MR2 Only Magazine Issue 3

issue3 MARCH2021

THE ‘UNICORN’ MR2 ALSOINSIDE...

EXCLUSIVEINTERVIEWWITH THESARDMC8OWNER

JOHNESANTOS-91GEN4SWAPTURBO

TRACKATTACK-AARONKING’SGT300

KEVINKOVAC’SSUPEREDITION

RAT2MOTORSPORTS- 2GRTWINTURBO

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welcome...

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021, and MR2 Only is back for the first of 2 great issues planned for this year. Your features and stories just keep on getting better and better.

Working with the featured MR2 owners during the making of issue 3, it occurred to me that in today’s social media era, we’ve all gone ‘scroll and like’ crazy. Yes it’s great posting photos of your pride and joy on ‘The Gram’, and getting the likes, but it doesn’t capture the sentiment, the journey, or blood, sweat, tears, the highs, lows, and the joys of creating and building your dream MR2 quite like a printed magazine does.

Printisn’tDead!

We sat back during our break between issues to reflect on our 1st two come back issues, take stock, and evaluate our viability.

Much to our surprise, our digital version fell short of our expectations, however the printed issue has been overwhelming. So it seems you guys prefer to flick through a paper copy, than scroll through an iPad! With this in mind, we’re pressing pause on the digital version for issue 3 and focussing only on good old PRINT! 2021 is the year of hope, and getting back together for meets, events, and drives.

We’re looking forward to The UK Drivers Club National Day event in July, our 1st show stand in many years, keep an eye on social media for our exciting plans and guest MR2s. We’re also sponsoring a few events in the US this year and will be publishing photos and reports in forthcoming issues.

IN THIS ISSUE: We’ve followed the mythical beast, the SARD MC8 90’s homolagation model of the MC8R Race car on Instagram since it reappeared on the roads of Japan some years ago. We were excited after several times reaching out to the owner that he replied to our questions and sent us photos, so you could say its an exciting exclusive. It’s an honour to feature this rare ‘Unicorn MR2’ a true piece of motorsport heritage, and it is testament to the owner that he enjoys driving it and taking it to meets for all to see rather than hiding it away in a private collection.

Also featured is a stunning 91 Gen 4 Swap Turbo owned by Johne Santos, one of our favourite SW20s on the scene, excellently executed with stance and amazing attention to detail, and it’s a great story.

RAT2 MOTORSPORTS - This twin turbo 2GR ground up custom build really is a work of art!

- the first in a 2 part feature planned for 2021 to follow this exciting build.

FRANK SCHMIDT’S MR2 COLLECTION - How many MR2s is too many? 31 MR2...

Possibly the largest single private collection?!

Frank shows off his enviable collection of MR2s including some very rare models.

HIS & HERS - 3rd issue running we have an ‘His & Hers feature’ - Husband and wife duo Matt and Jo share a great love and passion for their mid-ship runabouts both AW11 and ZZW30.

BUILDING MY DREAM MR2 - Automotive refinisher Aidan Brennan’s custom cherry black pearl beauty - JDM SW20 Turbo, wow, that colour is just amazing!

MONSTER K-SWAP - We catch up with Ryan (RMS Fabrications) and the Higher Standard built K-Swap MR2 build. There’s more to come!

TRACK ATTACK - Aaron King created his dream build, the GT300 car he knew the ZZW30 could be with a turbo charged 2ZZ and custom aerodynamics.

MEETING OF THE SUPER EDITIONS - Kevin Kovac tells us the story of the meeting of two very rare beasts in Austin, two AW11 Super Edition Super Chargers, and we feature his SE.

ROLLER COASTER MR2 OWNERSHIP - Scott Bertrand’s 10 year emotional roller coaster ride of MR2 ownership, you’d better hold on tight!

MISTAKE OR BLESSING - Dean Whittakers 3VZFE V6 with a quest for MR2 weight loss.

RESPIRE - Lorenzo’s extreme ZZW30 K-Swap with bad ass APR Performance Wide body kit LOVE THE STANCE - Michael Lee’s super smooth AW11 is proof that sometimes simplicity and stance is just perfection.

EDITORSRIDE

READERS RIDES - Several of YOUR MR2s and short stories MR2 CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT ROUND UP, the last of the series reports from 2020, we can’t wait for the start of 2021 race season!

PLUS, all of your favourite MR2 SPECIALISTS and the parts and services they offer.

B

BS LM rims have been my dream wheels for as long as I can remember. I’ve lusted after them as far back as when we featured Jim GTS black Rev 5 Turbo the last edition of the old MR2 Only Mag 10 years ago.

Fast forward to November 2020, well known wheel guru Chris Wong of DB8 Motorsport based in Hong Kong advertised a set of perfect MR2 fitment BBS LMs. I’d been so tempted so many times, but this time I pressed the trigger, nervously awaiting the reply. To my disappointment they’d sold, however Chris had another set almost ready, spec: Custom reverse mounted, front 17x8J offset 28, and 17x9 rear with 33 offset, with freshly polished rims and new gold bolts, and original BBS valve hardware.

I was sceptical about the setup, as I was always lead to believe that an offset of plus 35 was perfect MR2 fitment, however Chris assured me that with the reverse fitment, and my car on BC coil-overs, the fit would be perfect. We struck a deal and I nervously awaited delivery from Hong Kong hoping they’d fit without arch rolling, or spacers.

End of November Christmas came early. I wasted no time, on day of delivery having the tyres swapped over from my black/blue Enkei RP01s. As I lowered the car back down to the tarmac, I sat back, and admired ‘the perfect MR2 fitment’, just as Chris had promised me.

Not only that, but the reverse mount pronounces the deeper dish look that I really wanted. I spend quite a lot of time now just standing looking at them whilst the car is in winter hibernation!

Rubber on my rear Enkeis were only 235 width, a bit stretched on a 9J wheel, so will be changing up to a 255 soon.

I also purchased a reproduction ‘TURBO’ boot lid badge from Nick Lechnowskyj as the originals have long since been discontinued.

Painted astral black by my friend Mark Keen. Have to say I was impressed with the quality.

Also recently ordered and awaiting delivery of a pair of leather striped door card inserts from the guys at MR2 Heaven, and the very innovative centre console 2 cup holder from Geek of The Road as it’s always been an annoyance trying to carefully place my coffee mug for those early morning starts for meet/event road trips without getting covered in it!

specialthanksto:everyonewhohashelpedandcontributed. ourfeaturedmr2ownersandmr2specialistswhoCONTINUETO supportedUS.ANDOFCOURSEOURREADERS.

LIKEOURPAGEFORUPDATES

Future plans are to treat under the wheel arches and underside of the car to some protection, and upgrade the audio with a sub, amp and upgraded speakers.

Asyouflickthroughthismagazine,you’llfindQRcodestoscan forfurtherdownloads,andafewgreatvideolinkstoenjoy.

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WHAT’SON...WHAT’SIN...

AARONKING’SGT300TRACKATTACK

JOHNSANTOS-91GEN4SWAPTURBO

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DEANWHITTAKER’S923VZ-FEV6

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88

KEVINKOVAC’SSUPEREDITION

84 AIDANBRENNAN’SCUSTOMCHERRYBLACK PEARLBEAUTYJDMSW20TURBO

76 4

HIS&HERS-MATT&JOSHAREAPASSION FORTHEIRMID-SHIPRUNABOUTS...

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ISSUETHREE MARCH2021 SCOTTBERTRAND’S-ROLLERCOASTER OFMR2OWNERSHIP

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RESPIRE-LORENZO’SK-SWAPZZW30

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MICHAELLEE’SSUPERSMOOTHAW11 SIMPLICITYISJUSTPERFECTION...

8 FRANKSCHMIDT’SMR2COLLECTION

1987AW11MR2Mk1.5|4thGen3SGTE

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50 RAT2MOTORSPORTS- 2GRTWINTURBOBUILD

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THE UNICORN MR2

S

W20 is no stranger to rare and limited production models with the TRD 2000GT, and the Spider, but this one is truly special and unique, the mythical ‘UNICORN MR2’ the SARD MC8, the only one in existence. We managed to get an exclusive interview with the owner in Japan.

SARD (Sigma Advanced Racing Development) is a Japanese tuning company and racing team, and in the mid 90’s built and raced both the Toyota Supra and MR2 in the GT race series.

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WRITTEN BY : STEVE BISHOP PHOTOGRAPHER : MC8 OWNER COUNTRY : CHUGOKU, JAPAN mc8_channel

To build a race car, rules stipulate that there must be a road going version, known as homolagation, hence the very existence of the MC8 featured here.

RACINGHERITAGE

The race car MC8-R was a heavily modified and lengthened SW20, powered by a twin turbo 4.0 V8 with 600 horsepower.

Its aim to compete in the Le Mans 24 hour. Despite its amazing looks, the MC8-R never really stood a chance against the tough competition from the likes of Mclaren, Porsche 911 GT1, Viper etc whilst competing 95 to 97.

VANISHED

The road going MC8 was exhibited at Le Mans alongside the race car, and then despite appearing to be registered in the UK in 1994, the car seemed to disappear for two decades, believed to have been in a private collection.

RETURNTOJAPAN

The MC8 reappeared during 2016 on the roads of Japan, and it’s great that the new owner uses this rare care on public roads, going about his day to day business, and takes it along to meets for all to see, rather than hiding it away in a private collection.

After some time following the MC8 on Instagram, I reached out to the now owner who we’ll name ‘Y’ and we were delighted that he responded and kindly answered our questions, with a little help from Google Translate.

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PRECIOUSHISTORY

The MC8’s owner tells us that although he had previously owned an MR-S, he didn’t consider himself an MR2 enthusiast as such, although he did like the mid-ship layout. He saw the MC8 for sale and just liked it, so bought it. It was only later that he discovered the precious history of the MC8 and is very proud to own a piece of rare motorsport history.

challenging

Since purchasing the MC8, it remains mostly unchanged, as it was Y’s intention to keep the car as original and authentic as possible.

However, it was a challenging to register the MC8 to be driven on public roads, as Japanese

regulations are very strict. A challenge it was indeed, infact it took 2 years to make the MC8 road legal.

The most time consuming process was clearing the gas/ emission regulations which involved re-writing the engine control unit to to pass emissions.

There are a few draw-backs inherited from its race car heritage, the hood vibrates on the front bumper, so black rubber mouldings have been made to sandwich in between them to stop this, nothing to do with regulations, more to stop the annoyance of the noise whilst driving.

The ride is very hard and sways with a few steps, although Y admits that he is very careful driving the MC8 to make sure there are no accidents, since there is only one in the world.

itistestamenttotheownerthatheenjoysdriving itandtakingittomeetsforalltoseeratherthan hidingitawayinaprivatecollection.

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There is a rear trunk with some capacity, but if opened to the maximum it will hit the rear spoiler, so it can only be opened half way. I’m sure you’ll agree these are minor drawbacks which are far outweighed by owning such a unique and precious piece of motorsport history.

V8ENGINE

The road going MC8 didn’t get the twin Turbo engine of the MC8-R, but is still powered by a V8 in the form of a naturally aspirated 1UZ-FE most commonly found in the Lexus LS400 (Celsior) amongst others. The engine has of course been overhauled in recent years by the owner.

ORIGINAL&AUTHENTIC

Very little has been changed over the years on the MC8, it even still has the original but deteriorated SARD badge on the C-pillar.

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THEMC8THATSLEPTFORALONGTIME...

The owner tell us “Maybe I was destined to connect with this car, something led me to own this car, the MC8 who slept for a long time. But he promised “as long as I own it, I would like to share the existence of this car with everyone in the world. I want to show you more scenery, I want to take you to many places, and I want to meet more people”.

When the MC8 arrives at meets, people who don’t know the MC8 are delighted to take a look at this rare car, and are grateful that it’s on the road for them to see, this is a credit to the owner for sharing this special car with us.

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THEMC8THATSLEPTFORALONGTIME... aslongasIownit,Iwouldliketo sharetheexistenceofthiscarwith everyoneintheworld.Iwanttoshowyou morescenery,Iwanttotakeyoutomany places,andiwanttomeetmorepeople.

MC8RRACECARCHASSISwasSTRETCHED 40cmlonger,20cmwider&20cmlower thantheSW20MR2,WeighING1273kgWITH MOREAGGRESSIVEAERODYNAMICSFORRACING POWEREDBY600BHPATWINTURBOCHARGEDV8

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twist offate So,whytheSW20?

I never really liked the MR2 a lot even growing up. I knew it was a cool car but I never told myself that I’d get one when I was younger. It all started when I moved from Australia to the US (Southern California), and my dad had just bought his 1993 NA a few months back. He lent it to me for a few weeks and I ended up buying my own not too long after that. From there, I just got stuck with them.

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JOHNE SANTOS HAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED 3 MR2S, THIS ONE HIS 4th.

FUN FACT - THEY WERE ALL 1991 s.

WRITTEN BY OWNER - JOHNE SANTOS COUNTRY: MANASSAS, VA j0hne PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSHUA MCCONNELL

Little back story about this particular chassis. When I owned a Red 91 T-Top back in Cali (my 3rd MR2), I had a friend named Russell who also drove a red 91 but hard top. He then sold it to TCS Motorsports and from there, I didn’t know where it went. This dude name Scott posted a for sale post on one of the forums and it had pretty much all the specs I wanted, especially the tucked engine bay that TCS did prior to his ownership. I couldn’t afford his price off the bat so I just left him an offer and he eventually came down to it. Once he did, myself and the wife booked

a one way ticket from Virginia to Alabama and picked the car up. I trusted the car so much as I didn’t even have a single screw driver with me, and it was going to be a good 11-12 hour drive back home. Fortunately, absolutely nothing happened to the car. It was a solid car off the bat and I was very happy with the purchase.

