Jonty's MR2 Turbo

Fire extinguisher

For any number of reasons there are more than 100,000 car fires in the UK each year.  If you've been unfortunate enough you've either become a statistic, driven passed one, or come across a vehicle where a fire has just started.  Given that it takes a mere 4 minutes for a vehicle fire to get started (and less than double that to destroy a car), it pays to think about safety -- not just for you and your car but also other road users.

Travelling with a fire extinguisher can not only help with preventing the total loss of your pride and joy but more importantly the life changing loss of loved ones -- or even people you've never met before.  Did you know that a good extinguisher can knock out a blaze in seconds..?

At 800g my Guardian BC dry powder extinguisher will last for approximately 7 seconds.  That may not seem a long time but is the difference between success or failure when putting out an engine fire in its early stages.  With ANY fire extinguisher, if it doesn't save the day then it's time to call the fire brigade... but whilst you're waiting take some photographs because it's the last you'll see of your car as it becomes engulfed and beyond saving.

For ease of access I have mounted my extinguisher inside the cassette/CD cubby-hole which sits between the 2 seats.  The cubby-hole had to be modified slightly but allows for a quick-grab of the extinguisher in case of emergency.

Short shifter

These can reap excellent benefits, yet interestingly have nothing to do with horsepower.  Imagine the MR2's gear lever in neutral and the distance it has to travel to engage first gear -- and then the distance between first-second and third-fourth gears.  You'll find the gear throw is quite some distance and probably not what you'd expect from a sports car.

By removing the original shift lever and replacing it with a quick-shift version, you'll instantly notice the gear positions are much closer than before, taking less time to engage the gears, and making for an extremely positive feel.  This is achieved by attaching the gear change cable further away from the pivot of the lever (i.e. higher up) so the gear lever moves a shorter distance to move the cable the same amount as before.

The picture above shows the original shift lever on the left and the short shifter on the right -- the difference in cable mounting points can be clearly seen.

Xenon gas headlamps

Similar to domestic ones, most automotive bulbs use a tungsten filament which is burnt inside a gas to produce a bright light.  Whereas domestic bulbs use argon, nitrogen, or a combination of both, automotive bulbs typically use a halogen gas trapped inside a quartz shell -- this technology gives off a more than reasonable light with a yellow tinge.

Not content with the light emitted from standard bulbs nor prepared to invest heavily in xenon-based high intensity discharge (HID) kits, uprated bulbs are available on the market which utilise xenon technology.  Rated at 30% brighter than standard, Halfords offer their High Performance Brilliance range of bulbs where there is a noticeable improvement.  These improvements in brightness are achieved because xenon burns more efficiently than halogen gasses, so increasing the energy makes for more light.

At the time of writing, Halfords are introducing their 50% brighter Super Brilliance range.

Revision 6 rear light conversion

During its production run the MkII has had 5 revisions dating from 1989 to 1999.  As per the third (1993/1994) the rear lenses were changed from an all-square to a rounded variety complete with colour-coded centre panel -- a popular upgrade route for Revision 1 and 2 owners.

The name 'Revision 6' applies to Rogue Systems' range of aftermarket products which have been designed specifically for the MkII.  The Revision 6 rear light kits consist of LED sidelights with red or clear-style stop/fog lenses and clear reverse and indicators (all with the necessary coloured bulbs).

The images above show the move away from my original 4 x stop/tail arrangement (with combination stop/fog light) to new dual stop lights with dedicated reverse and fog lamps.  Configuring the units a la Mazda 6, the indicators are located in the middle with the stop lights on the outside -- making them 100% MOT-friendly.

If you've noticed my use of both clear and red stop/fog lens units (with incorporated reflectors) it's important to note that the kits are not sold with interchangeable lenses but can be purchased if desired.  Not content with the efficiency of painted red bulbs I feel the red lenses are more pronounced and also help give the car's rear a bit more colour.

Turbo badge

Most MR2 tailgates are donned with a selection of badges made up from the Toyota emblem, the name 'Toyota', and distinction of model, e.g. GT and G-Limited.  Like mine though, some tailgates are free of badges -- with 'less being more'.

The US model Turbo had an appropriate 'Turbo' badge available as standard but this wasn't the case in Japan.  Although the badge can be sourced via a Toyota parts counter, I'm not overly impressed with its design when compared to the more curvaceous Porsche one belonging to the 911.

Originally chrome-effect, the genuine Porsche badge was carefully prepared and painted in Astral Black to match the car.  Mounted centrally, it looks right at home.

Clear corners

In 1996 the Rev4 was introduced and saw a move to clear lamp assemblies at the front (as opposed to the previous orange/clear/orange combination).  Clear lenses give the MR2 a much cleaner and updated appearance and are very easy to retro-fit.  Slight trimming is required to adapt the indicator bulb holder and a couple of orange bulbs need to be purchased to replace the original clear ones.

Boost gauge

All MR2 Turbos have a standard boost gauge but it's not very useful as it doesn't show any specific pressure levels (e.g. in psi).  Essentially a pressure reading gauge should be in the car because even with standard boost it pays to know what's happening with the turbocharger.  If boost pressure is to be raised then a boost gauge is a must else there would be no way of knowing what pressures were being reached in the turbo.

My gauge is made by Revotec and was obtained from Moto-build Racing (the Lotus and Rover specialists).  It reads in psi (lb/sq.in), has an attractive white face, and is mounted in a pod far right on the dashboard.

The gauge gets its reading by intercepting the Turbo Pressure Sensor feed near the intake manifold.  Using a series of connectors and nylon pipe, the feed travels from the engine bay to the dashboard.  A quality install was achieved using parts sourced from RS and Fensport.

Cherished registration

Before I had my first car I had my own cherished registration, which I've thankfully been able to hold onto.  Although the import-sized plates don't do it justice, the DVLA Select plate is still effective.

NOTE: This registration mark is no longer on the vehicle and it now displays a mark which is appropriate to the vehicle's age.

Gear knob

The gear knob for 1989-1993 models is not too dissimilar to a distorted banana and is very tall and clumsy looking.  Not content with the standard gear knob, this was changed to a Momo Race-Air Leather one.  As well as looking much better, the reduction in height over the standard knob gives the impression of shorter gear throws too.

Stainless steel door sills

Stainless steel door sills look the business when the doors are opened and protect the original plastic sills which can easily be scratched and look dated.  These are a Lockwood product and simply attach to the standard sills without modification.

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