Rare Japanese mid-ship convertible, of which only 92 were made
Do you know the MR Spyder, an open sports car that Toyota Technocraft once produced just 92 units based on the second-generation Toyota MR2? 31-year-old Mr. Masato Itokawa has been lucky enough to have this rare car for nine years. We asked him why he, a professional automotive engineer, is so in love with it.
His mother drove a first-generation MR2 before he was born
About 100 cars loved by car enthusiasts aged 35 and under gathered at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse for the ‘YOKOHAMA CAR SESSION-Young People’s Car Life’. One car in particular that was constantly surrounded by old men was the Toyota Technocraft “MR Spyder”, of which only 92 were produced. The owner of this rare car, 31-year-old Mr. Masato Itokawa, politely answered their questions.
He has been the owner of the rare 1998 MR Spyder for nine years, but he says he has had the elements to become a Toyota MR enthusiast since he was a child.
“Growing up, my mother told me that before I was born, she drove an AW11 MR2. I was fascinated by the midship layout, retractable headlights and two-seaters, which were rare among Japanese speciality cars, and I guess it was imprinted in my mind.”
Got MR Spyder after driving a second-generation MR2
While he was a university student, Mr. Itokawa drove a second-generation SW20 Toyota MR2, on which this MR Spyder was based, but he had to let it go once he started his job search.
“When I was looking for a car to love when I started working, I knew I wanted a SW, and when I was looking at used car information, the website I usually look at happened to be unavailable, so I looked at a used car site I don’t usually look at and found a used car dealer there that had the MR Spyder in stock. I don’t think I would have come across this car if I could have seen the website I normally look at.”
“Only a Toyota Technocraft production, the exclusive rear hood and cowling blend in with the original SW20 design while at the same time emphasising its convertible character, which I fall in love with every time I look at it in my car.”
“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