Talkusthroughyourbuild

When I bought the car from Scott, it had a tucked/stock Gen 4 that TCS Motorsports did. That lasted for about a year or so until I sent the car back to TCS to get a bigger turbo setup (not that it broke, I just wanted a bit more power). We ended up with a DOC Racing top mount exhaust manifold mated This chassis was the same exact one that my friend Russell with a PTE 5558. The car did 339WHP/291TQ on stock ECU/ used to have from a few years back before I bought it. In fuel on a Dynojet. I was on that same exact setup for about 4 other words, I’ve seen this car before, and have actually years without any issues. Then myself and the wife found out cruised with it with my older Red MKII. Never would I have that we’re pregnant in December of 2018 and since I didn’t thought I’d own it one day. If cars do talk, my old MR2 may want any distractions through the whole pregnancy (like the have told my current one to take care of me later on in life (as urge of going to shows instead of taking care of my wife and they were parked side by side in a car meet *tears*). kid), I spoke with Ty from TCS and asked if we can “revise” the engine bay and take his sweet ass time. Ty was kind YourMR2certainlyturns enough to basically let me store the car there while I take care of my new family. While it was there for close to 2 years, heads,whatwhereyour we ended up revising the engine bay, which snow balled to a goalsfromtheoutset?

My number one goal was to straight mimic my red 91 t-top as full engine build. Now it’s the best MR2 I’ve owned - and it’ll be pretty hard to top it off.

I loved that car to death. Literally spent so much man hours on it to get it to where it was. I originally wanted to ship it out from CA - VA but it was going to cost a couple thousand dollars. I told myself that it would be nicer to use that money Itrustedthecar for something else instead, and maybe just add it on the next somuchasIdidn’t project car. I was just lucky enough to find one that’s better evenhaveasinglescrew than it!

driverwithme,anditwas goingtobeagood11-12 hourdrivebackhome.

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Howdoesthecardrive?

Bumpy. With how the stance is like, I needed to stiffen most of the suspension parts just so my wheels don’t eat my fenders. I was okay with it when I was younger but I’m sorta paying the price. But even though the bumpiness sometimes annoys me now a days, this thing still puts a smile on my face every time I take her out.

Futureplans

At this point, I just wanna get the car tuned and make the power it’s supposed to make. I still have a few kinks to unfold before then (nothing major) but for now, it’s fully driveable and it’s still on the break in stage anyway.

I’m hoping to touch the 400s once it’s properly tuned.

I might also start cutting up some aluminum sheets and revise the diffusers/splitters all around.

DescribewhatMR2 ownershipmeanstoyou?

If I can think of a couple words, it would be knowledge and comfortability. I’ve been around MR2’s since 2007 and what I really like about it is when something goes wrong, there’s a big chance that I’d know what it is. Having said that, I’m pretty sure I’d be owning one for quite some time. It’s a reliable car after all!

I used to drive the car to shows with it’s current stance.

People would often mistaken it being on air bags after hearing that I drove for 4-5 hours to the show, and they just give me this surprised look when I tell them it’s actually static. The car has also been recognized as Best Toyota a couple times from the past shows its been.

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Withhowthestance islike,Ineededto stiffenmostofthe suspensionpartsjustso mywheelsdon’teatmy fenders.

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thanksto

First would have to be the wife.

She’s been very patient with me owning this car (and all my previous MR2s) all these years. We all know that it could some times be stressful owning an older car especially when something goes wrong with it - and the wife has been fully supportive of that.

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TCS Motorsports/Ty. He’s helped me with this car ever since I bought it from Scott. Answered a few thousand questions since then and he’s always willing to share his knowledge. There’s really no other shop I’d take this to than TCS. Brothers Garage here in VA - for having their shop open for anything I need to work on the car with.

Team Emotion - for being the best team in the US (or at least we think so, hahaha) Always got to thank my father as he’s my ultimate influencer when it comes to cars, as well as the person who’s taught me so much when it comes to it.

To all my friends that lent a hand with this build from the get go (too many to mention).

Iusedtodrivethecartoshows withit’scurrentstanCE.People wouldoftenmistakenitbeingonair bagsafterhearingthatIdrovefor 4-5hourstotheshow,andtheyjust givemethissurpriselookwhenItell themit’sactuallystatic.

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MODELANDYEAR 1991MKIIHardTop-originally N/A-swappedtoTurbo(Gen4) 4thGen3SGTEEngineBayShaved/Tuck byTCSMotorsports Engine&PERFORMANCE: PTE 5558 mated with DOC Racing Top Mount Exhaust Manifold Wiseco Pistons and Eagle Rods South Bend Stage 2 Clutch GSC S1 Billet Cam Shafts, GSC Spring/Retainer Kit

BRAKES Wilwood 4 Piston BBK up front, stock 93+ brakes for the rear.

TCS Motorsports Steel Braided Lines all around

WHEELS+TYRES Work Meister 3P - White Face with Gold Hardware Front - 18 x 9.5 +12 - Falken 215/35 Rear - 18 x 11.5 +23 - Falken 265/35

BODY

ID1050X Injectors, Walbro 450

Hard Top Chassis

ECU Masters ECU

Re-Sprayed Ferrari Red (by previous previous owner)

TIAL Wastegate, HKS SSQV BOV

Shine Auto Carbon Fiber Lip

Spearco Side Mount IC

Bomex Side Mirrors and Rear Bumper Add-Ons

Gen 4 Valve Cover CF Cover by MR2Heaven

94’ Spoiler with Poon SW20 Selected Gourney Flap Add-On

Vibrant Catch Can

JDM Clear Front Turn Signals, Kouki Tail Lights

TCS Motorsports Coolant Hoses

Raybrig Headlight Housing with DDM Tuning HID Kit

TCS Motorsports IC Pipings

Custom Splitters/Diffusers all around by yours truly.

TCS Motorsports 3” Downpipe TCS Motorsports 85mm Dual Exit Exhaust

OEM Toyota Mudflaps (incorporated with both the side splitters and rear bumper add-on)

TCS Motorsports Fan Shroud Kit with 11” Spal Fans

TRANSMISSION Stock E153 LSD Transmission with CRW Upgraded Axle Cages

INTERIOR Bride Stradia I Seats (yellow kevlar backing) Vertex Red 10 Star Steering Wheel with NRG Quick Tilt Hub

SUSPENSION&CHASSIS BC Racing Housing/Shock Cartridge (specifically valved for the spring rates) Swift Springs - 25kg Fronts and 30kg Rear Alex Wilhelm Fixed Camber Plates (all around) Techno Toy Tuning RCAs OBX Crash/Camber Bolts TRD Sway Bars Polyurethane bushings all around

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MR2Heaven Halo Shifter Surround Custom Gold Titanium Shifter Factory Toyota Navigation/Radio AVN TRD Gauge Cluster TCS Motorsports In-Cluster Boost Gauge Sparco Flex Aluminium Pedal Set Broadway Rear View Mirror Custom Yellow OEM Style Seat Belts Toyota “MR2” Aluminium Door Sills

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TRACK

AARON KING CREATED HIS DREAM BUILD, THE GT300 CAR HE KNEW THE ZZW30 COULD BE

I

was first introduced to the ZZW30 chassis in the PS1 game Gran Turismo and fell in love with it there, but even without that impact on me the car is a well built chassis for racing. The mid engine layout and rear wheel drive make it a stable platform for cornering, while the engine swap options make it easy to customize to ones personal tastes and goals. I think the fact it’s an untapped chassis as far as popularity goes made it a bit more appealing and added to the uniqueness of it.

Previous back catalogue of cars include 92 Toyota Camry (3vz, e163 swap), Audi TT Anniversary Edition, Spoon S2k, MazdaSpeed6, Hyundai Genesis Coupe Track Edition.

The car had one previous owner who had actually owned a few MR2 Spyders. This particular MR2 Spyder had a fire damaged engine and old transmission. The car had been relatively discarded yet was still in decent condition. Most people wouldn’t have probably stripped it down to the chassis to build a Time Attack car but I think many would agree I’m not most people. My fiance found it on Facebook market place. It was in Louisiana which isn’t too close to North Carolina. We borrowed a truck, a trailer and went there and back in a day trip to start my dream build.

You’vecreatedatrack focussedbeast,that certainlyturnsheads, whatwereyourgoals fromtheoutset?

Honestly the first goal was to just replicate a video game car and make it real. But as I grew up I got into actual auto racing and then the goal turned into, can I (some random guy) build a car that could compete against say a GT3 porsche on a track? And now it’s to travel and get the car on as many tracks as I can to enjoy it for its purpose, but rest assured I will still daily drive it for the pure fun of it.

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Whatwasyourinspirationforthis build?

Prior to actually being able to drive, my passion was channelled through video games like PlayStation 1 Gran Turismo. This game was my inspiration to someday build a GT300 replica autobac MR2 Spyder, which was the only car I would play in the game. Playing the game also got me into Japanese GT-300/500 racing and JGTC. This also ended up being my drive to get into automotive engineering and design, which I did as a career for 16 years.

WRITTEN BY OWNER - AARON KING COUNTRY: CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA USA TRACKKINGRACING JESSESLAYTON PHOTOGRAPHER:

Talkusthroughyourbuild

Well in a nutshell it is a GT300 MR2 Spyder inspired Time Attack car with homemade aerodynamics design and testing. The car has been widened with a full GT300 Monocraft replica kit from Midship Garage that has been custom modified per the needs of the build and my personal preferences.

WEIGHTSAVINGS&AERODYNAMICS

It’s also been fitted with a Toyota OEM hardtop found through Mitchs Auto Parts that’s been gutted for weight savings along with the rest of the interior. The exterior has seen many aerodynamic upgrades made by myself such as one piece underbody, splitter, canards, vortex generators, diffusers, wings... that also happen to give the car its aggressive look. The engine and transmission is the 2ZZGE/C60 combo out of many cars (Elise, Corolla, Matrix, Vibe, Celica).

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THEENGINE

The engine is the brain child of Yamaha who designed the head, and Toyota who took on the block. We have improved upon the head design by some light porting, and a full stage 2 treatment of parts (valves, retainers, springs etc) via Monkey Wrench Racing. The block is left untouched along with the rods but the pistons have been replaced with high compression Mahle pistons.

TURBO

The turbo kit is a custom sidewinder top mounted oil-less CT2871r Comp Turbo, with a custom 600hp air to water intercooler system. Extremely short piping system makes for instant boost

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as well as supporting boost to 10k rpm.

The C60 series 6 speed transmission all though a bit weak for torque is the most likely of pairings for the high RPM engine due to its great gear ratios.

To make up for the weak gears we are currently upgrading a spare transmission to SSC hardened gears that are also cryo treated along with the rest of the gears.

That with the Toyota LSD and the car will be able to handle hard track days at its intended race hp and torque numbers of 420hp/340tq.

CHASSIS

The chassis has been prepared with a full roll cage as well as your standard proper safety equipment. The

suspension is upgraded with adjustable Battle Version control arms to enable the widening of the footprint and Powertrix adjustable coil-overs with 10k/12k spring rates to deal with the added downforce and high cornering speeds. I think one of the coolest things about building a car like this is all the unique custom parts you end up getting. Many of the parts involved in the car are handmade by amazing people with incredible skills from all over the world. Take for instance the shifter cage, and short shifter that is made by Ricardo Rojas (RZR), its literally 1 of 3. I say that not to brag about the nature of it but to explain my appreciation for being fortunate enough to connect with such amazing

people, and have their creations on my build. Much like the Link G4 + ECU and the amazing wiring by Mark @ Panic Wiring. Without the help of people like Mark, this build wouldn’t be where it is today. Most of the electronics (switch panel, relay/fuse panel, additional input sources etc), fuel system (BCP fuel hanger, Walbro 350 pump, 1000cc injectors, radium rail, custom return line) were all designed and made by myself.

The finishing touches were the Konig wheels and Falken tires to make sure the car stays where it needs to be. The car continues to evolve and improve over time. As I learn new and better ways of car tech I instantly apply and revise.

Howdoesthecarfeel todrive?

That’s a hard one to describe. The power is crazy linear but builds before you realize it. The car gives you feedback to every input you give.

The smallest amount of throttle you can hear, letting off the throttle gives a different wastegate/blow of valve sound with every rpm. 9000rpm is just a wild feeling and I’m still getting used to it. The car is literally on rails and you hear every rock and bump.

Small inputs produce big results and you definitely feel like you’re in something special. The car sticks and pulls around the corners, the engine screams behind your ears. IF you

want luxury and detachment from your environment..... this is not the car for you. lol

Whateventshave you/ordoyouplanto participatein?

Well we will definitely do local shows, drive-ins, charity events and meet-ups, but as far as racing goes the big two are WTAC and GTA. I also want to get involved with regional programs like Gridelife, Jzilla track days and other events at local tracks. I could also see doing some hillclimb and drift events in the future to keep life interesting :)

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MR2ownership...

Well I truly think the MR2 was a great way for a broke person like myself to get into a chassis that shares features of a track based platform. Having the ability to get into the platform so inexpensively is just what made it happen sooner vs later. I’m just lucky I didn’t fall in love with the NSX (which btw who isn’t in love with the NSX) The MR2 is a super car chassis that fell short in the consumer market due to poor engine choice but to me I always saw it as the GT300 car I knew it could be.

Futureplans?

Oh boy..... too many hahahaha. I’ll never stop or sell this car. I want everything for it. Air jacks, sequential transmission, active aero, and other rather lofty goals but I also have closer goals of tubing out the front and rear of the car and creating one piece clam shells, as well as a fast back and revised rear lid. Just to name a few without giving away to many secrets ;)

THANKSTO

Mark w/ Panic Wiring Link ECU Konig Wheels Nic w/ Falken Tires Atlantic Wraps Adaptec Speedware Battle Version Midship Garage Jason @ link ECU (tunedbypsi) Larry aka Dino LSX Performance PCM Dyno Phill Paterson

“AND OF COURSE MY AMAZING WIFE KIM FOR ALL HER LOVE, SUPPORT AND WRENCHING! “

30

Themr2isasupercarchassisthatfell shortintheconsumermarketduetopoor enginechoicebuttomeialwayssawitas thegt300cariknewitcouldbe.

