The Toyota MR2, released in the US market by Toyota for the 1985 model year, was everything its only competitors were not. The Fiat X1/9 was still sold in the North American market as the Bertone X1/9, imported by Malcolm Bricklin, but it had the durability and reliability issues typical of low-production Italian sporty cars of the era. Pontiac's Fiero had been on the market for a year, but was heavy for its size and had an uninspiring suspension.
The MR2 boasted Toyota levels of build quality, weighed about the same as the X1/9 and boasted almost 66% more power, while being a hundred pounds lighter and much more nimble and better handling than the Fiero.
Powered by the zingy 1.6L DOHC 16V 4A-GE inline four also found in the Corolla FX, which made 112hp and which could be paired with a slick-shifting five-speed manual or, if your soul was dead, a four-speed auto, the MR2 was the kind of sports car that made automotive writers pull out thesauruses looking for extra synonyms for "fun".
When Car and Driver tested an '85 model (with the stick shift, natch), they saw a zero-to-sixty time of 8.3 seconds and a 16.3 second quarter at 82mph. Top speed was 116 and all-up curb weight was 2,380 pounds. For comparison, those are about the same numbers put up by a 140hp V-6 Fiero GT, which was almost 400 pounds heavier.
The Light Beige example in the picture was photographed with an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and a Panasonic Leica Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4 ASPH zoom lens in June of 2025.
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