MR2 Supercharged

1988

Toyota

Super White

Monocolor Blue

fully optioned

... 2nd owner vehicle acquired February, 1993, after a long, debilitating three year search; one of the original founding IMOC members, circa 1996 -

... 4AGZE, pushing 14 psi; this was once the last factory serviced MR2 on planet Earth; after all these years, until 2018, this car had never been touched by an independent repair shop; until the composition of Toyota's service personnel changed, this car still was factory serviced; once upon a time antique Toyota owners were royalty at our local dealerships; that Toyota service personnel are primary parts changers, no longer are Toyota technicians qualified to service this vehicle; they are scared to death of this little car -

... not everyday you see a monocolor blue interior; took me two decades finding that steering wheel; believe it or not, we finally found an OEM leather steering wheel, near mint condition, outdoors, in a field somewhere in rural England; had it shipped here to Southern California, all the way from the UK; nitwits at Homeland Security ripped the box asunder thinking it's a bomb; "... no, it's a steering wheel, dumbass!" Its box in shreds, it's a miracle it somehow arrived, near perfect condition; I'm advised by my local local Toyota parts guy I've acquired the last remaining cruise control module from Toyota's AW11 parts bin; this may well be the last remaining fully functional SC on planet Earth, where everything actually works -

... last of the AW11s; supercharged variant; rare. modified; very fast; real show stopper; garage kept; none finer; easily one of the 100 most photographed, most sought after AW11s on this planet; no expense spared; over the last 100 years since the advent of the horseless carriage, try counting how many short wheel-based, supercharged mid-engine vehicles were ever made, and it might begin to dawn upon you how few men will ever live to drive one; nothing on the road like it; ever wonder what it cost, replacing all those black A-pillar and C-pillar trim components? Don't ask -

... no stupid mods; no expense spared; never has this vehicle been presented to a car audio shop; never has this vehicle been touched by a car audio installer; back in '98, Barbara wanted to surprise me for my birthday, turn it into a barrio brothers boom-box bro-mobile; thankfully, she thought the better of it; still has its AM/FM OEM stereo cassette, it always will; in the accompanying photo, those are bona fide Toyotafest accolades you see -

... Koni on Eibach, TRD high durometer bushings, lightweight wheels; the most adjustable suspension Toyota had ever made; doesn't matter how systematic you are, very easy to get lost, very difficult to dial in correctly; the 18th and most recent inductee to Tuna Canyon's 5 minute club, this AW11 holds speed records, on just about every canyon road here in Southern California; cuts low 1:35s at the local road racing facility, on street rubber; she'll stay with anything in G-Prod SCCA -

... those are real racing wheels, under 9 pounds a corner; Oz Superleggeras; shot-peened... irreplaceable. Custom manufactured hub-centrics specifically machined for the AW11, I'll have you know; solid as a rock, nary a shake or vibration to be found in this suspension; those are competition KVR x-drills you see; the thing flat stops -