31

ECU

TurboSetup

Fluids

Link G4 Storm - Panic Made kit

Compturbo CT2871s oil-less turbo

Redline 5w40 Oil 6 qts

Panic made custom jumper harness

MG Custom sidewinder vertices mount manifold

Toyota long life coolant 2 gal

Tuned by psi Jason @Link Dyno tuned

MG diffuser dump 3in vband exhaust

Redline MT-90 GL4 tran fluid 2 qts

Engine Yamaha 2ZZ-GE 4cyl 1.8L Mahle 10:5:1 pistons MWR rod bearing Kings main bearings MWR stage 2 cams MWR springs, valves, retainers ARP head stud bolts ARP mains ARP Rod bolts En24 Lotus Racing oil pump gear PnP IM & TB Mishimoto thermostat OLP 2 Row Race radiator Moroso wet sump oil pan and stud kit TB coolant bypass NGK-BKR7EIX spark plugs

MG 600hp air/water intercooler Turbosmart Raceport BOV 44mm Turbo smart Hypergate wastegate Phantom Oil Press Gauge Phantom Oil Temp Gauge Phantom Boost Gauge AEM Wideband A/F Gauge (4) Universal Gauge Meter Pod Mounting Cup Holder TKR Front Inverted V Mount Heat Exchanger MG Overflow tank Jabsco Centrifugal Pump 12V water pump Vibrant nylon braided A/W hoses Frunk Battery Relocation Box Dual Catch Cans Greddy Turbo Timer/Boost Controller Midship Garage duel engine fan kit

Fuel

Custom oil cooler setup

Walbro 350 pump

Marathon race battery

Vibrant 6an braided feed and return fuel lines

Transmission C60 6 speed man. w/ lsd

Radium Fuel Rail

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TKR Full Splitter Kit w/ Diffuser TKR GT Track Air Foil TKR Canards TKR Custom Drop hood w/ radiator channel TKR Vortex Generators

Chassis Powertrix adjustable coilovers Custom Cages UK 8 pt roll cage Tanabe front/rear strut braces Full battle version suspension kit CHE front under body brace

Wheels/tires Falken Azenis Tires

ANSU 1000cc injectors

SSC upgraded syncros

GT300 Monocraft Wide Body Gen 1 w/ TKR Modifications

Konig 18x8.5 and 18x9.5 Hypergrams

RZR Custom short shifter & cage

SSC upgraded gear set

GT Carbon mirrors

Border City fuel hat/hanger

JDM Helical LSD

MWR Gorilla HDSS clutch

OEM Hardtop w/ Roof scoop

Radium FPR Midship Garage fuel return kit

Competition clutch 2-617-1STU lightened flywheel

Body

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33

ROLLERCOASTER MR2OWNERSHIP H ello, my name is Scott Bertrand, I am 26, and I will try to keep it interesting, yet short enough to not take up time, as I have owned this car 10+ years and it has been through everything plus some.

Ok to start, it was in the early 2000s at 15/16 stuck on Need for Speed / Fast and Furious type of vehicles. Not knowing much I was browsing craigslist/online for Eclipses... Haha yeah I know, junk. Glad I didn’t get one. One morning my dad let me browse the USED CAR private owner section of the newspaper (do we even still use those?) Scrolling through I find the AD: 1993 Toyota MR2 Non-Turbo 5spd $3000

I didn’t know what this car was, but saw the non Turbo and figured there was a cool Turbo version. I went and looked at it later that day and I fell in love with it. I’ve never seen such an exotic cheap car. I was hooked but my dad was sold on the deathtrap rumors of the chassis. Said No.

THEBEGINNING

Fast forward to my 16th birthday I was surprised with it, but only could drive if I kept my low paying job and paid it off as I worked. Deal.

Down the rabbit hole I fell. Still in High School I tried to do mods to it with whatever I could find cheap as a novice gearhead. Didn’t make it 3 months on the road before I was hit by a driver hydroplaning... crushed the door and fender.

Had to source parts nearby and try my first door removal.

Not too bad. All was good.

While looking for replacement panels I found out about aftermarket bodykits. I purchased the WORST fitting kit later that week.

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SCOTT BERTRAND'S 10 YEAR EMOTIONAL ROLLER-COASTER RIDE OF MR2 OWNERSHIP, YOU'D BETTER HOLD ON TIGHT! WRITTEN BY: OWNER SCOTT BERTRAND T@THEGREATSCOTTBRACKKINGRACING

donorturbo

Jobs were better and I was looking into a parts car when this wrecked turbo model popped up on Instagram. $600 couldn’t beat it, with the JDM tails.

Good thing I did because the motor didn’t last too much longer after that. Valve trouble at 178k on the 5SFE that I “babied”. Yeah right I thought that motor was the fastest thing and gave it the ‘ol italian tuneup’ daily.

Pulled the motor out of the parts car and got it ready next to the OG car.

Tried my hand at bodywork and this is the result, daily drove like this in high school. The girls loved it.

Two-three-four tone paint job was getting a little old so I finally decided to buy some more paint and some wheels off a buddy of mine.

35

A few thousand later, me and some close friends were putting it in on a Thanksgiving night.

I was in head first with no mechanical background.

We got the motor in though!

External Wastegates, Greddy IC pipes, Greddy BoV, ARC intake box. Just a few parts to name, but the car had to look as good as my rainbow motor so I got involved in my first terrible paint job by a “friend”

Time froze on the car while I focused on school and work, but that fire still burned in me. I had to drive this car again, I was hooked for life. I called some friends, pulled some strings and I had a new date set up for an extensive paint job that would take a while, so I could work on the new heart for the car. I was so excited we PUSHED the shell to a carwash off the highway.

Everything was cleaned up ready to go in! But somewhere along the way I clipped the back window and had to try my hand at the hardest window they say... good thing I had that parts car!

Times were good, even convinced my best friend to get one, but he was smart and sold it when he got into trouble with his.

Always had head gasket issues On the way to the paint shop.

All good things must come to an end.

See I was young/naive and didn’t realize that after you up the boost or fuel, you kinda need something to control it all. I cheaped out and never bought an ECU. The motor was done after 40-60k.

Made it.

Car looked sad, But I saw the final product in my head.

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TimefrozeonthecarwhileIfocusedonschooland work.Butthatfirestillburnedinme.Ihadtodrivethis caragain,Iwashookedforlife.

I took time away from Louisiana and moved to Florida with some friends.

Everything happens for a reason. Not long after, I purchased another shell.

This time with something a bit more “reliable” and for $200!!!

That’s right! Gen 4 3S-GTE.

While they were working the magic, I was still using car washes as my parts washer. Big Thanks to Mike for the big yellow bus and helping me move the parts.

Yes gross, had to sort through that while they were taking care of my car 15 hours away.

Car was taking shape, and we had some color

There’s a reason it was so cheap though, the car never ran and had a rats nest of wiring issues. Not too long after, I got it on a stand and was tearing it apart for a reseal.

Have to stop right here and say I love small details. It really sets you apart from the same kits and cars. If you know, you know. We blended the skirts for that OEM+ look I love so much.

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And that’s all I ever got painted by THIS shop, again screwed over but had to get my car back. It’s been almost 3 years at this point and I had so much chassis work to do.

Made the drive twice. Once to get it there, and once back. It’s not a fun drive. But people were starting to see my picture in my head. I was spotted on the way back and this was posted on the MR2 OWNERS forums worldwide!

Pretty cool how small this world is.

Well, the car made it home. First order of business get it stripped down and parts to the side!

Black, just like the old Ferraris of the era. Car also got to meet the new heart transplant.

Got the motor pretty and buttoned up

Again have more photos but the car was done, it could move, everything worked so I got it out the garage for some pictures.

We were ready! it was going in that weekend but Hurricane Irma had different plans. No worries I went at it the next weekend. And let me repeat... we are ghetto over here. No shops is the motto. Using wood and cinderblocks I got the car as high as I could

Notice the other MR2 I was working on to make some extra cash. I was getting pretty handy with these cars. I decided to make a custom gauge cluster because I hate the A pillar pods, and the factory gauges are trash, just dashed.

Ordered the rings from Russia, painted the needles green with my girlfriend’s fingernail polish. Again the small things.

It was in and man I think I did a pretty good job!

While the car was parked and I was making gauges, waiting for my plate to come from the DMV, a tornado hit. I was devastated when I saw this view. Car was just done and this happens...

Also found a Cusco cage an hour away as soon as I got back. Was not excited to drive again but it was too good to pass up! I had an idea for the prized piece. I wanted the motor to pop, and the old white paint was turning yellow. I tried my hand at spraying the bay.

I had found a great friend/painter, Falcon, next to me and he agreed to help paint the final parts along with other help on some projects.

First was getting that cage in! I cut the forward tabs off and had a harness bar welded in.

38

Tore the whole door off, debris everywhere, but there’s a silver lining... under my ugly neighbors face.

No Damage. I don’t know who was looking out but WOW! We are talking millimeters here.

SometimesIhatehowmuchIhaveinthisoldmetalbut whenit’sdrivenItisthebestfeelingeverandallof thatnegativegoesaway..

Ok, I think it was telling me to get the car going! and that I did! This motor is amazing!

DISASTERSTRIKESAGAIN

Car was awesome but again all good things must come to an end. 8,000 miles on rebuild and I was hit and run (still never found the driver) Thankfully I wasn’t hurt physically, but mentally I was unstable. This was terrible all the time and hours getting the car beautiful down the drain.

Lost and unknowing what to do, My great friend/painter Falcon was up for the task. I could not have chosen anyone better.

It was bad, needed all new wheels, door, and a quarter panel, or at least I thought we needed one. Falcon is a master at his craft and he was able to pull it all out. True metal work!

That night I drove it back 15 hours to my home state. I was out of Florida and wanted nothing to do with that traffic anymore.

But before the drive Falcon made sure I was sitting comfy with custom sliders for my seat in the time crunch.

We were back and this time on some real wheels. Desmond WiseSports. I love the 5 spoke dish on this car. It looks so period correct.

Off to the shop it goes again, to look at the damage.

39

Everything was fine, Car now had about 16k on the odometer and there were two artists playing in my city on Friday night. Curren$y and Xavier Wulf Linked up with both and told them to lean on the car like its theirs. They also signed my little cheap rollcage!

Again car was great but after staring at it, it needed something to break it up.

Insert Aero...does it work? probably not but it looks good!

therewere twoartist playinginmy cityonFriday night.Curren$yand XavierWulf-Linked upwithbothand toldthemtolean onthecarlikeits theirs.Theyalso signedmylittle cheaprollcage!

This is the car as it is now. It sits at 26k and runs great. If you made it this far,

Thankyoufor reflectingwith meon10+yearsof ownership.I’msure therearegreatand otherworthybuilds outtherebutmineis alittleunique.

Sometimes I hate how much I have in this old metal but when it’s driven, It is the best feeling ever and all of that negative goes away.

40

HOONIGAN AUTOFOCUS

scanTOWATCHON

Scott’s MR2 was selected by American YouTube Channel Hoonigan Autofocus which is a stim off Ken Block (Rally Guy/ Gymkhana/DC owner). They feature cars from Ferrari exotica and one of a kind rally cars to car collections to anything that is eye catching under the sun and deals with cars in some way.

Scott’s car was their FIRST EVER MR2 feature which was a huge accomplishment for both Scott and the channel.

ClicktheQRcodetowatchthevideo

41

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RECOVER COURAGE, HOPE & STRENGTH AFTER A TIME OF DIFFICULTY

WRITTEN BY OWNER - LORENZO-RAPHAEL DALIT DACANAY COUNTRY: SEATTLE WASHINGTON PHOTOGRAPHY: @JULIUS NGUYEN @LYRENZO

M

y name is Lorenzo-Raphael Dalit Dacanay, I am based in Seattle Washington. I am currently a Boeing Flight Line Mechanic and run a home garage, Respire Motorsports where we allow a self service car lift and do repairs for most vehicles.

I actually took ownership of my MR2 at the age of 17 because of my father who had passed away due to cancer. But let me tell the story. When I was in high school I had a car crew under the name of Respire.

Respire’s literary meaning is to recover courage, hope and strength after a time of difficulty and was named ultimately for my group of friends to overcome anything

that life threw at us. Mind you this was still when my dad Michael, was still alive. Myself being a “youngin” I was a bad kid as we all used to be. I decided to take his car out for a stroll and at the time the MR2 was SMT. Despite being only 15, I knew how to drive but never really understood how to properly drive an SMT with the paddle shifters at the time. With that being said, I took the MR2 out for a spin to take it out on the Kent Street Races and blew the transmission.

The car sat for a moment until I had the funds to 2ZZ swap the car which ultimately then led to the current K-swap. The car was passed down to me and the condition it was at the time, was very well kept. The MR2 had no rust at all and had been garaged all its life.

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This was a very tough time for me. Long before his passing, I had just received my first iphone, the Iphone 3g which was released back in 2008. I remember being at a family members house and being asked if one day I would want to drive the MR2, and if we even had future plans for this car. 8 years old, completely determined on what would be my first move (modification) of the car when I had possession of it.

But little did I know, that me owning the MR2 meant I would lose my best friend forever. I would trade anything, even this car and all the blood, tears and knowledge to have him back.

I would talk to my dad about APR’s widebody kit which at the time looked in my eyes as “Godly”, and it still does to this day. We had plans to purchase this kit and completely remodel the car together. I would always go to local car meets with other Spyder members from Seattle who have actually reached out to me and had sent me pictures of them at the car meets. As he was in the navy, every morning I got to hear the cold start his obnoxious exhaust would make on his commute to work from Kent to Whidbey island, approximately 2 hour drive. Even after work, he would take me to the store to go get candy and just spend as much time with me as he was stationed far sometimes, to Iraq, 44

Afghanistan, and all these other places. The time I had with my father was the best, sitting in his Red Sparcos, the current seats it has on today, and just hanging out with my hero. He is the reason why I will never give up.

