[Minty AW11SC]

Rare car.....


Minty AW11SC

 

[JimKing]

Is a set of tire chains included for the winning bidder?
j/k good luck with the auction.

 

[[email protected]]

... interesting. September build date, this would be one of our initial crops of supercharged AW11's, off Toyota's Sagamara assembly line for the 1988 model year. First supercharged variant I've ever seen, without the electric windows.

Valuating AW11s, we've got to see the OEM plate on located fore, on the front firewall e.g., (hard, getting a good picture of it), indicating gear ratio, gear diameter, whether this might indeed be one of our early limited-slip AW11 variants:

Indeed, those are the original plug wires. That looks like an OEM shift boot. Where in the Milky Way Galaxy did it come from, generic PSA under the engine lid, implying the 4AGZE is an interference variety valve train (e.g., whereas, per TRD, it is not)?

Sad to see, fast 'n furious stick shift knob, the Paul Walker special -


Sammy, '88 Supercharged

 

[Minty AW11SC]

... interesting. September build date, this would be one of our initial crops of supercharged AW11's, off Toyota's Sagamara assembly line for the 1988 model year. First supercharged variant I've ever seen, without the electric windows.

Valuating AW11s, we've got to see the OEM plate on located fore, on the front firewall e.g., (hard, getting a good picture of it), indicating gear ratio, gear diameter, whether this might indeed be one of our early limited-slip AW11 variants:

View attachment 85213

Indeed, those are the original plug wires. That looks like an OEM shift boot. Where in the Milky Way Galaxy did it come from, generic PSA under the engine lid, implying the 4AGZE is an interference variety valve train (e.g., whereas, per TRD, it is not)?

Sammy, '88 Supercharged

All 4A-GZE's have a non-interference valve train.

No SC's were factory equipped with a limited slip. It was never offered as an option. There were several brands that offered them way back when. TRD had an LSD ( part # 41301-AW001 ), as well as Quaife and Kaaz. I almost bought the Quaife LSD in a group buy that was offered on the old IMOC website but changed my mind at the time. I think the price was around $2K USD, circa 2004. I've never seen a AW11 MR2 with an LSD although there are probably a few of them out there and would be a rare find.

Here is a pic - bottom left, second pic - of the Canadian Toyota 1989 MR2 brochure listing the options that were available. I've always considered the key lock-out protection to be a nice feature to have.

The only factory options on a SC were two-tone paint, cruise control and the leather package which included all of your power options. In Canada, most SC's had cloth and no A/C. These options made the already too pricey MR2 even more pricey and by then most dealers didn't want them in their inventory because they didn't sell.....

Here is a pic of the factory stamped front fire wall of my Canadian spec car. "AW11" designates the chassis/model type, "O" designates it's an SC, and the remaining numbers represent the last 6 digit's of its VIN.

There were only approximately 1000 SC's sold in the US during the 1988 model year. A paltry 259 SC's were sold in Canada in '88, making them even more rare than an '89. I bought one the very first ones that rolled off the boat from Japan - pictured below - in Vancouver, October of 1987.

Minty AW11SC

 

[[email protected]]

... it is, nonetheless, an amazing find. I appreciate, personal experience, motivation and effort detailing a vehicle, dead of winter. Looks as though it's been cleaned up fairly nicely.

Trained eye we already know, it's going to need brake pads, bushings, shocks & springs. That's okay. It's only original once. We'd prefer it original, unmolested. Sloppy wheel choice, wonder what the fellow did with the OEM teardrops?

Less than 24 hours to go. 20 bids thus far, highest bidder, US$7 thousand, I don't see how the latest bid's ever going to hold up. How few will ever live to drive one, supercharged SWB mid-engined vehicles are moon rocks. Walking away with this AW11, anything less than US$22k, is a steal.

I've turned away offers, US$30K. Walking away with this AW11 for anything less than US$12 thousand, I'd be astonished, left to assume the economy's a whole lot worse than anyone thought.

Even still, inside the bonnet, there's a plate on the front firewall, facing the passenger seat. I've got to see it. I need those numbers. I suspect this might be a one of our limited-slip AW11s.

If indeed this is a bona fide OEM limited-slip MR2 supercharged, I would anticipate healthy a bidding war. LTD-slip notwithstanding, I wouldn't let this car go, not one red cent under US$22k.


Sammy, '88 Supercharged

 

[Minty AW11SC]

It sold and the buyer got a screaming deal IMHO.

Minty AW11SC