Birthday party for "Mister Two"
Next Saturday (June 1), the Toyota Collection celebrates the 40th anniversary of the cult sports car Toyota MR2. The public opening (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) of the car collection on the Toyota Germany site in Cologne will tell the success story of the two-seater, which was launched in June 1984 and brought a piece of Formula 1 technology into everyday life in three generations as a coupé, roadster and racer thanks to its mid-engine layout with rear-wheel drive.
The cryptic model code MR2 is short for "midship-engine, rear-drive, 2-seater". For the fans, it was simply called "Mister Two", and with its almost ideal weight distribution of 45:55 between the front and rear axles, it could be driven through tight bends almost like a kart. The first Japanese large-scale production 16-valve engine provided the propulsion for the first MR2 (W10) from 1984, which weighed just 977 kilograms. This four-cylinder engine, already proven in rallying, revs up to 7300 rpm - and yet well-maintained Toyota MR2s achieve mileages of over 300,000 kilometers.
In the second generation (W20) launched in 1989, "Mister Two" was a trendsetter in organic biodesign with rounded, aerodynamic lines and impressive driving performance thanks to a 2.0-liter 16-valve engine with up to 175 hp (129 kW). In the Toyota MR (W10), a glass lifting roof or a T-bar roof concept as well as a small convertible series by the German coachbuilder Schwan, who transformed the T-bar into a one-piece roof opening, provided fresh air pleasures. The Toyota MR2 (W20), which offered the T-bar concept as standard in Germany, was called "T for two" in its advertising. Finally, the third MR2 generation (W30) presented in 1999 became part of the then rediscovered roadster renaissance.
In any case, the MR2, which was built from 1984 to 2007, evidently struck a chord with the times, which demanded affordable and reliable fun-to-drive machines: with a total of exactly 377,817 units sold, the sports car is still considered the most successful Asian mid-engined two-seater to this day. A rally version with 600 hp (441 kW) and all-wheel drive was also built in 1985 by Toyota Motorsport GmbH - the predecessor of today's Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe GmbH (TGR-E) - in Cologne-Marsdorf, although it was not used due to the cancellation of the Group S rally.
At the public opening of the Toyota Collection, visitors will once again have the opportunity to climb into the cockpit of an early MR2 (W10). Many other Toyota sports cars also invite visitors to get to know them up close: In total, Germany's largest Toyota collection is showcasing around 80 classic cars from seven decades - including current GR models. Background information on all the highlights from the history of the Toyota MR2 is provided by two free expert tours.
Not to be missed is the special birthday parade for the MR2 in the parking lot outside the exhibition hall gates. This is where the community gathers with its enthusiast vehicles at every Public Opening, and this time "Mister Two" will be the focus of the meeting. Devotional items and spare parts for the MR2 and other Toyota models will be available at the Toyota Classic Parts stand.
The public opening of the Toyota Collection at the beginning of May set a new record: Around 2,100 visitors with a good 500 classic and new enthusiast cars came to the Gazoo Racing Day and 86 Meet. In addition to the large starting field of current Toyota GR models, the well over 150 sports coupés from the Toyota "86 DACH" community, all of which bear the famous model code, were a hit: the Corolla Levin, Sprinter Trueno (AE86) and Corolla Coupé GT (AE86) from the 1980s, plus the Toyota GT 86 sports coupé launched in 2011 and the Toyota GR86 as the youngest sports car. (aum)
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2, second generation 1989-99.
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Toyota MR2, second generation 1989-99.
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Toyota MR2, third generation 1999-2007.
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Toyota MR2, third generation 1999-2007.
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Toyota MR2, third generation 1999-2007.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2, first generation 1984-89.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2, first generation 1984-89.
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Toyota MR2, second generation 1989-99.
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Toyota MR2, second generation 1989-99.
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Toyota MR2, third generation 1999-2007.
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Toyota MR2, third generation 1999-2007.
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Toyota MR2, third generation 1999-2007.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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Toyota MR2.
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