Description
1988 Toyota MR2 Mk1 T-Bar
UK Supplied – Rare Mica Blue – Exceptional History
A Real Time-Warp Toyota – Remarkable Provenance & Long-Term Ownership
A very rare UK-supplied Mk1 Toyota MR2 T-Bar, finished in exceptionally rare Mica Blue, with remarkably few long-term owners and accompanied by an extraordinary history file.
This really is a wonderful little car.
First registered on 23 August 1988, F797 RMP is understood to have spent approximately the first ten months of its life as a Toyota demonstrator, before passing into long-term private ownership in June 1989.
Presented today in beautiful Mica Blue with the desirable T-Bar roof, it is difficult to describe this lovely little MR2 as anything other than a real time-warp Toyota.
What makes the car particularly special, however, is the story behind it.
REMARKABLE OWNERSHIP HISTORY
Following its initial period, understood to have been as a Toyota demonstrator, the MR2 was acquired by Mrs Rosemary Joyce Palmer on 28 June 1989.
She then retained the car for approximately 13 years, until 2002.
It subsequently passed to Dr Philip Gerald Cassen in December 2002, who would retain it until 2009 – another lengthy period of ownership.
There followed a relatively brief period during which Jamie Aldridge of UCS Maidstone renovated the car as a personal project.
On 29 March 2010, at 88, 586 miles, it was purchased by Christopher Henry Gough, beginning another exceptionally long period of ownership.
It is only now being offered for sale due to relocation.
For a car first registered in 1988, that continuity of ownership is quite remarkable and goes a long way towards explaining both its preservation and the extraordinary history accompanying it.
AN EXCEPTIONAL HISTORY FILE
The history supplied with this MR2 is quite something.
Rather than simply a collection of old MOT certificates, it provides a fascinating chronological record of the car’s life.
There are multiple invoices, MOT certificates, servicing records, parts receipts, tax records and associated documentation, recording not only major maintenance but even many of the smaller items purchased for the car.
The file records maintenance and parts supplied by respected names including Fensport Performance Toyota Parts, TwinSpark Hampstead and Smith & Hunter of Kensington.
Documented work over the years includes:
* Regular servicing and oil changes
* Engine oil and filter changes
* Gearbox oil change
* Brake hoses and brake-system maintenance
* Front brake pads
* Replacement rear brake caliper
* Rear suspension bush kits
* Handbrake cable
* Spark plugs
* Replacement camshaft-cover gasket
* Replacement alternator
* Coolant reservoir components
* Replacement front shock-absorber top mounts
* Replacement electric aerial
* Batteries and tyres
* Numerous other smaller maintenance and preservation items
In April 2010 alone, the MR2 received a full annual service, together with a replacement camshaft-cover gasket, alternator and coolant reservoir components, at a documented cost of £822. 96.
PROFESSIONALLY WAXOYL TREATED
One particularly important entry for anyone familiar with the Mk1 MR2 is from May 2010, when the car underwent a documented Rustmaster Waxoyl treatment, costing £458. 25.
It is another example of the preventative maintenance and care this car has received rather than simply having money spent when something went wrong.
The previous keeper’s attention to detail went considerably further.
He sourced the correct Mk1 toolkit and jack, owner’s pack and handbook, along with various model-specific items.
There is also a spare door card supplied with the vehicle.
It is these little details, combined with the extensive invoices and paperwork, that demonstrate the enthusiasm with which the car has been maintained.
VERY LIGHT USE IN LATER YEARS
The mileage progression recorded within the history is equally interesting.
When acquired by its long-term keeper in March 2010, the car had covered 88, 586 miles.
By March 2012 – 92, 732 miles.
March 2013 – 94, 145 miles.
May 2014 – approximately 94, 900 miles.
June 2015 – 95, 084 miles.
The history specifically records that the MR2 was then garaged and unused from mid-June 2016 until mid-June 2018.
Before returning to the road in June 2018 it received a full service and MOT from Smith & Hunter of Kensington, costing £657. 51, with the mileage then recorded at 95, 230 miles.
Rather wonderfully, the history even contains documentation relating to the car being exhibited at the Belgravia Classic Car Show in June 2018.
This is not simply service history – it is a record of the life of the car.
EXCEPTIONALLY RARE MICA BLUE T-BAR
The specification makes this particular example all the more appealing.
A genuine UK-supplied Mk1 T-Bar in Mica Blue is an increasingly rare sight.
The colour absolutely suits the sharp, unmistakably 1980s lines of the original MR2, while the removable T-Bar roof panels transform the car for open-air summer motoring.
It is a wonderfully evocative little sports car and one that attracts an enormous amount of attention today.
DRIVES BEAUTIFULLY
Perhaps most importantly, it drives beautifully.
The Mk1 MR2 remains one of those cars that reminds you just how enjoyable a relatively small, lightweight sports car can be.
With its mid-engined layout, compact dimensions, wonderfully direct steering and engaging character, it is easy to understand why the AW11 developed such an enthusiastic following.
This particular car feels every bit as special from behind the wheel as its history suggests.
A REAL TIME-WARP TOYOTA
Good Mk1 MR2s are becoming increasingly difficult to find.
A UK-supplied T-Bar in exceptionally rare Mica Blue, with remarkably few long-term owners and this level of provenance and documentation, is considerably harder to replace.
This is not an MR2 that has simply survived.
It has clearly been cherished, documented and preserved.
From its understood early life as a Toyota demonstrator, through approximately 13 years with its first documented private keeper, another seven years with the next and then its subsequent very long-term ownership, there is a wonderful continuity to the car’s story.
Add the multiple invoices, MOT history, specialist maintenance, Waxoyl treatment, original literature, toolkit, spare parts and wonderfully detailed history file and you have a particularly special example.
Only being offered for sale due to relocation.
1988 Toyota MR2 Mk1 T-Bar
UK supplied
Understood to have initially been a Toyota demonstrator
Exceptionally rare Mica Blue
Desirable T-Bar
Remarkably few long-term owners
Very long-term previous ownership
Only being sold due to relocation
Exceptional documented history
Multiple invoices and MOT certificates
Documented specialist maintenance
Rustmaster Waxoyl treated
Owner’s pack and handbook
Mk1 toolkit and jack
Spare door card supplied
Drives beautifully
A wonderfully preserved and increasingly rare Mk1 MR2 – a genuine time-warp Toyota with exceptional provenance.
