Highlights

• A recently imported example of the perennially popular Series I MR2
• Presenting in an excellent original and admirably pristine condition throughout
• In rapid Supercharged configuration with a low, original mileage

The Appeal

The History and Paperwork

• This car was manufactured in 1987 in just the second year of Supercharged production
• The car was understood to have remained in the land of its birth until 2022
• At that time, it was imported to the UK
• It was first registered here in January 2023
• The car secured an MOT in the same month which is valid until January 2024
• The paperwork includes the current V5
• In addition to this there are a couple of recent invoices

The Interior

• The interior is finished in a fine, original order
• Complimentary hues of greys and blacks predominate
• The seats are trimmed in a grey and black, self-patterned velour fabric
• They are deeply bolstered at the waist for maximum lateral support
• Matching headrests are present with quirky ribbed plastic covers disguising the supports
• The condition of the seats is very good indeed
• The door cards are finished in black vinyl with panels of matching velour to the centres
• Extended speaker boxes house uprated, 2-way door speakers
• The dashboard is finished in black vinyl
• The white on black instrument set sit in a hooded binnacle 
• This extends into twin side pods that house other controls
• These are activated via handled control wheels and switches
• A non-standard Leonard Volanti alloy, wood rimmed steering wheel is fitted
• The centre console houses heating controls and air conditioning button
• Below this an after-market double DIN CD cassette player is fitted
• Carpets and headlining are finished in black and look to be in fine order
• The only imperfection noted is a split in the foam of the dashboard (pictured)
• The front compartment is finished with a fitted vinyl matt
• The spare wheel is situated here together with jack and Toyota tool roll
• The rear luggage compartment sits behind the engine at the tail of the car
• This is usefully deep and trimmed in its original grey carpet

The Exterior

• This MR2 Supercharged is finished in bright white
• As is often the case with Japanese supplied cars it appears to be in great original condition
• A good level of shine is present on the panels
• The usual MKI MR2 external features are present
• These include prominent front and rear spoilers and side skirts
• The signature pop up headlamps are present and working
• The sporty side vents are present in the rear side panels 
• The engine cover carries the dual vents peculiar to the supercharged model
• Only one of these is functional, feeding air to the intercooler
• The other is just to provide some symmetry to the design
• The car sits on non-standard wheels for the MR2 Supercharged
• Our car features Japanese made, six spoke alloy wheels 
• These are finished in eye-catching gold and are made by Rays
• These 15-inch items are shod with tyres in 185/55 sized tyres
• The cabin glass, light lenses and mirrors all appear original and well presented

The Mechanics

• In the Supercharged model Toyota added a Roots type unit
• This was fed via a large, horizontally mounted intercooler
• The supercharger is actuated by a magnetic clutch mechanism
• This ensures it is used only when needed to keep economy competitive
• This configuration was originally good for 145bhp
• This was sufficient to give the light car a sub-seven second 0-60mph time
• Power is fed to the rear wheels via an uprated 5-speed manual transmission
• The engine bay of the MR2 looks nicely original
• The big Desmo intercooler sits atop the four-cylinder unit
• The alloy cam covers are engraved with marque and model designations
• The condition looks good overall with the alloy elements requiring a clean and polish
• The underside of the car looks really straight and clean for its age
• The car has been serviced since import 
• This combined with a low original mileage results in a seemingly mechanically sound condition

Summary