Toyota MR2 E-Book

Nigel Burton

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Toyota MR2 details the full start-to-finish history of Toyota's bestselling mid-engined sports car, from 1984 until 2007, when production ended. This new book covers all three generations of models: the first-generation AW11 - Car of the Year Japan, 1984-1985; second-generation SW20, with a new 2,0 litre 3S-GTE engine and the third-generation ZZW30/MR2 Roadster. With detailed specification guides, archive photos and beautiful new photography, this book is a must for every MR2 owner and sports car enthusiast. Covers the background to the MR2 - the 1973 oil crisis and Akio Yoshida's designs; suspension improvements to the Mk II, significantly improving handling; the MR2 in motorsport; special editions and Zagato's VM180. This complete history of Toyota MR2 includes detailed specifications guides and is beautifully illustrated with 260 colour and 36 black & white archive photographs.

Leseprobe

OTHER TITLES IN THE CROWOOD AUTOCLASSICS SERIES

AC COBRA Brian Laban

ALFA ROMEO 916 GTV AND SPIDER Robert Foskett

ALFA ROMEO SPIDER John Tipler

ASTON MARTIN DB4, DB5 & DB6 Jonathan Wood

ASTON MARTIN DB7 Andrew Noakes

ASTON MARTIN V8 William Presland

AUDI QUATTRO Laurence Meredith

AUSTIN HEALEY Graham Robson

BMW 5 SERIES James Taylor

BMW CLASSIC COUPÉS James Taylor

BMW M3 James Taylor

CITROEN DS SERIES John Pressnell

FERRARI 308, 328 and 348 Robert Foskett

FORD ESCORT RS Graham Robson

FROGEYE SPRITE John Baggott

JAGUAR E-TYPE Jonathan Wood

JAGUAR XK8 Graham Robson

JENSEN INTERCEPTOR John Tipler

JOWETT JAVELIN AND JUPITER Geoff McAuley & Edmund Nankivell

LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH Peter Dron

LAND ROVER DEFENDER, 90 AND 110 RANGE James Taylor

LOTUS ELAN Matthew Vale

MGA David G. Styles

MGB Brian Laban

MGF AND TF David Knowles

MG T-SERIES Graham Robson

MASERATI ROAD CARS John Price-Williams

MAZDA MX-5 Antony Ingram

MERCEDES-BENZ CARS OF THE 1990S James Taylor

MERCEDES-BENZ ‘FINTAIL’ MODELS Brian Long

MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS James Taylor

MERCEDES-BENZ W124 James Taylor

MERCEDES SL SERIES Andrew Noakes

MERCEDES W113 James Taylor

MORGAN 4-4 Michael Palmer

MORGAN THREE-WHEELER Peter Miller

PEUGEOT 205 Adam Sloman

RELIANT THREE-WHEELERS John Wilson-Hall

RILEY RM John Price-Williams

ROVER 75 AND MG ZT James Taylor

ROVER P5 & P5B James Taylor

SAAB 99 & 900 Lance Cole

SUBARU IMPREZA WRX AND WRX STI James Taylor

SUNBEAM ALPINE AND TIGER Graham Robson

TRIUMPH SPITFIRE & GT6 James Taylor

TRIUMPH TR7 David Knowles

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI James Richardson

VOLVO P1800 David G. Styles

TOYOTA MR2

The Complete Story

NIGEL BURTON

First published in 2015 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book published 2015

© Nigel Burton 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 932 2

Acknowledgements

There are so many people who provided help for this book that it would be impossible to list them all. However, some deserve a special mention. I’d like to thank Jason S. Bell at the Toyota USA Archives for unseen photos and documents, PR manager Steve Coughlan in Australia, Alastair Moffitt at Toyota Motorsport and Erica Haddon, who trusted me with Toyota GB’s photographic resources. Peter Hunter of the Toyota Enthusiasts Club came up with some great photos of early MR2 designs and invaluable documents. Racing legend Dan Gurney, his assistant Kathy Weida and former CAR magazine editor Gavin Green gave generously of their time. Steve Bishop, editor of MR2 Only Magazine, gave me free rein to use images and information. Photographers Steve Brown (www.sbrownpix.com), Paul Kooyman, Keith Mulcahy, Dylan Alvarado and Miguel Gonzales gave permission to use their images and Tom Banks worked wonders on a photo shoot at Croft Circuit, near Darlington. Also, Bob Freitas and Pieter Lukassen were happy to answer dozens of questions about their rare cars. However, the biggest shout out of all goes to Michael Sheavills, who allowed me free use of his massive archive of cuttings, brochures and photographs. Without his help this project would have been immeasurably more difficult. Finally, thanks to my patient wife Jane and our two great children Jack and Mia.

