Among all the amazing cars that came out of Japan during the 1990s, the Toyota MR2 tends to get overlooked. Despite the alternating nicknames of "Poor Man's Ferrari" or "Poor Man's NSX" thanks to its mid-engined layout, compared to legends such as Nissan's Skyline GT-R and 300ZX, Toyota's own Supra, and Honda's NSX, the second-gen MR2 just couldn't quite keep up. Most examples still around these days have been tuned to smithereens or just straight-up neglected to the point where they're borderline falling apart, which makes this cleaner-than-clean MR2 recently featured on the YouTube channel Hoonigan AutoFocus all the more rare—even if it has received a somewhat-unusual engine swap and a few fun mods over the years.
Pop Up Headlights For The Win
Hoonigan AutoFocus host Larry Chen takes a deep dive on this MR2, which attracted his attention simply because it's so clean on the outside. But that slick exterior, highlighted by iconic 1990s pop-up headlights, hides a long history of abuse—owner Scotty Bertrand just took the time to revive it into the shape he so desired.
Under The Hood: Toyota Caldina’s 3S-GTE Engine
Probably the single strangest detail about this MR2 lies under the hood, where Bertrand reveals that three different motors and four different transmissions have alternately been installed over the years. Now, however, a later-gen Toyota Caldina minivan's 3S-GTE engine has been dropped in and now produces around 300 horsepower.
The Caldina's powerplant employs the same engine mounts as the MR2, with upgrades including a coil-on-plug ignition system, cam and crank sensors, and a turbo built into the manifold that spools up faster. Bertrand did the swap and performed all the mechanical work, including rerouting the wiring harness and making sure that he kept the air conditioning functional—a must in Louisiana.
Daily Driven MR2
Bertrand daily drives the MR2, which looks a little mean thanks to some side skirts and enormous exhaust visible beneath the tail. The interior looks as clean as the exterior, with an aftermarket steering wheel and head unit installed being the only standouts from stock. Best of all, the video features some in-cabin driving footage to show just how overlooked the MR2 truly is.
Sources: youtube.com and motorreviewer.com.