Toyota MR2

The Toyota MR2 was a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car produced by Toyota from 1984 to 2005. The latest version was called the Toyota MR-S in Japan, the Toyota MR2 Spyder in the United States, and the Toyota MR2 Roadster in Europe. When said in French, the name MR2 [ɛm ɛʀ ˈdø] sounds like merde [ˈmɛʀd] (fr: shit). Thus, the car was sold there only as the MR.

It is a common misconception that the MR2 was Lotus designed, but assembled and distributed by Toyota. In actuality the Lotus M90 (a.k.a. the X100) project was scrapped after a single prototye was built, and Lotus was later bought out by General Motors, ending its relationship with Toyota. The MR2 was designed by Toyota with Lotus engineer Roger Becker involved on its suspension and handling.

Origins

The MR2's life began in 1976 when Toyota launched a design project with the goal of producing a car which would be both enjoyable to drive, yet still provide decent fuel economy. Initially, the purpose of the project was not a sports car. The actual designwork began in 1979 when Akio Yoshida from Toyota's testing department started to evaluate different alternatives for engine placement and drive method. It was finally decided to place the engine transversely in the middle of the car. The result was the first prototype in 1981, dubbed the SA-X. From its base design, the car began evolving into an actual sports car, and further prototypes were tested intensely both in Japan and in California. A significant amount of testing was performed on actual race circuits such as Willow Springs, where former Formula One driver Dan Gurney tested the car.

Toyota made its SV-3 concept car public in the autumn of 1983 at the Tokyo Motor Show, gathering a huge amount of publicity both from the press and the audience. The car, scheduled to be launched in spring 1984 in the Japanese market under the name MR2 (initially standing for "Midship Runabout, 2-seater" but later claimed to be "Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive, 2-seater"), was to become the first mass-produced mid-engined car to come from a Japanese manufacturer.