“It changed not only ‘car life’ but ‘my life’ itself”

Only eight of the final base SW20 MR2s equipped with the 2L straight-4 DOHC 3S-GE engine were produced, and the ‘Beige Mica Metallic’ body colour was one of only 92 produced, making Mr Itokawa’s 1998 MR Spyder the only one of its kind.

“The 3S-GE engine of the last model has a larger surge tank capacity than before, and it’s a great feeling to feel the intake sound directly when you open the throttle.”

Precisely, he says that he was originally a shy and introverted person.

“I was not good at talking to people, but now that this car has come along, I have more opportunities to talk to other people, and I feel I have changed a lot. The encounter with this car itself, which changed not only my car life but also my life itself, has broadened my world.”

He weaves the next generation of car life

Mr. Itokawa says that his childhood dream of working in a job related to cars has come true, and that he has moved on from a job involved in the design of racing engines to now working in a wider range of jobs related to everything from car planning to manufacturing.

“It was said that our generation was the younger generation of car culture, and I am happy to see that this event was also created by people in their teens and twenties. I want more people to feel, through our hobby and my work, that cars are fun to drive.”

The MR Spyder has now covered more than 140,000 km, having covered some 40,000 km when it was delivered nine years ago, and it is clear that he is enjoying driving it to the fullest. The cars that Mr Itokawa was involved with will surely be loved by many people as partners in their car life.

translated by DeepL