The first prototype, the SAX.
Originally started in 1976, the project that would eventually become known as the MR2 was put on hold until 1979. It was then that the long design process was started. While recognizable even from the first sketch, the car was to go through many changes until the first actual prototype, the SA-X. The activity at Toyota at the time was very exciting for those working on the project, some even giving up their summer vacations to help track test the car!
The Toyota SV-3
Final design changes were made and the SV-3 seen above was debuted at the Tokyo motor show of 1983. This SV-3 caused huge stir at the show, as it had been unheard of for any Japanese auto maker to produce such a different and unique car.
After extensive research and talks with both the current owner of the Lotus X100 prototype and with Roger Becker himself, I can confirm that the following are indeed the TRUE story of the MR2:
Long-time readers of LOTUS reMARQUE ( the official publication of the Lotus Limited International car club) can see pictures of the X100 in our August 1990 issue and again in August 1995. The ongoing M90 small car project became the X100 with a stroke of David Wickin's pen after he became the Lotus chairman in late 1983. A running X100 prototype was completed in early 1984. It was a front engined convertible that used Toyota's 1600 twin cam, and it was badged "Lotus Toyota". Lotus was hoping to sell the car through selected Toyota dealerships worldwide, but there was considerable -- and justified -- doubt that Lotus could build it to Toyota's quality standards, its styling was not considered to have enough pizazz, the financial support to build it never jelled, and neither did the Toyota distribution deal. Lotus moved on to other small car iterations until GM's buyout two years later, which spelled the end of the X100 project and its association with Toyota. The M100 project, based on a Peter Stevens design, began shortly thereafter and eventually came to fruition as the new Elan.- -mark winston
Editor, LOTUS reMARQUE
Lotus, Ltd. Car Club
And from the MR2 list:
Lotus (Roger Becker) did a lot of work in Japan with Toyota on ride & handling work, and actually set up a number of MR2 prototypes for them. It was almost a training programme for them, as we (Lotus) had (a little!) more experience in mid-engined sports cars than they did at that time. However, the production spec. was finalized by Toyota themselves, rather than being done by Lotus. So you could say Lotus had a hand in it, but were not ultimately responsible for the finished product.
The Lotus X100 a very early Elan prototype with Toyota parts.
So in reality, the M90/X100, while using toyota parts, was never an
Mr2 prototype. The Mr2 design was purely Toyota, with Roger Becker
of Lotus assisting in the development of the suspension systems and the
overall vehicle performance. An interesting tidbit to note here is
that while some feel that Toyota got the idea of the Mr2 from GM's Fiero,
both design teams actually found out about each others cars while still
in the design phase. Who says a little underground competition hurts?
And finally, for those wanting to know, Toyota says that the MR in MR2
stand for Midship runabout, while the bird found on the car (some jokingly
referring to it as a screaming chicken) represents "aerodynamic beauty
through evolution"
An early picture from the Annual "Automotive Year"
Fred Watkins gives the following extra info on the birth of the Mr2:
I followed the development of the MR2 from the first spy composite drawing in 1983.The Mr2 was conceived in meetings in the mid 1970s as a fuel efficient drivers car that would be driven by peapole who enjoyed driving regardless of regulations or gas shortages. At the time this product wasn't even a sports car, much less mid engined.
Around 1980 or 1981, Seiichi Yamauchi who managed Toyota's design department, was given the project SV3. FWD, RWD, and mid engine configurations were all studied, and in the end the mid engine layout initially suggested by Akio Yoshida (of Toyota's testing department) was chosen and Yoshida was appointed head of planning for the project.
The SV3 was developed primarily as a commuter car for the individual and not the family. If you had to commute with 1 or 2 people, why not have fun. So Yoshida added the sports nature to the project. I suppose this would qualify Yoshida the "Father of the Mr2".
Dan Gurney tested the car as a consultant at Willow Springs in California in 1983 and made suggestions to improve handling, some made at the track and analyzed at the time. A short time later, Gurney drove the vehicle on the Angeles Crest Hwy to analyze road driving. Toyota took 5 months to implement what was learned and then Gurney went to Japan to do a followup test and found an improved, well balanced sports car. Remember Dan Gurney was the factory backed Toyota race team owner during this period.
During this time Toyota had bought into Lotus as a means of gaining performance and small production run knowledge. Lotus was developing the front engine, rear drive M90 and was developing the car around the 4AGE. Toyota left Lotus soon after GM also entered a financial partnership with Lotus.
The Fiero debuted as a 1984 model in the US, and the MR2 debuted as a 1985 model. One soared and the other soured.
The 4AGE engines were manufactured in the Shimoyama plant where the parts were milled, assembled, and run on a dyno for 15 minutes to pass in house quality tests. The MR2 was assembled in the Central Motor Company plant in Sagamihara, a plant started by retiring Toyota workers who wanted to keep working.
In addition to the correct information above, there are many different
and incorrect stories concerning how the MKI MR2 came to be, and for historical
reference, two of the more common (and incorrect) are told below:
The Lotus FAQ gives the following:
The first generation MR2 was introduced during a period of close cooperation between Lotus and Toyota. The Lotus Eclat was reworked with some Toyota parts to make the Excel during this period. Toyota was also involved in design and specification of the M90/X100 prototype.
There are two rumors about Lotus' involvement with the MR2. The "official" rumor is that the MR2 was designed "in-house" at Toyota by Lotus suspension engineer Roger Becker. The other rumor is that the MR2 was an abandoned Lotus design (possibly the M90/X100). According to Doc Bundy, Lotusport Esprit driver, the MR2 is the X100.
While Thomas Funder felt that:
After FIAT's moderate success with taking the engine and transmission out of the ordinary FIAT 128 and putting them into the mid-engined X1/9 body designed by Bertone. Toyota wanted something like, just better of course.The two above stories, while being told as fact for many years now, are simply *NOT* true. While the car did have an available 1500 cc motor, this was for a Japan only version that was never offered anywhere else in the world.Toyota wanted to save on design so they went shopping, now let see who would be willing to sell a mid engined body ? At that time Toyota and Lotus exchanged engineer, to learn from each other (read: Toyota wanted to learn how to build sports cars and Lotus wanted to learn quality) Lotus had at that time a concept car called X-100 (which turned into SV-3 later) but this concept was dropped due to low sales expectations. Aha! said the Toyota engineers, we'll buy that (cheap). And so they did.
Back in Japan the chief engineer Akio Yoshida planned on putting in Tercel parts, but he didn't (thank god) He put in Corolla parts. First is was Toyota's own 3A-LU putting out 83 HK@ 5600 rpm.
These the first Mr2s came off assembly in 1984 a was received with mixed feeling from the motor journalists. They like the wedge shape, but not the lame engine. So Toyota bought (as they often did, and do) an engine from Yamaha, the 4A-GE with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection putting out 124 HP in Japan. (118 HK on the US market)