over your lifetime - but you're TOTALLY correct in fighting the urge
to do so.
I live by some of the last words my dad ever said, as he was dying: "Don't you EVER stop".
He never had any health issues and had worked full time since he was 14 - but when he opted for early retirement
in his late 50's, then finished the construction on his home and started not doing much on a given day -
which of course, he had more than earned the right to - his health went to crap, in a damn hurry.

"Don't you EVER stop" (his emphasis on that word - I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he said it) - along
with his urging me, more than once, when I was lying in a hospital bed myself after cancer surgery or whatever - of
just saying, gently but firmly, "get up" are simply why I'm still here after 6x cancer and 3x medically flatlined.

I've been given my marching orders, man - by the ultimate "boss", my dad.
Not about to fail him on that count...

Rod's being so damn good a racer well into retirement age should also be an inspiration to you and anyone else
who thinks they may want to try the hobby, too. Dude was a beast on the track, yet very "Mark Martin-esque"
in the way he never raced dirty, just hard and fair.
It's why he was one of the longest-running instructors for the region as well - great teacher!

I hope all this is encouraging to you and anyone else who stumbles on it in years to come.
If you have a passion, git after it man!
Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done....because it has!

 

[moparedtn]

Always admired the Toyota Mister Two styling that is reminiscent of the Triumph TR8.

Congratulations on your upcoming acquisition!

Yes, the original intent of the car was to follow the spirit of British sports cars like MG and Lotus.
The Mazda Miata to come no doubt was more true to that spirit, though.

 

[MOPAR MITCH]

Regarding Mazdas, that is the #1 most raced brand of car in North America.