The Middle Path

The path to Nirvana is living a life without verging towards either extreme. What does that have to do with cars then? A lot believe it or not....

One of the key factors to a good handling car is weight distribution. Improperly balanced vehicles will either under-steer or over steer depending on how the car was engineered. Having the engine in the front or the rear causes difficulties in distributing the weight among the two halves of the car. The solution was to put the engine in the middle! An idea plucked off the race tracks and on to the road, the Lamborghini Miura been the first ever production vehicle to utilize this.

18 years after the Miura this was Toyota's entrant to world of Mid-engined madness, the first generation MR2. Oh yes, believe it or not the boys at Toyota did have a little soul back then, and the car's release actually shocked the general public. Toyota was known for their practical, economical and no nonsense family cars. Having the engine in the middle meant that you couldn't fit a back seat, not at all practical eh? Toyota was aiming for a completely different market, their moniker 'Mid-engined Runabout, 2 Seater' was more than a marketing tool - it was the fundamental design philosophy

A combination of Japanese Origami creases and design cues stolen from the Italians (Fiat X1/9, Lancia Montecarlo) the MR2 was quite a good looker. It was a very small and compact car which meant that it only weighed in at a measly 950Kg's. 

Under the bonnet, no wait that should be the boot. Well what ever, the MR2 was powered by small displacement engines. Three were offered, a carb fed 1.5 3A, and the hugely popular 1.6 4AGE, and if you wanted something even crazier you could opt for the supercharged 4AGZE. This car is powered by the simple 3A. You might think it is inadequate, but in a car that weighs under a ton the fun you could have in one is immense! The cars were applauded for their sublime handling and great responsive steering. Sadly I could not drive this beautiful example to experience it myself (Honestly I was slightly scared to do so). 

Sadly not many Sri Lankans know what this car actually is. Sajiv (the owner) tells me how many people are quite amused when they find out that the engine is not where it should be. They are even more surprised when they are told that it is a Toyota, alas the unique badge's Toyota gave their special models did not help the cause either! 

Believe it or not there are quite a few first generation MR2's on our streets. Sajiv's one being one of the painstakingly restored original ones. 

The attention to detail and the use of original parts through out the whole car amazed me. This is what you see when you open the bonnet. The radiator, wiper washer bottle and spare wheel leave little space for luggage. 

There is another tiny luggage compartment at the rear too if you were wondering. Enough to put in a weeks groceries maybe! 

CLEAN! Squeaky clean this car is! I like the fact that there is nothing to identify what kind of car this is. Must be leaving a lot of onlookers bemused! 

 Gotta love 80's details! 

 That is the original spoiler that was offered as an optional extra. Nice touch! 

Open Sesame! Note that this car has the optional side skirts too! Just wish the car had the original tear drop alloys though to complete the OEM look! 

 Original Mudflaps? Check! 

Stepping inside, the same original theme has been retained. A few things have been upgraded to make life in the tiny cabin a little easier. Mind you, the MR2 does not have power steering either!

Gotta love pop up head lamps! This little toggle switch turns on the most awesome automotive lighting system! Period! 

And this controlled your wipers. Oh and if you press the Toyota button you inject more Toyota-ness to the ride. Jokes, it was put there just to balance out the De-mist button on the other side. I only expected that kind of attention from the Italians!

I really liked the simplicity inside the car. While some may struggle to fit inside the tiny cockpit, everything is well laid out and the driving position is really good. It is much like piloting a small aircraft! 

This weird looking object is the gear knob! I was utterly confused at the shape, the guys who designed them might have been watching some X rated material but its there to help make shifting gear easier due to the very tall transmission tunnel.

The only mod done inside was the stereo. A very powerful Clarion head unit powers a combination of Infinity speakers and a Sub-woofer located behind the passenger seat. Really amazing sound quality I must say!

Even the dashboard was much like Origami. For some reason the design reminds me of a similar layout in the Countach. Maybe its just me.....

The original seats have been retained too, but they have been reupholstered in lovely leather with red stitching. 

 Here's the catch though. Sajiv owns not one, but two MR2's. One completely different from the other!

 While the white car is concourse, his little grey one is a rolling project car. 

 Unlike the white car, this is powered by the more powerful 4AGE engine. 

Sajiv has a lot of plans for this ride. He obviously wants it as good as his white car but with a little bit more pizzazz.

One of his first mods were these authentic TRD alloys from ENKEI. He has also upgraded to a WEPR twin exit exhaust that makes the 4AGE sing a beautiful tune.

Thats it for this post. Wishing Sajiv all the luck with his project, and we all must Thank Mr.Rhamzi Ahamed for restoring the white MR2 that you just read about. Its a pleasure to see cars like these on our roads!

Charith Kulasiri