One of these, though not the most pressing, is the fact I've been out of a '2 for a very long time now. My previous rev 2 turbo (which I was amused to note still retains a degree of infamy on here) was a mistake. I bought the one I could afford at the time. It never worked properly, and very nearly put me off '2s for life.
At heart I am a driver. The mk2 MR2 is my childhood obsession, which I am now lucky enough to have experienced. Before it came along I was always found in a cheap banger, as any available cash was being put towards the MR2 fund. I should have waited for a rev 3, but I didn't. Instead I was left with a car that ran out of puff at 5,000rpm, lagged like crazy and couldn't hold full boost for more than four or five "fast road" miles without misfiring so badly I had to stop and let it rest. On any given occasion it was 50:50 if I'd actually complete the journey. In case anyone thinks I'm being unfair to the rev 2 I should point out, mine was Very, Very Sick.
As many of you will be aware I still loved "Mr Misfire" to bits and it got a lot better towards the end; but when it finally, irrevocably, died I have to admit I was actually a little relieved.
That was nearly three years ago. Since then I've experienced a lot of good cars. The Mitsubishi FTO was a V6 howler, with unbelievable grip and handling. The Subaru Impreza was every bit as incredible as it's claimed to be, albeit far too competent for having fun on the road. The Mazda MX5 was more fun than I could believe, and in turbo form simply outrageous. The Nissan 350Z is a classic and quality GT car, albeit not quite as powerful as the fuel economy might suggest. The Lamborghini Gallardo (silverstone experience before you ask) offered an insight into real supercars. I've also driven a whole armada of modern, but not special, cars. Their refinement and economy make powerful arguments to abandon old Japanese metal.
So I found myself wondering, can the MR2 really be as good as I remember? Was it an "ok" car that was made to feel magical only in comparison to my 3-speed automatic Vauxhall Cavalier? That thought, and the bad experience with Mr Misfire, kept me away from a new '2 for a long time, even after I'd bought the property that forced me to sell the old one.
By the time my new rev 3 Turbo arrived I'd looked at over 30 MR2's. None had got close to convincing me. This one did because of the following:
* Tin top
* Only been in the country three years
* Four-wheel ABS (a whole universe apart from the diabolical standard ABS system)
* Traction control (interesting!)
It had a few receipts from a known garage, for sensible spares. It had a sensible list of reasonable quality mods, it looked the part (edit: show & shine winner!
) it carried a good review from two club members, the engine was silky smooth to listen to and I could only find trivial things when I inspected it up on the jacks. It should have been a case of "buy and enjoy".This turned out to be a little bit wrong... Actually, there was a lot needed doing. I've already spent more than I did buying it on maintenance and I'm not finished yet. With it passing the MOT earlier this month I committed to some more "big ticket" items. Four new Falken FK452's and a cambelt from Pacific Works (genuine Toyota parts). The eye-watering credit card bill was one of the final few steps in a multi-thousand pound programme to get the car just how I want it. Now I can start to use it properly.
I've already had glimpses of what the rev 3 is all about. During round-town work I've occasionally had to stick my foot down in a low gear, and I've been blown away by the way the car responded. Honestly, I thought it was too much. The rev 2 would build power as the revs rose, reaching a peak of noise at the same time as acceleration, but only briefly before it fell away. You really had to work it to get the best out of it, but when you did it was thrilling like no other car I had driven. The rev 3 simply slammed forwards no matter what was happening. I found worrying shades of Subaru in the cold and clinical way it delivered that slug of power. I had to force myself to resist judging it too harshly until it was fully fixed up.
Leaving Pacific Works with the new cambelt I was very nervous indeed. The car had nothing left to hide behind, but I'd already committed far too much cash to let it go if it was no good to drive. The run home was all motorway for around an hour, until I took a detour a few miles from home.
Enough waiting.
In spite of the early evening time it was fully dark, and other cars were few and far between. Dropping off the motorway I blipped the throttle repeatedly, matching the revs with shifts down through the gears almost as a sort of "preamble" to let the car know what was coming. There's an open left-hander from the motorway onto the back roads and it exits on to a long down-hill straight. Coming off the corner I gave the car about two inches of throttle, gently feeding through to about twice that as the speed built, and watched to see what would happen.
The '2 surged forward, pushing easily against second gear, with that wonderful twin-pipe exhaust note filling the cabin; the rev 3 instantly asserting itself as the most effortlessly fast road car I've ever driven. I picked a short-shift into third and tried again; the engine barely noticed, our rate of increase in pace barely diminished. Already a junction was approaching, so I backed off and let the car over-run as the speed fell away. Having that noise pumping through the bulkhead behind you is just so addictive. A couple of downshifts and we're sat ready in first gear. Sharp left, and we're faced with a very steep incline.
Time to see what she'll do.
My previous best at the top of this hill is just under 30mph. The MR2 was riding the speed limit. The savagery of the thing was incredible, even with smoothed out gear shifts the TCS light was winking away, but not reacting to spoil the fun. The clinical slugs of acceleration through town now made perfect sense, with this much raw power on tap how could it be any other way?
With the engine singing away at high revs we tackled a string of left-right-left bends, sweeping over the smooth surface, the car always ready to surge along any straight and make full use of the road. After the road peaks there's a flat open section, then it rolls gently back down the hill. Watching in the headlights as the countryside flowed past, with the car biting into corners and howling along the straights brought back all the best memories of my previous '2.
The way the 3S-GTE grabs you and throws the car forward is totally different on a rev 3. It's all encompassing, relentless and utterly wonderful. My rev 2 had 172bhp on the rollers. If this isn't making the full 245bhp I'll be amazed (edit: 251bhp
). The difference is night and day, not just in the peak power but everywhere through the range. It builds revs instantly, easily and with not a trace of lag. The dual-cone synchro on the gearbox is a revelation, you just put it in the gear and focus on matching the revs - no need to wait for it to engage, nor to worry about crunching if you're impatient. The four-channel ABS is the crowning glory. It eliminates the overly prudent response of the original system and allows you to ride the limit of adhesion without any fear of suddenly loosing all meaningful deceleration. I was worried that I wouldn't like this car. As with the Impreza before it I could see it lasting mere months before I went back to something slower but more rewarding. Hats off to Toyota. The changes to the rev 3 addressed every problem I had with my rev 2.
This is the car I should have bought.
This is the car that puts the biggest smile on my face.
This is the car that thrills like nothing else (even the lambo!)
This is the car that I'll be keeping for a long, long time.
Last minute addition: For the avoidance of doubt, this thread is called "shakedown" for a reason. It was a relaxed affair and entirely legal. Now that I proof-read it it looks like I was on a b-road track day. That's not the case at all. This was a planned and controlled test of the car's abilities on an empty road, not an illegal rally-stage under cover of darkness.