Disclaimer

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace and credit illustration copyright holders. If you own the copyright to an image appearing in this book and have not been credited, please contact the publisher, who will be pleased to add a credit in any future edition.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1   ‘VALUE UNATTAINED IN ANY OTHER AUTOMOBILE …’

CHAPTER 2   AW11: THE START OF SOMETHING BIG

CHAPTER 3   SW20: ‘THE PASSION IS BACK …’

CHAPTER 4   MR-S: ’DRIVE YOUR DREAMS’

CHAPTER 5   RACING IMPROVES THE BREED

CHAPTER 6   TRANSFORMATIONS

CHAPTER 7   A NEW BEGINNING

REFERENCES

INDEX

CHAPTER ONE

‘VALUE UNATTAINED IN ANY OTHER AUTOMOBILE …’

The stevedores unpacking two small cars from the deck of the passenger liner President Cleveland at the Port of Long Beach, California, on 14 September 1957 almost certainly had no idea that they were making history. Nor did the modest crowd of journalists and civic dignitaries who gathered to watch the cars – one in Coronada Beige, the other resplendent in blue – as they were unloaded onto the dockside.

But for the Japanese officials present, the arrival of two Toyota Toyopet Crown sedans all the way from Yokohama harbour was a moment of immense importance: the first Japanese cars officially imported to the United States.

Earlier a group of thirty-five guests, including four Toyota executives, the Japanese consul general, the manager of the Bank of Tokyo, select pressmen and harbour officials, had gathered aboard the liner for a celebratory lunch. Afterwards they adjourned to the dockside for photos by the berth. No doubt, some of the photographers were more interested in Kyoko Otani, Japan’s entrant in that year’s Miss Universe beauty pageant, who hovered nervously clasping a bouquet of flowers while the cars were made ready.

History is made as the first Toyota – a Toyopet Crown – arrives in the United States. TOYOTA USA ARCHIVES

As the first vehicle was swung onto the dock, she glided forward and gently placed the bouquet on the bonnet: the first Toyota had officially touched down in the world’s biggest car market. (The guests were not to know, but the Crowns had been quietly unloaded in San Francisco a couple of days earlier to be washed and watered ahead of their formal unveiling.) The automobile industry would never be the same again.

The Toyopet Crown was designed and built by a new name in the international automobile world: Toyota of Japan. It was compact by American standards and the 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine was comically small in a market where the best-selling car (the Ford Fairlane) came with either a 3.7-litre straight six or a 4.5-litre V8. However, Toyota was convinced that it would tap into the growing market for small cars. Instead of performance and speed, the Crown would sell on its value for money, four-door convenience and comfort.

To succeed, Toyota had to take on the Europeans. In the first five months of 1957 total imports exceeded $100 million. Volkswagen had a handsome lead with 40,139 cars, British importers came next on 34,141 and Renault was in third place with 11,587. Volvo accounted for 5,586 imports and Fiat just 1,127 vehicles.

The surge in small car sales encouraged Toyota executives to aim high. Seisi Kato, chairman of Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), remembered:

Exporting passenger cars to America, the ‘home’ of the passenger car; in those days it seemed like some wild dream come true.

During our test driving tour we introduced the Crown to various dealers, who all seemed impressed and spoke highly of the car’s market potential. From their responses our estimates were that 400 or 500 units could be sold a month; at that rate, we extrapolated that we could easily move a total of 10,000 units a year, and would just have to insist that Toyota Motor Company raise its production capacity to meet what we saw as clamorous demand.1

Toyota hoped to sell 500 Crowns a month in the US, but expectations were hopelessly optimistic. TOYOTA USA ARCHIVES

But the newsmen who watched the first cars arrive were sceptical. It had taken Volkswagen several years to achieve that kind of figure and the delicate-looking Toyopet Crown, despite its US-inspired styling, did not have the Beetle’s unique sales appeal.