3RDTIMELUCKY...1ZZ,2ZZ...K-SWAP

First off, I had blown the transmission from the 1ZZ SMT back in 2017, which had a lack of power compared to the 2ZZ. After doing intense research of the 2ZZ I decided to pull the trigger as it was more budget friendly at the time of the build back at around 2018.

From 2018-2019, I blew the 2ZZ twice, the first by a dropped valve, and the second which was boosted was quickly shot down by a large piece of metal from the block ending up in the oil pan.

K-SWAP

2020 is when the K-swap was officially completed for a low compression built for boost, all motor setup (still in the works for turbo). As I had daily driven the 2ZZ, I felt the power gains shoot through compared to the 1ZZ. I absolutely loved the noise, the driving capability and handling this car

TheK-seriesengine wasmorereliable, stronger,faster, andmadethecar feellikeanabsoluteunit.

Thepowerwasinstant.

gave to me. Until I swapped to K-series, this had been the best decision for me. The K-series engine was more reliable, stronger, faster, and made the car feel like an absolute unit. The power was instant.

Although the K-series I had built had all internal work done unlike the 2ZZ, this K20/24 ‘Frankenstein build’ was worth every single penny.

UNDERDOG

I believe owning an MR2 relates to being the underdog. Not many people know the car, like the car, or even want to look at the car (OEM). That’s always how it felt with owning an mR2. Everyone 45

always looked down on us, and I can only use that as motivation to keep going.

FUTUREPLANS

The MR2 has big plans as soon as my other plans of purchasing a home are out of the way. I am currently in the stages of piecing together the turbo kit this K car needs. We plan to throw on a precision 6266 gen 2 hoping to surpass 650 to the wheels.

I hope to have a kid one day that can take the responsibilities this car comes with. I want to pass this down in my family for as long as we can to make sure all my descendants know my fathers name and who he was.

Currently I run Respire as an Auto Shop / Car lift rental for a side hustle. This is where the beast stays put. I often take my car to Wekfest Seattle for 2 years in a row, and am

currently looking to have the MR2 featured in more events as I continue to build the car. People love the car, I have spent countless hours talking about the MR2 as people pass by. At first, people question the car as a Ferrari but when people ask me if it’s an MR2, that’s when I really smile.

THANKSTO

I would personally like to thank Noribelle, Adriann, Alida and everyone in my family for pushing me as far as I can push myself and keeping me going. To my friends in Respire, for everything you have helped me with while I was down and struggling. To my uncle Dexter, for not only helping me with my car, but guiding me through life and tribulations as I continue to grow. Shout out to everyone in my current and past circle for creating the man I am today whether it be correlated towards cars or not, thank you.

ThetimeIhadwithmyfatherwasthe best,sittinginhisRedSparcos,the currentseatsithasontoday,and justhangingoutwithmyhero.Heisthe reasonwhyIwillnevergiveup.

46

Lorenzo’s late Father pictured at a meet

2ZZ swap underway

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2002MR2Spyder, COLOR: Originally solar yellow and now the blue from a San Marino m5 BMW.

ENGINE: K20a2 Engine Head Street Ported

EngineManagement: Hondata kpro v4 ECU Mitch Auto Sports Harness

TUNEDBY: By my uncle, Dexter Baldonado @ Reliable Wrenchers. 18727 E Valley Hwy ste a, Kent, WA 98032

Supertech bronze valve guides, seals and bases. 100lb Titanium Supertech springs and retainers.

Supertech Titanium Valves Type S cams and rockers 50 degree VTC cam Speedfactory L19 Head studs Intake Manifold Skunk2 Ultra Race

PERFORMANCE: The motor is low compression built for boost.

SUSPENSION&CHASSIS: Tein coil-overs with EDFC (electronic damping force control)

RDX Injectors Fuel Rail K tuned & AEM fuel pressure regulator K24a1 Engine Block Wiseco 87.5mm pistons Brian Crower Con-Rods with upgrade 625 Con Rod Bolts Cometic Head gasket ACL Bearings complete set (rod, main, thrust) Drag Cartel Lower Timing Chain guide 4p Type S ported OIl Pump Drag Cartel Modified Crank Trigger K tuned oil cooler hoses Type S Oil cooler modification Karcepts AC/PS Delete Upper coolant housing

Transmission: Type S Dog Box 6 speed 1-2 Dog Gears

BRAKES: Stoptech rotors and brake pads.

Braided stainless steel brake lines

WHEELS+TYRES Avante Garde Custom 3p Wheels. 17x11 rear, 17x10 front. (Show Setup Only) R888r’s Tires.

BODY APR Performance Wide body kit Vis Racing Carbon Fiber Hardtop with OEM rear Glass Seibon Carbon Fiber Racing Hood Facelift Headlights & Tail lights APR Mirrors

INTERIOR

3-4 Gear X

10p Chromoly Cage done @ Fuse Fabrication

Carbon Synchros

Sparco Seats

Type S Tranny Housing

Ktuned Race spec billet Shifter

Competition Twin disk clutch

Rhino Lined Interior

DSS 5.9 Axles

Spoon Sports Steering Wheel

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Rogue Motorsports door panels.

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SPECIALISTS IN TOYOTA 3SGE, 3SGTE, 4AGE & 2ZZGE ENGINES. We offer numerous engine services from standard builds to fully tuned competition engines. We specialise in engines for motorsport and track day use, however we are just as happy working on your road car engine. Engines are able to be provided already run in on our in house Go Power engine dyno.

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MICHAEL LEE'S SUPER SMOOTH AW11 IS PROOF THAT SOMETIMES SIMPLICITY ITSELF IS PERFECTION...

WRITTEN BY OWNER - MICHAEL LEE COUNTRY: HONOLULU, HAWAII PHOTOGRAPHY: SAMUEL TORRES

M

ichael Lee has always been a Toyota lover, owning an 85 Toyota Supra in high school.

Sold it and regretted it. “My brother has a red 86 MR2. And so I wanted one also. I like the looks of the AW11 then the other two generation MR2. Just my opinion” explains Michael.

50

Michael talks us through his build: Purchased in December 2019. Original paint-Toyota super white. Super good condition with no major rust and only having covered 95k miles.

KEEPINGITSIMPLE

“My goal was to keep the body and paint as stock as possible. Thats why I didn’t cut or roll the fenders and I didn’t want to add flared arches.

“Mygoalwastokeepthebodyand paintasstockaspossible.Thats whyIdidn’tcutorrollfendersandI didn’twanttoaddflaredarches.

LOVETHESTANCE...

“First thing I did was lower my car with coil-overs and wheels. I love wide wheels that stick out a little.

That’s why I went with 15x9, zero offset all around with 195 45R15 tires, a little stretched. Little camber. It fits perfectly without rolling fenders. It’s not slammed but low enough without rolled fenders. I love the stance.

Nextit’sthemotor

The motor got an overhaul, changed out all the seals. cam seals, crank seals, new distributor, new water pump, new timing belt. Installed Borla exhaust with carbon fiber exhaust tip. K&N air filter. NGK spark plugs and wires. Removed cam covers and repainted red. Added blue silicone hoses. Cleaned up the entire motor and surroundings.

51

Stock brake calipers were painted. One side is blue, the other side is red. Next I added clear turn signal lenses front and rear. LED headlights. Undercarriage RGB LEDs. Front red color tow bar. For the interior.

I changed the instrument panel bulbs to LEDs. Blue and red. Touch screen stereo unit. Two 10 inch woofers behind the seats. New 6 inch speakers on both doors.

Owning an MR2 feels wonderful. I love driving it around. Special. Proud owner of a classic sports car.

Futureplans

To maybe add flares and even wider wheels and tires.

Different front bumper lip. Carbon fiber hood. Raised engine lid. Air scoop. Aftermarket tuner. Air cups.

Racing seats. Custom carbon fiber steering wheel.

Maybe enter car shows.

CARMEETHOST

I host a car meet and cruz twice a month. Just starting a car club. I try to attend any other meets and charity events.

52

I have two MR2s. The other is a red ‘86 that my brother had since high school. He gave it to me to fix it up and I gave it to my daughter to drive. Now we go to cruzs together.

OWNINGANMR2 Feelswonderful.

Ilovedrivingit around.Special.

ProudOwnerofa classicsportscar.

53

1987MR2AW11NA, ToyotaSuperWhite040

ENGINE&PERFORMANCE: Stock 4AGE, twin cam 16 valve, NA NGK spark plugs and wires Borla Pro XS exhaust K&N air filter

WHEELS&TIRES: Rota Kyusha chrome polish wheels, 15x9 zero offset, Federal 595 tires 195 45R15 all around

CHASSIS&SUSPENSION: Gecko coil-overs Techno Toy Tuning tow bar

ICE(INCARENTERTAINMENT): Pioneer stereo deck Two 10 inch Rockford Fosgate speakers Alpine speakers

54

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TURBO THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN AN ENGINE SWAP, THIS CUSTOM BUILD IS NOTHING SHORT OF A WORK OF ART BY THE GUYS AT RAT2 MOTORSPORTS

March 2021

T

his 1991 SW20 came to Rat2 motorsports with a swapped, yet blown 3VZ V6 engine. The evolution of this car started with a head gasket repair and became the first twin-turbo 2GR setup squeezed under the hood of an SW20 chassis at Rat2 Motorsports.

crazy,loud,fast,andalittleextra...

“When we first started discussing this project, the customer wanted something crazy, loud, fast, and a little extra,” says Ian Rattue builder and owner of Rat2 motorsports. “We wanted to not only provide a power plant he could take to the track but would also turn some heads while there”.

The original design concept was to utilize a single turbo and remove the trunk space for an intercooler core. “As we stood and looked at the empty engine bay in front of us, scratching our heads, it just came up in conversation that it would be cool to do a second turbo. One thing led to another and the idea obviously stuck.”

completeground-up buildwithcustom one-of-a-kindparts

To make this a reality, the car would need to undergo a variety of modifications. Ian explains, “Space was a concern from the beginning, even with a single turbo, nearly all of the initial designs kept running into the unibody rear frame rail. From this point, it was a domino effect”. The decision was made to completely remove the trunk, the chassis needed to be reinforced. Then came the bodywork…” The necessary fabrication and bodywork to complete the trunk removal would additionally pave the way for a complete ground-up build with custom one-of-a-kind parts. It’s at this point Ian indicated the build became something “a little extra special”.

Ian explains, “The goal then became to build an over-the-top, twin-turbo 2GR that was simple, effective, attractive, and most importantly, reliable”.

Every element of the build had been meticulously designed keeping these primary goals in mind.

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thebuildbecamesomething “alittleextraspecial”...

Thegoalthenbecametobuild anover-the-top,twin-turbo 2GRthatwassimple,effective, attractive,andmostimportantly, reliable”.Everyelementofthe buildhadbeenmeticulously DESIGNEDkeepingtheseprimary goalsinmind.

NEWCHASSISWASBORN

Following the initial design hurdle of removing the trunk, Ian recalls the first steps of taking the measurements, “With a complete 3D scan of the now-empty engine bay in the computer, we were able to cut the preliminary sheet metal to fill voids and start figuring dimensions out”. Many hours later, with trial and error being the only option for some pieces, the chassis was born.

CUSTOMREARWARDOPENING TRUNKLID

The new strut mounting locations were reinforced along with the strut tower caps. Custom strut bars were bent, welded, assembled, and installed to secure the chassis; ensuring the suspension points stay stable under heavy cornering.

With the engine bay completed a solution was needed to incorporate the rear trunk lid, which had lost its factory hinge points from the chassis modification. Ian describes the process, “The trunk lid was one part that transformed purely due to necessity, but we figured we may as well do something different.” With the aid of computer modelling and good old fashion cardboard, the hinge dimensions were confirmed, cut, and assembled to make a rearward opening trunk lid exposing the full engine bay inside.

Work then began to incorporate the second turbo and the associated parts. As Ian set to designing, fabbing, and welding the seemingly endless pile of pie cuts, Shawn got to work on the custom wiring harness and body electronics.

From the kick panel back, every wire was removed and replaced from the chassis. The original plan incorporated a tucked engine harness, minimizing unnecessary wires and systems from any leftover factory equipment. In addition to a tuck, the new LINK Thunder stand-alone ECU required custom wiring to take advantage of its many features.

CUSTOMHARNESS

The custom harness also made the new rear tail light assemblies easier to build, since custom reverse lights were designed, 3D printed, and fit the MR2s Kouki tail lights.

The electrical system was finalized with a custom in-house designed and built fuse box. Located behind the passenger seat, the fuse panel organizes each electrical system with a manual override switch, and quick access relays/fuses.

This custom rear end was inspired by a full-size intercooler core, which was going to be installed facing out the rear.

This new, vented center panel will allow the core assembly to pass plenty of air, cooling down the boost from the twin turbos.

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UNIQUETURBOKITLAYOUT

The open engine bay allows for a unique turbo kit layout, with each bank of the 2GR feeding its own turbo. The charged air is then merged into a large air-to-air core. Ian explains, “Going with a water-to-air intercooler setup was considered, but it was one of the trade-offs we made early on when weighing the options.” Ian explains how some initial design features that ended up being cut were still accounted for in the long-term build plan. “Redundancy and long-term foresight in our builds is something we take a lot of pride in. We see our builds as investments, not just repairs, so big picture planning is a must. We try to build a solid framework where a variety of things can be added retroactively to the build. After putting the car through some track testing, we may want to change things up.” With this versatility in mind, independent wiring circuits with dedicated relays, fuses, ECU integration, and wiring are ready for expansion on this build. These circuits may be used in the future for a range of uses including electric intercoolers, water pumps, turbo oil scavenges pumps, air pumps, auxiliary sensor wires, or lighting. Taking advantage of these preplanned systems is easily done thanks to the unique, yet comprehensive wiring diagrams provided by Rat2 to their customers with all their in-house swaps.

ENGINECOOLING

Keeping the engine cool required some redesign of the factory water system. The downpipes and exhaust manifolds prevented normal routing to the factory water neck. This led to the design of a one-off water neck that sends the engine coolant in the opposite direction, passing through a swirl pot before continuing down to custom underbody hardlines.

