The Car Toyota Were Afraid to Build: I Drive a 320HP 3.5L V6 MR2

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Today I drive a V6 MR2 - not for the first time, but this is the first drive of a Mk2 with one, and my first time on the roads... how does it fare?

#Toyota #V6 #MR2

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[JayEmmOnCars]

CarVertical: The History Checking Service
Use this link or code "JAYEMM" for a discount!

[BeckieBlanchette]

tunedbyai AI fixes this. Toyota's 320HP V6 MR2 Driven.

[jimmyfarley]

On a personal note I'd like commend you on your swearing free content. My young lads love your channel. They can watch it freely without the risk of them picking up bad language. Thank you. Well spoken, mature professionals are hard to come by . It's appreciated.

[highlandparkguitarlessons]

Honestly, this sounds like a dream Mr2 setup. How Toyota did consider this and have the foresight is beyond me. It’s a great setup for what an enthusiast would enjoy, the sound is very tuneful and lively. If the horsepower was matched to say 330-350hp, what a bargain 355 competitor that Toyota really missed the mark on. I’ve always been perplexed by Toyota, they have shown to genius in engineering in the past and that they can make spectacular examples but not doing something like this just seems like they were asleep at the wheel.

I do wish the Mr2 was always a tad larger, the design seems like it wants to be actually.

Great content Jay, as always very insightful and informative.

[leonessmann]

I bought an 1991 MR2 as my first car back in 2019. It is a german version with the 156hp 3sge. Even though it has about 275000 kilometers on the odometer, it pushed 160hp and 190nm on the Dyno.

I love to have the targa roofs off all summer long and I think even in near stock form it is a very delicate machine.

I love it more and more every single day and I will never sell it.

Great car btw👆🏻😍

[eoinmurphy]

Mr2s are 30 yrs old now. You wouldn't be long spending 10k rebuilding a 3sgte for power
If mine goes pop il be doing a 2gr. Its a perfectly realistic diy project with all the bits and information off the shelf
Makes a much more exotic car than the gen2 turbo
Frankenstein motorworks has the full build well documented on YouTube.
Love the content Jay👍

[J.Wick.]

One of my favorite cars ever. I got to ride in a near brand new 1994 Turbo Manual back when I was 10 or 11. My dad worked at a Toyota dealer. I'd often go hangout at the lot with him during the summer when out of school. One day, they needed to make a bank run. They usually chose to take something fun. Usually used when they did so. I'll never forget feeling boost for the first time lol. Always wanted one of these. I've owned 2 4G Preludes, very similar looking, but very different otherwise. Maybe one day.

[markmcgrath]

I’d argue that the NSX is everyone’s favourite Japanese budget Ferrari.

[NH]

Great video. As an owner of one of these I can say, with confidence, that you can build a V6 SW20 for significantly less than this build. You can build yourself a fully driving and sorted 1MZ or 3VZ conversion for around £3.5k if you are willing to get your mits grubby. There are even Woodsport wiring harnesses and adapters which plug and play. You can get away with just a standard replacement clutch. Only one specific engine mount is needed for the MR2, the rest just bolt up. 1GR engines are not easy to come by in the UK and can be comparatively much dearer than other markets (US), so consider the cost to value when picking an engine. A BEAMS and 3SGTE conversion will cost similar money to a 2GR, all with their pros and cons.

[samuelschelling]

Glass panels store behind the seats. I owned one and it's a super fun vehicle to daily, even with the stock 3S-GE engine.

[paultucker]

Good that sounds good! And Mk2 MR2s just seem to get better looking as time goes by. Not sure I could justify that sort of outlay, but I'm really glad this fella has. A seriously desirable car!

[starfox_wr-e]

I was so close to building one of these myself. Had the engine, car.. then life got in the way.
I will build one. I'm not giving up on this one. I will have my Toyota Evora one day.

[mrkazman]

I have one in Australia, basically the same spec. Originally one of the few dozen Bathurst editions from '99.

I spank it up and down the mountains near Healesville and Lake Eildon.
With a free breathing exhaust it is incredibly loud, even on engine braking.
, but if you just crack the throttle to stop that, it runs almost silently.

I can tell the ECU reflash wasn't quite done on your example, it was bouncing off the limit far too easily (and no, there is no redline-by-gear. The ECU doesnt know what gear it's in).

I could bore you all to tears with more details, but Jay got it as right as necessary. Take care of these cars, they are special. But use them. Please.

[capn_shawn]

My '93 hardtop has always been my favorite car.
Till a pickup pull out in front of it, destroying it and leaving a hole in my heart the shape of the last Toyota worth owning.

[AntoniusTyas]

That intro is both hilarious and alarming. 11/10.

Also, boy that 2GR sounds so good. Sad Toyota never really made V6-powered MR2. But if the rumours are true and they will actually make GR MR2 in the future with GR Yaris 3-pots, that'll be the next best thing.

[mattewj]

This car sounds really lovely, I'm seriously tempted to build one of these.

[longtailgt]

0:15 that gobsmacking moment coupled with the background music was hilarious! You should do more pieces like this.

[Jettski]

I can't get over just how good this sounds!

[barnestim]

Why didn't Toyota do it at the time?...The V6s they had at the time (lets say, around 1994/1995 for the mid-model refresh were just not as powerful as the turbo, would've been a lot hard to maintain (i.e. rear cylinder bank spark plugs). The Toyota 3.0 VZ V6 had around 140KW, the later 3.0 MZ had around 150KW and 283Nm The 3S-GTE at this time had 180KW and 304Nm.
It wasn't until the later GR V6s were released that they were comparable (at least in power and torque)...but again, by this stage the 3S-GTE had also grown in power and torque

[michaelbishop]

Being pedantic - the t-bar panels don’t store in the boot. The gen2 SW20 was also available as a Spider, albeit in very very small numbers 😊