Toyota MR2 (W10) | Spotted

Remember when the only Toyotas you could buy in the UK were dreary hatchbacks, a dinky city car and the Prius? We did at least get the Land Cruiser, and several appearances on TG helped boost the street cred of the Hilux – but the rest of its offerings during most of the ’00s were about as appealing as contracting scurvy. Thank goodness then for former company president Akio Toyoda and his push for a performance car presence, which has bought us both GT and GR86s, the return of the Supra and the blockbuster GR Yaris. Although he’s no longer technically at the helm, Toyoda San continues to push for additional racy offerings and greater motorsport involvement at the board level – and long may it continue.

What we’ve yet to see from ‘Morizo’ (the pseudonym he uses when racing, as if he couldn’t get any cooler) and his expansive performance ambitions is the return of the MR2. Understandably, the Supra revival took priority when Gazoo Racing was in its infancy given the model’s cult following, but calls for an MR2 successor have grown louder in recent years because a) the Supra is pretty expensive and b) you can never have too many affordable sports cars, especially with the GR86 getting such a short life span. 

It’s not like the MR2 isn’t an established name here either. We received all three generations of the mid-engined sports car, with the original W10 launching in the mid-’80s and several years before the arrival of the almighty Mazda MX-5. While the MX-5 perfected the idea of a modernised British roadster, the MR2 nailed the wedge-shaped sports car that we were all the rage in the ’80s. Sure, it never came with a V8, but it did come with a pair of punchy four-cylinder engines (plus a smaller 1.5-litre motor for its home market), with the range-topping supercharged model delivering a respectable 147hp. That made it more powerful than the MX-5 at the time and, because the engine was in the middle, gave it some extra sports car kudos, too. 

This example isn’t a supercharged model, so produces a little less power at 128hp, but that’s still on par with the entry-level, third-generation MR2 that was pretty popular here (all the more reason to make another, Toyota!). So why has it caught our attention, then? Well, just look at it. MR2s may not be a rare sight on UK roads, but many of them are pretty tatty these days. This clearly isn’t one of them, with its black paintwork looking just as glossy as it would have done back in ’86 and with stickers that aren’t dog-eared or faded. You’d obviously need to have a good poke around to make sure it’s in as good a condition as it appears – given that corrosion can be a problem on most Japanese cars of this vintage – but the underside looks properly tidy going off the pictures.

It’s a real timewarp inside, too, with the original seats, steering wheel and gear knob all present and in tip-top condition. Even the old stereo system has been retained and looks superb stacked below the delightfully analogue heater controls. The dash is just as blocky as the exterior (it doesn’t look dissimilar to the cockpit in the new GR Yaris) and is littered with buttons and dials. Moreover, if you study the instruments, you’ll see that it’s covered a little over 31,100 miles. Who knows if there’s a better example out there, but there certainly can’t be many.

So how much will an all-original, squeaky-clean MR2 set you back? The seller’s asking £19,995 for it which, yes, is on the high side. This higher-mileage car can be had for under £9,000, while this supercharged import (albeit with an aftermarket bodykit and wheels) is going for £14,250. Not to mention the abundance of Mk3s out there, with a huge selection on offer for under £5k. But the car we have here is absolutely noteworthy and would sit nicely alongside whatever Toyota’s got up its sleeve with its FT-Se concept. 

Engine: 1,587cc four-cylinder
Transmission: five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 128@5,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 105@5,000rpm
MPG: 29
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1986
Recorded mileage: 32,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £19,995