Mods
Ksport Coilovers
-Mk3 wheels
-HKS Catback
-prothane sus bushings
-shortshift kit
-weighted shifter knob
-Cibie Skipper fog lights
-to see more of the work check out my Instagram saved story named MR2 adventures
-Mk3 wheels
-HKS Catback
-prothane sus bushings
-shortshift kit
-weighted shifter knob
-Cibie Skipper fog lights
-to see more of the work check out my Instagram saved story named MR2 adventures
Build story
I found the car in a sorry state on a horse farm near my home in the San Francisco Bay area back in May of 2020. After speaking to the owner, they told me how much they loved the car but didn’t have the means to get it on the road. It had been sitting for 10 years, and they apparently only had driven it a few miles before parking it. They also told me they would never sell it. After I convinced them that I really like the car, they agreed to let me wash and detail it.
After I spent a number of hours cleaning the car up and going through it, I could tell the car was special and I really wanted it. I talked with the owner a week later and ask them if they would let me see if I could get it running. They said it looked great after the detail and they almost wanted to hop in it and go for a drive. They agreed and I started looking into why it wasn’t running.
When I hit the key for the first time to see if the motor was free, before I realized what had happened, the engine roared to life. I, too excited to think, quickly threw it in gear and launched forward. A moment later, I realized two things -- I was headed toward a tree, and I had no brakes. Luckily I turned uphill and the car rolled to a stop. It was at this moment that I decided I would do whatever necessary to own this car.
The owner realized how much I cared for the car and eventually decided that it would be better in my hands. I did find the reason it was parked -- a large oil leak from the oil pump housing that threw oil up onto the alternator whenever the revs were higher than idle. I spent the summer of 2020 during Covid restoring the car as much as I could on the budget that I had. The first time I drove it down the street, I. Was. Hooked. The way the supercharger whined and the boost came on was like nothing else. Sure I have driven faster, more modern cars, but man this car was incredibly nimble and eager to go. With the t-tops off it was the best feeling I have ever had in a car.
As I began working through the car to make it safely roadworthy again I realized someone in this cars past had loved it well and driven it quite a lot. It had 268K miles on it, while having perfect compression. I found it had aftermarket Eibach springs, Tokico struts -- albeit tired and blown, Kosei wheels, and an HKS exhaust. I tried to track down who this person was, but was not able to. However, I do feel some kind of connection to them and wish I could let them know what the car means to me. I would love to tell them that it is happily back on the road catching looks and cutting canyons. I fully rebuilt the suspension, did quite a few other things and added a few mods here and there to give it a little more subtle charm. It passed smog on its first go round and getting the car back in DMV system was pretty straight forward. I got the car registered in August of 2020 and have since put close to 3000 miles on the car. I've takin it on a few road trips and it has never once let me down.
These days I usually take it up in the mountains near my home on the weekends, while I patiently save up to have the car repainted and return to its former glory.
Through my experience I have found such a great community of enthusiasts. Countless people ask to take pictures of the car, or give thumbs up whenever I drive it.
Finding the car was like finding a needle in a haystack. I really love this car. I am continuously impressed every time I drive it, in its engineering, ability to catch other motorist's envious eyes, build quality, driving characteristics, and in countless other ways.
I see myself less of an owner and more of a caretaker, preserving amazing automotive history that is slowly fading from view....
After I spent a number of hours cleaning the car up and going through it, I could tell the car was special and I really wanted it. I talked with the owner a week later and ask them if they would let me see if I could get it running. They said it looked great after the detail and they almost wanted to hop in it and go for a drive. They agreed and I started looking into why it wasn’t running.
When I hit the key for the first time to see if the motor was free, before I realized what had happened, the engine roared to life. I, too excited to think, quickly threw it in gear and launched forward. A moment later, I realized two things -- I was headed toward a tree, and I had no brakes. Luckily I turned uphill and the car rolled to a stop. It was at this moment that I decided I would do whatever necessary to own this car.
The owner realized how much I cared for the car and eventually decided that it would be better in my hands. I did find the reason it was parked -- a large oil leak from the oil pump housing that threw oil up onto the alternator whenever the revs were higher than idle. I spent the summer of 2020 during Covid restoring the car as much as I could on the budget that I had. The first time I drove it down the street, I. Was. Hooked. The way the supercharger whined and the boost came on was like nothing else. Sure I have driven faster, more modern cars, but man this car was incredibly nimble and eager to go. With the t-tops off it was the best feeling I have ever had in a car.
As I began working through the car to make it safely roadworthy again I realized someone in this cars past had loved it well and driven it quite a lot. It had 268K miles on it, while having perfect compression. I found it had aftermarket Eibach springs, Tokico struts -- albeit tired and blown, Kosei wheels, and an HKS exhaust. I tried to track down who this person was, but was not able to. However, I do feel some kind of connection to them and wish I could let them know what the car means to me. I would love to tell them that it is happily back on the road catching looks and cutting canyons. I fully rebuilt the suspension, did quite a few other things and added a few mods here and there to give it a little more subtle charm. It passed smog on its first go round and getting the car back in DMV system was pretty straight forward. I got the car registered in August of 2020 and have since put close to 3000 miles on the car. I've takin it on a few road trips and it has never once let me down.
These days I usually take it up in the mountains near my home on the weekends, while I patiently save up to have the car repainted and return to its former glory.
Through my experience I have found such a great community of enthusiasts. Countless people ask to take pictures of the car, or give thumbs up whenever I drive it.
Finding the car was like finding a needle in a haystack. I really love this car. I am continuously impressed every time I drive it, in its engineering, ability to catch other motorist's envious eyes, build quality, driving characteristics, and in countless other ways.
I see myself less of an owner and more of a caretaker, preserving amazing automotive history that is slowly fading from view....