Retaining the factory cold start recirculation setup, this oneoff custom coolant system is overbuilt to provide stable and reliable coolant performance, making the system bleeding and air pockets a thing of the past.

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thecustomerwantedsomethingcrazy,loud,fast,and alittleextra,“Wewantedtonotonlyprovideapower planthecouldtaketothetrackbutwouldalsoturn someheadswhilethere”.

Weseeourbuildsasinvestments, notjustrepairs,sobigpicture planningisamust.Wetryto buildasolidframeworkwhere avarietyofthingscanbeadded retroactivelytothebuild.

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With the engine prepped, turbo kit welded and installed, the wiring fully crimped and soldered, the final assembly of each component resulted in a final engine bay design not only straightforward in the function but simple to work on and overbuilt to take any sort of abuse in the future. The layout allows easy access to work on any part of the engine while keeping things clean and simple for easy maintenance and future care.

PEAKPOWERGOALISA MODERATE450WHP

The peak power goal is moderate 450whp, with similar torque numbers. Ian explains his projected power objectives, “The last dyno we were very happy with the factory engine’s output of 235ft/lbs below 1750rpm. This much low-end torque will hopefully be amplified by the fast spooling turbos. We intentionally chose these turbos, not chasing peak power, but more low-end focused. Although the 2GR could make more power, the goal with this car is a balance between reliability, power, and drivability. We are excited to get this on the dyno in the next week and get results out to everyone following the build!”.

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This latest build by Rat2 Motorsports shows their commitment to pushing the MR2 platform, providing unique builds to customs in search of something a little bit extra. Ian summarises their outlook on building these cars, “...providing customers with show-ready, performance-based builds that can take a beating is what we do. The MR2 community is growing in popularity and the increased attention to these cars is driving the demand for high-quality, custom builds, that is exactly what this build is all about.”

HOWMANY istoo many?

W e first met Frank Schmidt from Dorsten, Germany back in April 2007 when we featured his AW11.

This was Franks first MR2. Frank’s father, a car dealer in the 90’s acquired a Mk1 in 2001. Although he’d never heard about the MR2 before, Frank fell in love with the car, and his father eventually sold it to him for 600DM (about 300 Euros) This was Frank’s first car and the beginning of his MR2 journey and love affair with the MR2, that quite quickly became an obsession.

Parts were required, which were very hard to find, so Frank bought another AW11. The car was stripped and the parts not required were sold on to get some extra money for new parts. Then several more were bought. Until 2007 Frank had only bought Mk1 MR2s, but then he bought his first Mk2 (SW20).

LIVINGAHOBBY

Frank’s MR2 collection began to rise, and he sold more and more parts. At the time working as a mechanic for Mercedes Benz.

In 2012 Frank decided to establish his own business SchmidtSport Automobile GmbH and began to ‘live his hobby’.

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SchmidtSport Automobile GmbH is 90% an online store for selling parts. Frank does also repair some MR2s and carries out some engine swaps. We asked Frank if he buys MR2s with the intention of selling them, he replied ”Selling cars is not my strength because I would like to keep all MR2s I have.

But I can’t keep all so sometimes I have to sell some!.”

BRINGINGMR2SBACKTOLIFE

Frank explains “I love to bring the old MR2s back to life because you don’t see many on the street. And I love it when I can help some people to get their MR2 fixed”.

31MR2S&counting...

Frank’s enviable collection today stands at a staggering 31 MR2s, amongst them some very rare models listed below, we asked Frank if he has a favourite MR2 In his collection?

“I don’t have a favourite car in my collection because I love all of them and I would like to keep them all as long as possible.”

Someoftherarestcars

Many of Frank’s MR2s are worthy of individual features in their own right, which I’m sure we will return to in the future, but in amongst his collection are the following rare and special MR2s 89 JDM Supercharger 99 JDM BEAMS 87 EU spec with only 1200 Km 86 EU spec Schwan Targa 86 EU spec Fritzinger widebody

schmidtsport-shop.de

Plus...

6 x TRD2000GT 2 x V6 conversation 6 x Turbos 2 x Superchargers

And of course my genuine TRD2000GT number 5 with only 18000km

FRANK SCHMIDT, CONFESSES MR2 IS 90% HIS LIFE... & SURELY MUST OWN THE LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF MR2S?

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I think 90% of my life is about the MR2 when I am not working on MR2s I am searching for some parts or talking with my friends about the MR2 who are mostly MR2 owners and enthusuasts.

SoIthink it’ssafeto sayIama LittleMr2 enthusiast!

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Ithink90%ofmy lifeisabouttheMR2whenIam notworkingonMR2sIamsearchingforsomepartsor talkingwithmyfriendsabouttheMR2whoaremostly MR2ownersandenthusiasts.

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SellingcarsisnotmystrengthbecauseI wouldliketokeepallMR2sIhave!

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Genuine TRD2000GT number5 withonly18000km

GENUINETRD2000GT NO.5 Frank has 6 stunning widebodies amongst his collection, he explains that he got another TRD wide body replica from a well known UK MR2 owner and enthusiast who at that time owned the genuine number one. Frank tells us “I really wanted to buy his number one but at that moment he didn’t want to sell it. So I looked on the Japan market and the genuine TRD2000GT number 5 was up for sale. So I decided to buy it. This was back in December 2017. The TRD was imported in April 2018.

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JPFTOYOTA SPECIALIST TOYOTASPECIALISTMR2|CELICAGT4

AllyourMR2/GT4needscateredfor,frombasic servicingtoengineconversions,Faultfindingetc.

AlongsidemewillbemygoodfriendLouBrooks, whoiamsureyouallknowforrunningBRD. Enginerebuilds.forgedenginerebuilds, turborebuildsallavailable. based,inDroitwhich (justoutsideKidderminster) Worcestershire.WR90PT. Pleasecalloremailforaquote/appointment.

JOHNFRENCHM:07476645934 E: dude542@blueyonder.co.uk Unit G Ryelands Business Centre | Ryelands Lane Elmley Lovett | Droitwich | Worcestershire | WR9 0PT

HIGHLYRECOMMENDED|FIVESTARREVIEWS

JPFTOYOTASPECIALIST FOLLOWUSON

HIS&HERS HUSBAND & WIFE DUO MATT & JO SHARE A GREAT LOVE AND PASSION FOR THEIR MID-SHIP RUNABOUTS...

WRITTEN BY OWNERS - JO & MATT COUNTRY: WEST SUSSEX, UK

H

i there. We are Husband and wife Matt and Jo. We live in West Sussex in the south East of England and have been MR2 owners for over 11 years. We both love spending our spare time working on, cleaning and detailing, drives outs and meet ups with great friends and fellow MR2 owners and enthusiasts. We are so lucky to share a great love and passion for these lovely little mid-ship runabouts.

MattsMr2journey

Matts MR2 journey began at just 10 years old, that was when the love for these mid-engine 2 seaters started. A friend of my Dads owned one back in 1994 and I loved it straight away, it was the coolest, those iconic flip up lights had me fascinated straight away. At the time my Dad had a Ford Sierra which I loved but the MR2 was something else.

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Once I got into the passenger seat and my first experience started, I knew then that when I was old enough to drive, I had to have one of these. Like a lot of people my first car was a Mini, in fact I ended up having two, which I loved driving and tinkering around on like a lot of 17-year old’s.

ACHILDHOODDREAMFULFILLED

Fast forward to 2006 and that was when I fulfilled my childhood dream and bought my first AW11. I only owned this one for just under 2 years as it had a few issues, the usual leaking T-top roof and some rust issues but at the

August 2010 now and my boyhood dream came true again as my neighbour was selling his beautiful red 1988 AW11. He did not even need to advertise it he just came straight to me and the deal was done. I have owned it now for 11 years this year.

JO’SMr2journey

time was beyond my driveway mechanical skills. It was sold on and I was now the owner of a very cool Subaru Impreza WRX type RA. This car was epic, I loved it, but I was really missing and regretting selling my AW11. I knew then that I had to have another one day.

A neighbour of mine who worked for Toyota had one which I always admired. Every time I went past his house I would stop and look at the car wishing I could own one just like his as it had been fully restored and was a great example of this iconic 80’s classic.

Jo’s love for these cars came a lot later. I had enjoyed driving Matts AW11 which always put a smile on my face as it was so much fun to drive, I love the handling and the drive, feeling part of the car and the road. We had joined the MR2 drivers club and had been attending shows and meet ups when I decided that I also wanted a MR2, but I had fallen for the ZZW30. I love the styling of it and that it was convertible too. It was something very different from any of my previous cars. My first being a Peugeot 205, then a VW Polo, a Citroen AX, Vauxhall Corsa and Astra it was time for something different and fun.

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Wearesoluckytoshareagreat loveandpassionfortheselovely littlemid-shiprunabouts.

SUBTLEMODIFICATIONS

My AW11 was in perfect condition and didn’t need any work doing as the restoration that had already been undertaken had left mine mint and looking brand new once again. I was using mine as a daily back from 2011 to 2017 so I decided that I would add a few subtle modifications to give a little extra fun for daily use. I replaced the original exhaust for a stainless steel one and a K&N induction kit.

I had been looking for just the right one for quite some time. I wanted it to be eye-catching and something a bit different from just the stock look.

THEPERFECTZZW30

October 2017 and my months of searching and patience in waiting had found me just what I was looking for. It was however located in the North East of England and I live in the South East. I wasn’t going to let that minor detail stop me though. So, on a cold dark October morning at 3am we embarked on a 658-mile round road trip in my trusty Vauxhall Astra to bring this beauty back home to West Sussex.

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Next, I wanted to preserve the original tear drop wheels, so I fitted a set of ZZW30 wheels, which really put a modern twist to the original look. Especially now as they are currently painted white which really makes a great contrast with the red paintwork and red brake calipers.

Next, I added uprated lowering springs which now gives it a stiffer and more responsive ride, meaning you can really feel a part of the road and the car. Finally, Inside the car I’ve added a short shift gear lever and changed the original in car stereo with the pre-facelift double din from the ZZW30.

Other than the exhaust and lowering springs all my modifications are done so that I can easily change back to the original look with no fuss whilst preserving OEM parts that are no longer available and enabling me to enjoy an extra bit of modern comfort daily.

SETBACK:HEADGASKET FAILURE

In April 2018 Just after my AW11 had come out of its first winter storage the original head gasket went at 147,000 miles. I was truly gutted as I had only just got it back after 5 months of storage and I knew that show season was fast approaching.

It was recovered back home, and the car was left on the driveway whilst we decided what the next move was.

BIGCHALLENGE

I had never done any mechanical work of that depth, but Jo was happy to work along side me to get the job done, a big challenge for both of us to undertake but one we were both up for. The big rebuild begun and armed with only my vast selection of tools, moderate knowledge of the engine and an online manual the epic challenge started. Jo and I are the perfect combination with her organization skills and my determination we meticulously started to rebuild. Jo’s never afraid to get her hands dirty and get stuck in so she really does make the perfect assistant. Whilst we were

doing the job, we managed to carry a few extra jobs, including a deep clean for the engine bay, removal of the built-up carbon from the pistons and valves, replaced the water pump, valve stem seals, injector seals, replacement of all upper gaskets, refurbished distributor and replacement of cam-belt, and head bolts. We used all genuine parts supplied by our local Toyota dealership which I was amazed they were still able to supply.

The refurbished distributer was supplied by GT-4 Play.

The entire job was done over a couple of weekends as we really wanted to do a good job and be proud of the work that we did that has greatly improved the performance of the engine and even lowered my emissions substantially.

Ensuring I have many more miles of fun to have.

JoandIare theperfect combination withherorganization skillsandmy determinationwe meticulouslystaRted torebuild.Jo’snever afraidtogether handsdirtyandget stuckinsoshereally doesmaketheperfect assistant.

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FUTUREPLANS

My plans for future work are cosmetic and body work related as the inevitable rust issues are starting to creep in.

All this work I can complete myself as I returned to college to complete a MIG welding course and I have been doing work experience at a local body shop to really hone my skills. So along with my assistant Jo, between us we will get my AW11 restored once again and show ready.

OPPOSITES

Jo’s ZZW30 is the complete opposite to Matts as it is heavily modified. Some of the modifications had already been done when I purchased the car in 2017. I had a vision to what I wanted, and it was well on the way to being there. However, I soon started a list of all the jobs I wanted to do, and work started very quickly. The modifications that had already been done were, full respray from red to cream with black mirrors and windscreen surround, after market black and chrome split rim style alloy wheels, the body kit was half completed with the Top-Secret front bumper and JDL side skirts. The custom facelift seats with the MK3 logo had already been done and were one of the things that really stood out to me and attracted me to the car.

Once I got mine home the very first thing, I did was fit a centre twin exit stainless steel Malian exhaust and De74

pre-cat manifold, which really improved the tone and sound of the exhaust and removed the worry of the pre-cat issue that the pre-facelift models often suffer from. The back end still needed to be completed as it still had the original bumper. I completed the body kit with the JDL rear bumper, finally to complete the back of the car I added a TRD engine lid spoiler and changed the tail lights from the pre-facelift to the facelift to really set off the look. I have never been a fan of the nappy at the back, we removed that and along with Matt and his fabricating skills built our own sump guard and diffuser.

Next, the soft top roof needed attention as there were a few little holes. I went for a genuine black mohair roof from monsoon car hoods as I prefer the look to the vinyl. Inside I added the chrome style hoops behind the seats and changed the door cards back to black as they had been changed to cream to match the exterior paint colour. I have also fitted brand new headlights as the old ones had gone cloudy and I felt the old ones were really letting the look of the car down. In 2019 I added a colour matched cream hardtop for the winter.

I’m happy with where we are with mine now and all that remains for me to get done is fitting a new sports cat to complete the stainless-steel exhaust system. This will be done in the next few weeks and I will be looking forward to testing it out in a tunnel in the future.

CLUBSCENE

We are both members of the MR2 drivers club attending club meets, shows and drive outs across the South and South East of England and even nationally. We have attended the MR2 National day and have been a part of the NEC restoration show too. We also enjoy drive outs and meet ups with great friends who we have made through the club and they are truly friends for life.

