The MR2 appeared around the same time as the Honda CR-X and the Nissan EXA from Japan, the Pontiac Fiero and Ford EXP from North America, and about a decade after the VW Scirocco and Fiat X1/9 from Europe made their debut. Significant testing was performed on race circuits including Willow Springs, where former Formula One driver Dan Gurney tested the car.Īll three generations were in compliance with Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement.

Toyota called the 1981 prototype SA-X.įrom its original design, the car evolved into a sports car, and further prototypes were tested both in Japan and in the US. Design work began in 1979 when Akio Yoshida from Toyota's testing department started to evaluate alternatives for engine placement and drive method, finalizing a mid-transverse engine placement. The MR2 derived from a 1976 Toyota design project with the goal of a car which would be enjoyable to drive, yet still provide good fuel economy – not necessarily a sports car. In French-speaking markets, the vehicle was renamed Toyota MR because the abbreviation 'MR2' sounds like the profanity 'merde' when spoken in French. The name MR2 stands for either ' mid-ship run-about 2-seater' or ' mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-seater'. It is Japan's first rear mid-engined production car.Ĭonceived as a small, economical and sporty car, the MR2 uses simple but effective design elements, including an inline-four engine, transversely mounted in front of the rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes, and fully independent coilover suspension – MacPherson strut fronts and Chapman strut rears.

The Toyota MR2 is a line of two-seater, mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports cars, manufactured in Japan and marketed globally by Toyota from 1984 until 2007 over three generations: W10 (1984–1989), W20 (1989–1999) and W30 (1999–2007). Japan: Sagamihara, Kanagawa ( Central Motors) Central Motors (part of the Toyota Motor Corporation)

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