Jonty's MR2 Turbo

So what is it..?

It's an imported Japanese domestic market (JDM) MR2 Turbo, or to be precise a 1993 MkII Turbo in Astral Black.  The car's appearance is reasonably standard with the exception of aftermarket alloy wheels, rear lens units (not shown below), and a stainless steel performance exhaust system.  Power in the region of 250 bhp can be expected with 0-60 mph times of circa 5.0 seconds.

The Hunt For Black October

When I first became aware of the MR2 it was in the days of the MkI.  When its fatter MkII brother appeared I didn't like it much but as the years passed the MkII became King and it's now the MkIII which I find least desirable.

As a then proud owner of a Rover 220 Turbo Coupe (known as a Tomcat) I wasn't particularly looking for a replacement car but one day I suddenly fancied a change -- but it had to be turbocharged still.  At the time of looking I wasn't aware of the power differences between the Rev1/2 and 3+ MkII models and my only requirement was that it had to be at least a 1991/92(J) registration so that it could wear my personalised number plate.

A few examples were scrutinised during my quest for the best; some with plenty of dents, others with parts missing, and a few with owners who seemed to know nothing about them.  Eventually a superb example was found at an import garage in Buckinghamshire.  It was standard (except for the alloys), low-mileage, free from mechanical issues, and was the model I was after -- a hard-top GT-S Turbo in black.  I bought it in October 2000.

Compared to a GT, GT-S models are typically free from extra weighty gadgets like traction control and ABS and with a hard-top roof also less prone to chassis-flexing (compared to T-Bar models, which are also heavier).

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