Mk1-1988AW11MK1B-Red 16vManual

Our MR2s really have bought a great social aspect and new friendships to our lives as well as the enjoyment of driving the cars and being a part of a great club. We are also members of other forums online including IMOC, TMOC and ROC and various groups on Facebook that all really do help with tips / advice, and make you feel a part of a great community.

Mk3-2001ZZW30VVti Manual

Lowered suspension

Standard suspension and chassis

Standard chassis

Standard brakes

Standard brake calipers with braided hoses

Split rim style 16” alloys

Currently running Mk3 standard 15” wheels, painted white

Toyo 205/40/16 tyres on the fronts and Toyo 225/40/16 tyres on the rears

Yokohama tyres 195/50/15 on the fronts and Toyo tyres 205/50/15 on the rears

JDL body kit with Top secret front bumper and TRD rear spoiler

(I also have standard Mk1 tear drops) Standard cloth seats and interior Mk3 pre-facelift Sony double din stereo

Custom black leather facelift seats with cream trim and mk3 logo embroidered into the head rest.

Standard pre-facelift Sony double din stereo

OurMr2sreallyhave boughtagreatsocial aspectandnewfriendshipstoourlivesaswellasthe enjoymentofdrivingthecarsandbeingapartofagreatclub.

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WRITTEN BY OWNER - AIDAN BRENNAN COUNTRY: TAMWORTH NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA MR2_SW20_GT PHOTOGRAPHY: TYLER D'ELBOUX AND KYLE BRENNAN

I

am an automotive refinisher, I’ve been doing it for three years now.

I actually painted my SW20 in my first year of my apprenticeship. I live in Tamworth New South Wales Australia.

I’ve always wanted to own something unique that stands out from the crowd, so I started looking around and came across the SW20.

I knew straight away I had to find one. I started doing research on them to find the exact spec I wanted.

One year later, after countless hours, days and months of searching I found it the “perfect” MR2 JDM import with all the bells and whistles. I messaged the owner straight away and put a deposit on it. The owner was actually a young kid, a P plater. Here in Australia, the MR2 SW20 GT isn’t P-plate legal. His dad bought him the car with out knowing it was over the power to weight

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AIDAN BRENNAN'S CUSTOM CHERRY BLACK PEARL BEAUTY JDM SW20 TURBO

I travelled six hours to take delivery of the SW20, my fiancée Jess and I left Tamworth at 4am and we got to Sydney at 10am.

BLANKCANVAS

When I first laid eyes on the MR2 what I saw was a blank canvas, but Jess on the other hand, not so much. Yes, the paint work was rough but the interior was spotless and the motor looked fine, well from the out side.

I made the purchase and handed the seller 10k cash, yes, of course I took it for a test drive, it seemed to drive fine. It was roughly two hours into the drive back home when we had trouble, the car overheated. It broke down just in front of a house in the middle of no where. Jess was in tears at this point.

MYDREAMMR2 So, we left it there in the care of strangers and travelled an hour and a half to get supplies, coolant and a couple of tools. We then headed back to the MR2 and topped it up with coolant and made our way home, stopping every half hour so it could cool down. We got home at 8pm it was a day we will never forget.

THEJOURNEY -ENGINEREBUILD

As soon as I pulled the MR2 into the garage I started pulling out the engine, then began my journey to what it is today. It had a blown head gasket of course. I never intended on building a high power drag car but I wanted to build it better, so I went down the path of a forged bottom end and freshened up the head. All the work was done by me in my garage except for the machining.

THEPAINTWORK

Nine months passed and I got sick of looking at the ugly paint work, at this point I had just started my new job as a automotive refinsher so it was a pretty simple task to take on, but for most people it can be a little daunting. I stripped it right back to bare metal and took no short cuts. It took me eight months just to prep the car and only four weekends to paint. The results speak for itself. It definitely sticks out in a crowd and has become pretty popular throughout the MR2 community.

Owning this beauty is such a privilege, it really is an extension of myself, I would love to thank my amazing fiancée Jess Keating for all her support and also my boss Luke Sampson for all the help with getting the car painted.

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Owningthisbeautyissuch aprivilege,itreallyisan extensionofmyself

THEBUILD...strippedrightbacktobaremetalWITHnoshortcutsTAKEN.

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forged bottom endand freshened upthe head

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TheendresultwasexactlywhatIdreamedittobe.

Ateverycarmeetitsucksinacrowd,theamountof commentsandcompLIMENTSareoverwhelming.Ineverina millionyearsthoughtiwouldownsomethinglikeit 1993MR2SW20GTjapimport

ACL race series main and rod bearings

Bodywork

Fully reconditioned crankshaft

Full bare metal respray Painted with Sikkens C.O.B Custom cherry black pearl paint Main Body of car has been flow coated (extra coats of clear) Camposites side vents Rokie side skirts Aeroware front lip Brand new JDM Kouki tail lights Enkei wheels 17x7 45 front 17x8 35 rear Yokohama Advan Neova AD08r tyres

New Genuine main bolts

Replaceditems Southbend stage 2 clutch Rear main seal ATS high volume oil pump All new pulleys New timing tensioner Gates racing timing belt New 115amp alternator Fenix radiator Slotted and dimpled brake rotors

Engine:built2ndgeneration3sgte

BC gold coilovers

Head: fully reconditioned and re surfaced head. stock cams, had the

Poly engine mounts

valves redone.

Block:

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Boltonmods:

ARP head studs

BRD dump pipe

Cometic MLS head gasket

Fujitsubo exhaust

Over size bore 86.00 to 86.05

Racer X light weight alternator bracket

Wiseco over sized pistons

Racer X coolant tree

Manley rods

TCS coolant neck

ENGINEEREDPERFORMANCEPARTS&SERVICE We specialize in the improvement of the Toyota MR2 primarily, though we have experience on a wide variety of automobiles. Kris Osheim’s extensive tuning & remote tuning experience has taken him worldwide, Africa, Europe including flying to England to help work on Nathan Freke’s World Record MR2 in 2018.

TURBO KITS | EXHAUSTS | DOWNPIPES | INTAKES | ENGINE MANAGEMENT FUEL SYSTEMS | FABRICATION IS OUR SPECIALITY | REMOTE TUNING

WWW.KORACING.NET ALL PARTS MADE IN-HOUSE NO JOB TOO BIG OR SMALL

www.facebook.com/koracing.net/ www.instagram.com/ koracing

KO RACING. INC. 1701 Beavercreek Rd. Oregon City, OR 97045. USA

Telephone +00 503-496-0563

+00 Fax 503-496-0563 Email: kris@koracing.net or sales@koracing.net

themakingofamonster

We caught up with Ryan Brzeczkowski (RMS FABRICATIONS) to follow up from issue 2, and see progress on his awesome Monster K-Swap build, and was excited to hear that after 4 years of hard work the Higher Standard built MR2 runs... 1st start up video! (scan the QR to view for yourself).

FURTHERDEVELOPMENTSINCELASTISSUE...

Aem 3.5 bar map sensor Ross 90mm throttle body 4” Titanium exhaust Fuel changed to Renegade Pro 120+

The car should be on dyno in 2 weeks tuned by: Jared Takacs of Higher Standards

so,what’slefttocomplete?

Mount sfi approved sparco racing seats Before season opener switching driveline to Bfgears USA dog box and pro series axles

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scanQRCODE TOWATCHON

MR2MEETS2021 September25th

2021 BearMountain MemorialToyota MR2Meet

The largest annual Toyota MR2 gathering in North America. In honor of Joe Pearlstein, an MR2 enthusiast who lost his battle to a terminal illness. Last year, $9,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society to honor Joe Pearlstein. MR2 Only are proud this year to be a part of this 25th annual event!

MR2BearMountain.com

MR2Nationals2021Schedule Dallas, TX, United States

Saturday,May29th(10am-4pm): - Dyno Day at ATS Racing Sunday,May30th(11am-5pm): - Drag Day at Texas Motorplex Monday,May31st(9am-5pm): - Track Day at Motorsport Ranch SPONSORS: Hux Racing, Nixspeed Racing, XVRacing, ATS, Racing, DD Performance Research, ToySport Automotive, GrannyShifters, MR2 Only Magazine.

2TheBeachSeptember2021

Ocean Shores, Washington USA in September.

2 THE BEACH meet has been going since 2003, only missed 1 year, 2020. We have had a strong attendance from Canada, USA as well as some from Mexico. So we get people from all up the West coast United States some years. Friday we group at the hotel and have dinner and a bonfire. Saturday we have a car show in the morning through afternoon with provided lunch. After that we do a poker run or a long drive in the Quibault rainforest. Another bonus fire on the beach and Sunday we part ways.

The past couple of years we have two great sponsors, Toyota of Seattle and Rat2 Motorsports.

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MEETINGOF

WRITTEN BY OWNER : KEVIN KOVAC

WRITTEN BY OWNER : KEVIN KOVAC @MR2_CRUISIN

THE I

t was February 19, 2020, and the world had not yet fallen into full COVID lock down. I had already been reaching out to my Texan friend, Brad Alford, about a leap year event called Radwood; to be held in Austin, on February 29th.

AlittleonBrad:he’s the only other American I know

of with a JDM Super Edition ‘89 MR2; a car he found languishing in the backlot of a Japanese race circuit while serving in Japan in the U.S. Armed Forces.

CHICAGOTOTEXAS

Originally, the plan was to fly in just to see his car, but I decided last minute on February 25th. “Screw it; I’m going to take my non-cruise control equipped right hand-drive car from Chicago to Austin for a weekend in the middle of winter!” After all, it’s not too often that one has the opportunity to bring together two imported Japanese market MR2 Super Editions side-by-side for a car show that happens to be on leap day.

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TRIPPREP

Before departure, I needed to prepare the car by getting the OEM Recaro seats in a more comfortable state, change the oil, the plugs, and generally check over everything. All of this during the middle of deep, lake-adjacent, Midwestern winter in a non-heated garage. For those who don’t know, February in Chicago is not very pleasant as temperatures can sit at -19 to -15 Celsius and it tends to snow a lot.

To make matters even more interesting, a large snowstorm had just passed through the city, blanketing everything in about 8 inches of fresh white powder. Still, I was determined, telling myself that it’s the crazy, spontaneous things we do that make life worth living.

Equipped with snacks, about a dozen cassette tapes, and a pair of pop-up headlights cutting through the darkness, I set off in the Super Edition. With the heat blasting and sitting on the “wrong” side of the car I headed out on what would most years be the penultimate day of the second month.

Equippedwithsnacks,aboutadozencassettetapes,anda pairofpop-upheadlightscuttingthroughthedarkness, IsetoffintheSuperEdition.Withtheheatblastingand sittingonthe“wrong”sideofthecar 3,000MILETRIP,20hours ofdrivingeachway

It’s roughly a 3,000 mile round-trip from the Windy City to the Lonestar capital, meaning 20 hours of driving each way with a single in-car “nap” about halfway through.

Oh yeah, and lots of fill-ups - damn that 10-gallon tank and thirsty supercharged twin-cam.

The next day, on the 28th, I somehow arrived safe and sound, rewarded with warm and sunny weather. Following a quick shower and a short nap, the car and I spent the remainder of the day chilling at a friend’s house while waiting for Brad to turn up in the darkest hours of the night; his Super Edition securely strapped to a trailer.

LEAPDAy-radwood

We greeted Leap Day bright and early, allowing ample time to get the Super Twins sparkling before the show. Once there, we wondered if anyone would even notice two of the rarest AW11s in existence parked side-by-side. Yes, it’s true that our cars represented a relatively large chunk of the 270 ever built, but as anyone who’s ever been to a Radwood event will know, the quality and variety of machines on display can be bewildering. As it turned out, most of the neon-windbreaker’d, Reebok-Pump’d attendees didn’t realize the significance of our cars, but the few who did made it all worthwhile.

GULFCOASTFORSOME WARMSALTWATERVIBES

After the show, Brad and I went our separate ways, and I took the SuperSupercharger further south towards the Gulf Coast for some warm saltwater vibes.

From there, it was a quick late-night visit to a friend’s shop for some belt adjustments, an oil top-off, tightening of various trim pieces, and a few other small adjustments before embarking on another 20-hour drive amid the panicked beginnings of a global pandemic and through to-be-determined weather. Fortunately for the Super Edition and me, the trip went flawlessly despite the lack of any quality sleep for either of us, and epic amounts of fog in the southern states.

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WRITTEN BY OWNER : KEVIN KOVAC @MR2_CRUISIN

T

he 1989 MR2 Super Edition, the car I own now, was a car I’ve been lusting after since I originally came across it for sale up in Canada by its then first owner post import.

The owner took it upon himself to restore the car a bit during his ownership, and lucky for me, he happened to be a Toyota parts person at the time. Back in 2012, the car was in great shape when the ad was placed. All the photos of the work and condition of the car were amazing.

Under his ownership he took it upon himself to do a mild restoration and motor rebuild. Since he worked at Toyota while he owned the car, it gave him full access to the collection of all TRD parts still available at the time. Luckily, a lot of the parts were never installed and kept more of as a collection for the car.

Most of these items are still with the car today and new in the box!

Unfortunately, before I got a chance to contact the owner the car was sold back to the person who originally imported it. At that point my dreams were crushed so I began searching the web for another Super Edition to buy. Flash forward to May 2019, after wrecking my North American Spec 88 SuperCharged that I had owned for 16 years with over 100,000 daily/road trip miles, the 89 SE popped up for sale in Canada out of the blue.

At this point I knew I had to do whatever it took to get this car knowing I’d probably never have another chance. The owner

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claimed that several people around the world, from Japan to Germany to Puerto Rico were interested in buying the car. I knew I needed to make a decision quickly.

After a month of talking on the phone, debating and confirming prices, I agreed to purchase the car. I would fly into Winnipeg Canada to pick it up. At this point I was on a madman adventure to learn the rules of importing a car from Canada into the USA on the fly.

Before I knew it, I found myself holding my passport and a couple one way tickets to Canada for both me and my return copilot. Upon arriving at the customs booth in Canada, I found myself with a bit of a problem. Seems that it’s a crime to cross into another country with more than $10,000 on your person. I was fortunate enough to find a work around when they let me hand my return copilot some of the money.

An hour later, after renting a U-Haul truck and trailer, I found myself standing on a mustard farm in the middle of nowhere looking at a dusty and dirty 1989 MR2 Super Edition. After handing over the money and slapping it on a trailer she was mine! Now it was off to the US border for my journey home.

Gladly trailering the car into the US went super smooth with zero issues. From there, it was a short 24 hour drive from North Dakota back to Chicago to start the next chapter of repairing and restoring the Super Edition.

SUPEREDITIONFACTS In 1988 and 1989 Toyota produced two final production runs of fully optioned “Super Edition” MR2s, based upon the supercharged Japanese market model, and only sold in Japan.

1988

Limited run of 300 units, featuring white/gold two-tone paint, bronze glass, unique half-leather and half-cloth seats, and a MOMO-commissioned steering wheel and gear knob.

AW11-4A-GZE1587CCSUPERCHARGEDENGINE145BHP

1989

Limited edition of only 270 units, featured a special Midnight Blue paint, the MOMOcommissioned steering wheel and gear knob, Recaro “Milano” seats with matching door panels.

The 1989 model also benefited from some of the last G-Limited model options, such as the LED rear spoiler brake light and more aerodynamic wing mirrors.

They all came with mirrored t tops which was an option for other cars at the time.

Aero mirrors are electric folding mirrors. Also came with standard automatic climate control.

Machine polished surface 14 inch tear drop wheels vs the grey painted or rare white painted tear drops.

Both “Super Edition” models had unique decals on the rear visor and side stripes beneath the side moulding trims.

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or

MISTAKE

W

ell, where do o start. I’m dean, 31, from Kent England. I have owned this car since June 2010 after having a drive of a friends rev3 turbo. At the time my stable of vehicle/ motorsport was one of numerous Suzuki Vitara used for extreme off-roading and green leaning, so moving into the performance car world was a completely alien experience.

The thrill from driving a lifted 4x4 with the acceleration of a lorry in comparison to a turbo midship was phenomenal. There wasn’t really any comparison!

A friend was selling up this revision 2 turbo with decent mileage (72k) and a comprehensive history. Imported in 2006 with a fresh paint job in 202 black and house of colour candy green flake and I knew then that’s the car for me.

Amistakeonmypart?

Orablessing?Who knows?

All I know is that within a few months It was buried into a barrier along a local A-road. Snap over steer? Nope.

An inexperienced driver and too much

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right foot combined with the cheapest ditch finders known to man. Easy repair, and a new set of wheels and it was back on the road again.

Fast forward another few months and the head gasket decided to pack its bags. This car was going to be testing!

A local engine builder and neighbour garage came to the rescue. Skimmed head and a steel head gasket later and it was back again.... but for how long this time?

Another year went by with no issues and I get an invite to join some friends at North Weald Airfield for a test and

tune day. Great fun.... until the drive home when the gearbox decided to lose the final drive out of the side on the QE2 bridge of all places. A can of petrol and a match was inviting.

Soagain,moremoney, It’sfixedetcandit’s backagain.Great.Or not?

Very quickly Number 3 rings decided to crack. At this point I was done! It was to go! I’d had enough.

Along came local specialist Patrick

3SGTE FAILINGS DROVE DEAN WHITTAKER TO DESPAIR - ONCE HE WENT V6... "WOW!!

REGARDLESS OF WHAT V6 ENGINE, AN MR2 NEEDS ONE! IT SHOULD HAVE CAME FROM THE FACTORY WITH" ONE. WRITTEN BY OWNER - DEAN WHITTAKER COUNTRY: KENT, U.K.

Chambers who convinces me to stick a 3vz fe v6 in it. So I duly accept! Why? Stupidity? Or love of the platform?

Both Are the same thing really......

We chose the 3vz due to availability here in the UK at the time.

A few mods added to the engine whilst in Patrick’s hands and a week or so later she back! Wow!!

Regardless of what v6 engine, an MR2 needs one! It should have came from the factory with one. The driving experience completely changed.

Stock rev2 performance with a better noise! A few problems here and there but nothing like before. It’s been on the whole so reliable over the 6 years of being in.

ThiswastheReal startofabarrage ofmodstowhere wearenow!

First off was body kits. 2 in fact. First was a Bomex lip With Autopista skirts. 2nd Bomex bumper and Genuine Bomex skirts. The second reincarnation saw some JR21 wheels, carbon bonnet and boot lid, Kei Office spoiler and a few custom parts. The carbon even has some metal flake in the clear coat.

weightloss

Weight loss has been the latest conquest. The car was approx 1310kg fully loaded with extras. Now it sits at 1176kg with approx 50kg still to come off before things get a little more serious. An odyssey PC680 battery is currently the next mod in the hunt for weight loss. Approx 15kg lighter than stock.

Thanks: Patrick chambers Shearspeed Customs Shadow Sport UK With out these 3 the car wouldn’t be 89

AlongcamelocalspecialistPatrick Chamberswhoconvincesmetosticka3vz fev6init.SoIdulyaccept!Why?Stupidity?

Orloveoftheplatform?BothArethesame thingreally......

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92rev2turboTintopchassis.

92Camry3vzfea/tengine(185hp stock)

Suspensions&chassis:

Engine:

Brakes:

3VZFE, Ported heads Short intake pipe with Ram air filter Unequal length Y pipe Custom 2.75” exhaust Lightly ported intake plenum Jon Sole ROM boards 216hp 201lbft.

Transmission: Stock E153 Short shift Fidanza lightened flywheel Stage 2 clutch Poly mounts Braided clutch line Shifter bearings.

Wheels&tyres: Japan Racing JR21 17x8 Et13 17x9 et20 Yoko ADO8R 255.40.17 R West Lake RS Sport 215.45.17 F

HSD Monopro coil overs Cusco front and rear braces

Grooved rotors EBC pads all round Master cylinder brace 5.1 fluid

Exterior: Modified Bomex bumper Carbon Border bonnet and aero catches Wilhelm mirror plates with APR replica mirrors Genuine bomex skirts with custom extensions and canards Modified stock rear bumper (cut and vented) Carbon inspection panel Carbon Toms scoop Carbon boot lid Kei office spoiler Carbon centre panel Rev3 Koukis Carbon wind deflectors.

Interior: Nardi style steering wheel Corbeau targa seats Atripped apart from dash, no ice, Lockwood glow dials, carbon surround.

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FOLLOWUSON

pcmotorservices

SERVICE•REPAIRS•ENGINESWAPSPECIALIST•BODYWORK•4WHEELALIGNMENT

LATESTDIAGNOSTICEQUIPMENT•3DFORPRINTPROTOTYPING CNCPLASMATABLEFORCUSTOMPARTS

TEL:01424224169

EMAIL:pcmotorservices@outlook.com

Unit 3 De la Warr Mews | Station Road | Bexhill | TN40 1RD

MR2|READERSRIDES

RETRORACER I

just wanted to say thanks to you and all of those at MR2 Only for producing a genuinely great mag and keeping it going through these difficult times. I have owned my 2003 Toyota MR2 Roadster for 14 years and the original 1ZZFE engine has been swapped for a 2ZZFE by Rogue Motorsport and has also been treated to a close ratio gearbox, baffled sump, carbon fibre air

intake, grooved brakes, extra chassis bracing and a Malian SS exhaust. These upgrades have transformed the car into a high revving 190bhp screamer. After sorting out the performance side of things I decided to concentrate on the bodywork.

I have always loved the wide arch look of GT race cars from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s so I bought two beaten up 14x6” wheels from a Mazda MX5 race car for the front,

SIMON WAREING

two bargain 15x9” wheels for the rear, a few sets of cheap universal arches from eBay to experiment with and came up with my own take on the Japanese retro racer look on a very tight budget. To finish it off it has had the rusty underside treated and sprayed with Dinitrol underseal so I should hopefully be able to enjoy driving it for another 14 years.

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MR2|READERSRIDES

FAMILYAFFAIR G’day!

M GTS.

y name is Joshua Wakefield I’m 27 and I live in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. I am the proud owner of a JDM Super white 11/93 Revision 3 SW20

It’s a pretty original example with the exceptions of a full 3” Berk exhaust system, BC coil-over suspension and multiple sets of tires and wheel set ups.

A car that was introduced to me by my Uncle Murray McKenzie back in 1999, when he had purchased it locally from a gentleman who had personally imported it but failed to have it registered for South Australian roads.

My fondest memories of my Primary and Highschools years were the days I eagerly waited out the front to be greeted by my Uncle in the MR2.

This MR2 has had a spoilt and pampered life. Spending majority of its time being over maintained and sheltered from the environment. And still to this day, after purchasing it from my Uncle in back in 2016, it lives in a Carcoon in my garage, Haha I know.. my wife doesn’t understand it either.

I’m looking forward to the day when I can pass the keys down to my son for him to enjoy a piece of JDM and family history.

OWNER - JOSHUA WAKEFIELD COUNTRY: ADELAIDE HILLS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. @CURSEDHEARSE

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MR2|READERSRIDES

OWNER: GIOVANNI PRECIADO

S

o I originally got my first MR2 back in 2016. It wasn’t the fastest but genuinely loved the car so after years of saving by 2018 I was finally going to get a turbo kit from MWR. The MR2 was making about 255 whp and was running real strong.

On New Year’s Day of 2019 I went to the gym and was heading home. Just when I was about 2 min from my house I decided to hit a familiar straight a way that I always took. When I was coming up to the turn I was decelerating but was still going pretty fast. At the time I had bought some te37’s but were actually a size a bit smaller than the regular OEM rims. The back tires slid out and I slid to the middle of the road, then came sliding back towards the curb on my driver side. My front left wheel axle broke and my car flipped. The car did 2 whole flips, took out / hit a street sign which caused my car to do a complete 180.

Luckily I walked out the accident with just a cut to the head (lots of bleeding) but of course like every car guy I was more concerned for my car. This happen at exactly at 2:52 pm and was not released from hospital till around 8pm. At this point in my life I would describe my self as a shiny symbol for my friends and family. In the hospital I was telling jokes to friends and family because I know every thing that has happen looks terrifying. I mean I rolled a convertible car and the roof on the drivers side caved in haha. But sadly I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold it in much longer.

When arriving to my house my family had my car towed to my house so I could get belongings out of the car. I broke down. It was hard because that car was special to me. I always said that I would never sell that car for no amount of money because that connection money can’t buy. I would say I was a bit depressed for the first time in my life. This is a car I never wanted to give up but from this accident I damaged every body panel on this car, destroyed most of the rotors so I’m assuming I also damaged lots of the suspension

and braking system. Let alone I never even tried to turn it on to see what would have been wrong with it mechanically. So sadly I had to make the hardest choice of letting the insurance take the car.

I had 2 days, so the first day I just sat inside the car (on top of broken glass and just a mess of stuff in there) I just closed my eyes and just dreamed about old times. I sat there for a few hours.

The next day I spent taking out the entire turbo system and any other parts I could use. I once told my self if I did some thing stupid to ruin this car then I don’t deserve another one.

But just looking at my MR2 I just felt in my heart I couldn’t let it end this way. The goal was still there in my head. So by day 3 I drove to Arizona to buy this MR2. It was also a 2002 MR2 Spyder.

It was my first time ever visiting Arizona but I literally drove there to the dealership in Flagstaff and drove home straight after because it was a 6hr trip there and a 6hr trip back.

By day 4 I returned back to work against doctors orders and my family’s request and I started picking up many more shifts and working much more. My co worker asked me “don’t you feel sad” then I replied to him “I will cry when I put this MR2 back to the way it was.”

By July 26 2019 I had finally reached the same build as the blue MR2. So with about 6 and a half months of busting my ass I finally reached the goal.

I then order this custom Japanese license plate that has 19 on top and 01-01 on the bottom. This is the date I lost my blue MR2. January 1, 2019 New Year’s Day. Currently the MR2 has a hard top and halos. She is always a work in progress and I just love this car. Life can be unpredictable so my message would be to always drive safe and even when you feel like things are at it’s worse, keep your head up any thing is possible if you put your mind to it.

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MR2PARTS&TUNING|Roundup NewProductfor2021

This year we’ve decided to release a new exhaust system for the SW20 MR2 Turbo. So many of the aftermarket exhausts are badly made and poorly fitting we’ve decided to manufacture our own. This system has been designed and developed in house with very accurate jigs made to ensure correct fitment. The exhaust is manufactured using full 3” stainless steel for the best combination of quality and performance.

This system is available with either 4” twin exit or 3.5” twin exit, please let us know at the point of ordering. Please note this system does not include the turbo down-pipe, this is available separately.

These systems are manufactured to the highest quality and are made to order so please allow 1 - 2 weeks for delivery. The price is £665.00+VAT+shipping.

Pleasecontact matt@roguemotorsport. comtoplacean order,orcall intotheoffice01926810104.

ToyoTiresToyotaMR2CHAMPIONSHIP|2020

Rounds5&6–Snetterton300

Report & photography by Gary Walton A second trip east to Snetterton in Norfolk saw Aaron Cooke and Paul Hinson take the victories as the championship hit its mid-way point of the season.

Cooke was in imperious form in morning qualifying, the multiple oval racing champion posting a time of 2:17.03 around the longer 300 circuit in his Rogue Motorsport-prepared Mk2. Near namesake Paul Cook was second, almost a full second behind the poleman with a 2:17.98. Returning 2012 MR2 champion Paul Hinson would line up third with Nick Williamson alongside. Ben Rowe was pleased with his fifth place, Ali Topley would be with him on row three in the second Rogue Motorsport Mk2. Fastest Roadster was Shaun Traynor, the reigning champion almost 2.5sec off the pole time after suffering with a lack of grip on old tyres. Newer rubber would be ready for the race. Roadsters completed the top ten with Adam Lockwood, Neil Stratton’s luminous ‘highlighter’ yellow Mk3 and Mick Nicholls’ familiar blue and white example in tenth.

Williamson made a terrific start for the day’s first race, jumping up from fourth to the lead by the first corner, Riches, with Cooke, Cook and Hinson in his wake. It was a short-lived lead though as Cooke fought back and re-took the ex-BMW racer before the lap concluded. And from there he drove off into the distance in a style often displayed by four-time champion Traynor. Whilst the others squabbled behind, the Rickmansworth-based youngster extended his lead and converted it to a comfortable 5.7sec win, his second of the season.

The squabbling pack behind was initially led by Williamson until a couple of grassy moments later in the race dropped him down the order to sixth, although he did nick a place back on the final lap to come home fifth. As he fell back, so Cook and Hinson broke away in a private battle for second. Topley had been with them too, but he also dropped away towards the end, seventh being a somewhat unrepresentative result. Rowe was the beneficiary, the long-time MR2 racer leaped up to fourth place on the penultimate lap. Behind fifth place Williamson, Lockwood took advantage of Traynor’s rare lack of pace to grab a well-deserved class C win and sixth overall.

With Topley seventh, Traynor looked like he’d have to settle for eighth, and class C runner-up, but Graham Malings clearly had other ideas. The pair duelled around Coram on the final lap and on the long uphill drag to the line, Malings just pipped Traynor by 0.2sec!

Leigh Brown’s Mk2 completed the top ten. Class A went to perennial winner Dave Hemingway in 20th overall, and he set a new class lap record to boot in 2:23.34. Cooke and Lockwood set fastest laps in their respective classes.

Paul Cook challenged into turn two, the 90deg Wilson hairpin, but spun, clouting Cooke’s left front wheel as he did so. Aaron continued uninterrupted as Paul rejoined down in seventh. Williamson led down the fast Bentley Straight but Cooke challenged into Brundle and grabbed the lead. Topley found himself in third with Hinson with a rejuvenated Traynor (from 10th on the grid) and Rowe just behind.

Williamson ran out across the grass at Palmer on the second lap and immediately dropped down to sixth. With Cooke battling a deranged nearside front wheel, hanging onto the lead was proving a challenge and come mid-race, Topley took over at the front. Hinson was the next man to pass the ailing Cooke, the former champ up to second with two laps to run. Then a controversial bump on Topley saw the erstwhile leader run wide and Hinson was through. Cooke went with him as Topley dropped to fourth behind Traynor. The red and white Rogue Motorsport car then remarkably got back in front, sliding around the corners on its misaligned wheels, Cooke also battling with a cockpit that filled with tyre smoke at each corner!

As the pair exited the final corner for the last time, Hinson pulled his black and yellow Mk2 alongside Cooke’s and the pair drag-raced up to the chequered flag. The official timing recorded Hinson in front by a mere 0.06sec, maybe the width of a front number plate! Jubilation turned to consternation however as the winner was handed a time penalty over the incident with Topley which dropped him to fourth.

Hinson appealed, the clerks rescinded the penalty after they viewed further video evidence, and he kept the win, the first since his return to the championship.

Traynor gamely held on to third to win class C, just over 0.2sec covered him, Topley and the recovered Cook at the flag. Behind the trio, the next trio should have been Rowe, Williamson and Malings but a last lap clash between Rowe and Malings at the hairpin left Williamson comfortable in sixth. Malings dragged his rear bumper across the line in 15th, Rowe one place behind. Brown therefore capped off a successful day in seventh with Roadster pair Lockwood and Nicholls in eighth and ninth. Adam Lewis brought his Mk2 home in tenth. In class A, well, there were no finishers as Hemingway retired his dominant Mk1 on the first lap after several bouts of contact left it with a puncture, and William Humphries and Daniel Farmer both retired their Mk1s too. Farmer did have the honour of setting the fastest class A lap though as Cooke and Traynor recorded the best times in classes B and C. Cooke’s now back on top of the championship table as the drivers head north to Cheshire for the next round at Oulton Park on 10th October.

Race two was frantic! Williamson once again made a demon start, this time from third on the grid, to pass Cooke and Cook into Riches.

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ToyoTiresToyotaMR2CHAMPIONSHIP|2020 Rounds7&8–OultonPark

Report & photography by Gary Walton

Aaron Cooke earned the title of Rainmaster as the championship leader scored a pair of impressive victories at a soggy Oulton Park.

The 23-year-old engineer from Hertfordshire was in top form all day, qualifying on pole position in truly awful conditions, and then taking two dominant wins with fastest laps in both races to score maximum points. His only real challenger was Paul Cook, the Oxfordshire bodyshop owner being the one driver who was anywhere close to his near namesake in the torrential early morning session, albeit 0.67s behind the poleman. Snetterton winner Paul Hinson was third on the grid, a massive 2.96s off Cooke’s pole time! Fourth went to Shaun Traynor – the reigning champion historically very quick in the wet in his old Mk2 – nearly 4s off the fastest time and admitting he was struggling to master how his new-for-2020 Roadster handled the wet conditions – a dented left hand side evidence of a crash during the previous day’s rainy test session. Fast-starter Nick Williamson and Ali Topley shared row three with Adam Lewis and second Roadster, Peter Higton, on row four. The top ten was concluded by two more Mk3 machines, Adam Lockwood and Daniel Silvester fully 6s off the front row times!

With Daniel Farmer’s Gold Leaf lookalike Mk1 a non-starter suffering a failed alternator, 36 MR2s lined up on a very wet grid. Cooke’s pole position was on the dipped side of the circuit with more standing water which meant second placed Cook got the best getaway from the lights, leading Cooke, Traynor and Topley into Old Hall for the first of eight laps. As the front-runners headed into Cascades however, there was drama in the mid-pack. In the spray, Tim Heron’s spoilerless Mk2 speared left at the slight right of Dentons and into the barriers on the outside of the track. Mick Nicholls took to the grass as well but continued minus his Roadster’s front spoiler. His daughter, Maxine Nicholls, wasn’t so fortunate as she was forced across the track to avoid Patrick Stoner’s Roadster, her distinctive black and pink example making heavy contact with Heron’s already crashed car. Fortunately for Tim, he was able to extricate himself from the sidelines and rejoin at the back of the pack, albeit with a decidedly wayward looking right rear wheel. Maxine’s car was done for the day though, badly damaged at the front although the driver was thankfully uninjured.

The Safety Car was scrambled for a lap whilst Nicholls’ car was cleared and at the restart on lap three, everything changed. Paul Cook ran too deep into Old Hall which allowed Aaron Cooke to get his Rogue Motorsport-prepared Mk2 alongside down The Avenue into Dentons, albeit on the outside line. A superb move around the outside of Cascades paid off and Cooke led along Lakeside. Never to be headed again, he extended a gap over Cook to a winning margin of 6.5s, setting the fastest lap on the penultimate tour of 1:53.57.

Topley had overtaken Traynor for third at the restart and looked comfortable for a podium spot, only to run wide across the gravel trap at Druids on the last lap. Traynor couldn’t believe his luck as drove past the wayward black and gold Mk2 to take the final podium spot; Topley couldn’t believe his error. He recovered and finished fourth, just ahead of Hinson. A further 6s back was Williamson in sixth whilst Graham Malings led home the first real battle pack

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in seventh (second in class C). Ben Rowe was just 0.5s behind Malings in eighth with Adams Lockwood (third in class C) and Lewis completing the top ten, just a second or so behind. Rookie Silvester had starred early on in this group and ran as high sixth before a lurid moment exiting Druids dropped him back to 15th. He recovered to 13th at the flag. With Farmer’s Mk1 non-starting, perennial class A winner Dave Hemingway had it all to himself and finished 19th overall, despite a 10s penalty for starting out of position.

With brighter skies but rain still falling, Cook once again got the better start from his second grid slot and led away from third-place Hinson, poleman Cooke and a typically fast-starting Williamson from sixth. Cooke soon passed Hinson for second with a move into Hislops on lap one. Traynor and Topley ran fifth and sixth but Topley once again went off at Druids, this time however he completed a full 360deg spin and rejoined 35th, only Adam Lewis – who’d also spun on lap one – was behind him.

With Cooke harrying Cook at the front, Paul made an error into the Island Hairpin on lap three and outbraked himself. Aaron needed no second invitation and gratefully hit the front whilst the erstwhile leader trundled around the grass and gravel to rejoin down in fifth.

Like race one, Cooke went about extending his lead and took his second win of the day with an almost identical gap of 6.45s. He lowered his previous fastest lap too, recording a 1:53.32.

With Cooke away in front, 2012 champion Hinson had a relatively lonely race to second, 3.5s in front of Traynor’s class C-winning Roadster (fastest class C lap went Shaun’s way too, a 1:53.90).

Williamson had run with Traynor for a couple of laps but a grassy moment at Hislops dropped him back from the Anglo-Irishman and he eventually finished fourth. Some 6s back came a recovering Cook and then it was class C runner-up Lockwood in sixth, leading home a pack containing Rowe, Malings (third in class C), Silvester and Leigh Brown, with Neil Stratton’s lurid dayglow yellow Roadster just off the group in 11th. Rowe held on to seventh by a scant 0.3s at the flag after Malings’ red Roadster put two wheels on the grass attacking the Devonian’s Mk2 exiting Knickerbrook on the last lap.

With Farmer’s battery now charged, Hemingway had competition in class A. However, he blotted his copybook with a trip through the gravel and a particularly deep puddle at Cascades on lap one.

He fought back up the field and did pass Farmer mid-race but then dropped back again on lap six which allowed Farmer to celebrate a maiden MR2 Championship class A victory, a welcome turnaround after the non-start in race one.

Cooke has now extended his championship lead to 13 points, after dropped scores, over Traynor with Cook, Hinson and Williamson 30, 32 and 34 points respectively behind the leader. It’s realistically looking like a two-horse race for the overall title between Mk2mounted sophomore Cooke and four-time, and reigning, champion Traynor in the Mk3. Different cars, different experience levels, one championship…

The title showdown is at Donington Park on November 22nd.

ToyoTiresToyotaMR2CHAMPIONSHIP|2020 Rounds9&10–DoningtonPark

Aaron Cooke claimed the 2020 Toyo Tires Toyota MR2 Championship title in emphatic style on Sunday at a very wet Donington Park.

The Hertfordshire-based engineer led the standings coming into the delayed final weekend from four-time champion Shaun Traynor and knew he only had to finish fifth in the first race to win the title.

As seen at October’s similarly wet Oulton Park races however, Cooke’s prowess in the rain is quite something and his pole position time in qualifying of 1:36.432 on a treacherously greasy surface was some 3.5s faster than anyone else! With his red-and-white Rogue Motorsport-prepared Mk2 set up just right, Cooke already had one hand on the coveted trophy.

Fastest of ‘the others’ was 2012 champion Paul Hinson who, on seeing the pole man’s time suggested Cooke ‘pop the kettle on for us’ when he got back to the paddock! Cooke’s Rogue Motorsport team-mate Ali Topley was third with championship challenger Traynor alongside in fourth, interestingly the only class C Roadster in the top 10. Nick Williamson headed row three from Paul Cook, fresh from a class championship win in his BMW M3 the day before.

Leigh Brown and Adam Lewis were on row four and the top ten was completed by welcome returnee Sam Harper and the brilliantly driven yellow Mk1 of Neil Stratton, jumping back into the class A car after racing his dayglo Roadster throughout the season so far.

The rain fell on the 30-car grid as they all lined up for race one and as the red lights went out, demon starter Williamson shot through from the third row, two wheels on the grass, to grab the lead by the time they got to Redgate! The Lincolnshire racer was soon struggling for grip though as the unstoppable Cooke swept by into the lead partway round the first lap. Traynor passed Williamson on lap two, Hinson and Cook a lap later. The safety car was brought out on lap five when Topley spun out of sixth place after his suspension broke and was collected by an unsighted Brown. Topley’s car needed recovering whilst Brown managed to continue, albeit with a crumpled door that would give paddock neighbour and bodyshop owner Cook some work to do in the interval.

With just one racing lap to go after the safety car intervention ended, Cooke breezed to an unrepresentative 1.8s win – the gap to second place Traynor was almost 10s before the race was neutralised –

which was enough to clinch the championship with one race to go.

Asked by post-race interviewer Joshua Barrett if he’d sit out the last race, Cooke replied “no, it’s time to have some fun and enjoy the next one with no pressure”. Outgoing champion Traynor brought his Roadster home second to win his class again. He admitted he’d been struggling to get on top of the handling of the car in the rain – he’d always been the master of the wet in his old Mk2 – so the runner up spot was a fine achievement. Cook grabbed the last podium spot after battling past Hinson mid-race, with Williamson fifth behind Hinson. Lewis drove well to finish sixth whilst Ben Rowe was pleased to come through from 12th to seventh. Harper was eighth and Dan Silvester excelled in his red Roadster by coming through from 17th to ninth, and second in class C. Brown recovered to round out the top ten ahead of class C third place finisher, Jonathan Grimes. Stratton won class A from champion Dave Hemingway despite a couple of lairy moments along the way.

The final race of the year was another Aaron Cooke benefit. He closed off Williamson’s fast start this time and then cleared off into the wet and murky distance. A 13.8s win over nine laps was a fine way to sign off a championship-winning year, in only his second year of circuit racing after multiple oval racing titles.

Traynor was second once again, leading Cook home by 1s and manhandling the recalcitrant Roadster to another class win in the horrible conditions. Hinson dropped away but came in fourth to pick up his second third-in-class B trophy of the day, a couple of seconds ahead of Williamson. Topley raced his repaired Mk2 to sixth after a close battle with his race one contactee, Brown. Rowe had been with them for the first lap but a spin on lap two sent him down the pack.

He recovered to 14th. Behind Lewis and Harper in eighth and ninth, Stratton took another class A win with a fine 10th overall. Silvester got another runner-up trophy for class C with 11th overall, Grimes again the third Roadster home in 20th.

Report by Gary Walton

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