"I could see a modern day MR2 being offered with a 2AR engine" My goal has always been OEM+ and this engine along with a MAF tune on the Haltech ECU really helps deliver that. Enjoy the car and feel free to reach out when you want more power, that little engine has quite a bit more to give while remaining naturally aspirated.
@@Osprey1994 It is a bit tall but if you're looking into the toyota lineup, anything that has had the 3s-gte with the top mounted charge cooler mounted in it should be able to fit the 2ar.
Luke's reaction really sums it up- you don't need 5,6,700hp to make a fast car. 200hp done right can be plenty in a small car! Can't wait to see how it does on track
@@04dram04 same, although it's a very different driving experience, and depends where you're driving. 500hp in a heavy car on the autobahn will be exciting, but a top speed run in a 90hp MX5 would just be depressing 😂
@@quest8795 it depends. Wasnt there a competition to reach the highest top speed possible on a stock vw bug engine and chassis? Maybe we should create an MX-5 variant
Depends on the chassis: I think 270WHP in a 3rd gen MR2 is the upper limit of what the chassis can support(the fact that it's naturally aspirated and has a linear powerband helps). A turbocharged 1ZZ making +300WHP would be too much for the platform. Cars like Porsche 911's and Lamborghini Huracan's can support 300-400WHP more with relative ease like they were made for this kind of power.
@@mathieulevasseur4082 yes, that's what I'm saying- too much and it would be unhappy However, I don't think a 1zz will ever make 300hp, even with a turbo lol
I saw this car in person few days ago. Even with the crazy swapped motor, surprised how it has OEM look engine bay. Its that clean. Car is super FAST. Ben and luke is such a nice guy, i got bens G&G handwriting and signature on my helmet and he was happy to do it. I felt like i met my childhood heroes. 😂
@@GearsandGasoline haha it would be so much fun I was happy to just meeting yall and watch you driving anyways that was more than enough! I ended up cracking my rotor so had to take off earlier. Im sure we will have more chance sooner or later!
Gotta say... that engine sounds absolutely glorious. A little raspy, a little high-strung, definitely race-car like, but also just glorious. The sharp little backfires and seemingly instant response must make this a riot to drive. Beautiful cinematography and editing as always... thanks for the video!
Luke is a natural on camera and his first reaction is unreal! It really shows how good that engine swap is and how torquey it is as his head is just thrown back into the seat.
Wow, this is actually so inspiring to see. That little MR2 sounds great! You picked a marvelous place to film your cruise in that thing too, can't wait to see it on the track.
I have to say, that was the first time I've ever been in that part of Virginia and everywhere around there is so damn pretty. It was just a shame i was in a truck with a trailer in tow because those were some serious driving enjoyment roads.
Love the video...... This brings me back to when youtubers didn't have the globb of money they now have, and how they had to find a way to squeeze power out of their humble builds. Not saying that this was cheap btw. Best of luck with this project. Looking forward to see more power being squeezed out as well as seeing how this will perform on the track(s).
@@rolldog82 howdy, I finished my swap before the fxe was well understood and Frankenstein Marc had figured a lot of key things out. But having known what I know now about the 2 I would still go 2arfe as I like using OEM ECU with a remap more than mucking around with tunes etc. Also the capability of my car is very good as it is now with 2arfe and I am not desperate for that next 50+ hp. In a perfect world if I didnt have kids and had a better workshop etc the fxe would be a no brainer.
@@driftke70 how much hp is 2ar-fe? Lower compression right? I thought fe is 200hp? Fe sounds better than fxe but am guessing the high compression ls better?
Absolutely loved Luke coming up to give is thoughts on the Mr2. It’s not only about time to give him a shot but it’s also super refreshing to see him and listen to a younger and more “naive”/raw perspective. Amazing video, keep it up boys!
Thank you for making this car live in 2022 ! Just did some mods on mine, full Malian exhaust, Lotus Elise rims with semi slick tyres, finally fixed my oil consumption problem ... More to come with "Jeep LED" swap, need the front TRD lip, gonna put some side skirts... Probably shorts springs too. Keep the fun going!
So happy w how this thing is shaping up. You were right, Mark is definitely onto something w this swap. Also I loved that you let Luke give it a rip. I’ve owned nothing but slow cars (fastest car i own is a turbo w 200 hp lmao) so I related heavily when he just started yelling at the feeling of the torque coming in haha. I was the same way when i first went full throttle in my 180SX, “WOOOOOOO!” Keep up the great work guys! The content is super good right now!
Ha, the wow compilation at the end should be one of the Ben’s ringtone for him. Beautiful shot on the vid gentlemen. Car is going to be one heck of a canyon carver and a blast to drive on the track.
This kind of power is the goal for my Miata. I’m thinking of doing a K24 swap rather than turboing it, just to do something fun & different. Love this build!
Ahhhhh! You forgot where the window switches were! Lovely car, mines in about the same shape but did a 2zz swap. Glad your channel has breathed a little life into it.
Best thing for both the transmission synchros as well as making sure youre going into first and not reverse, is going back into second gear, then straight forward into first
Great cinematography! Ya'll had some awesome scenery and weather for this shakedown drive. Seems like a great build and I love the sound you are getting out of the 2AR. Looking forward to more like this!
This is a cool swap but after the cost of the engine, custom exhaust, haltech, digital dash and tuning you are talking probably $8-10k for 230whp. A 2zz/c60 with bolt ons and a tune is gonna get you close for about 2-3k.
Loved the video. This is what hot rodding is all about. Light car, decent limits for the street, and great fun. Sure beats the current crop of 4500 pound 'performance cars' that we have running around now that remove all of the driver involvement.
That combo is what started all of this, i happened across a 2010 camry with an EB62 and 2AR in 2009, it had almost no miles on it but it was wrecked. It was calling my name and i've been racing it ever since. Rock solid drivetrain.
Reminds me of when I went from my K20A3 with 160ish HP to a K24A with 220hp. HP increase is nice but you'd be surprised how much difference 35 ft-lbs of torque makes in a light car. No more waiting for the engine to rev up. Its not a rocket, but now it just goes with you want to.
Mark is a marvel in his own right. I've watched a bunch of his videos. a regular dude that can decipher harnesses and create greatness. That's proof that We all are here with a purpose💪
I love that you guys filmed this on the BRP! I grew up in Boone, N.C. so I recognize that pavement anywhere. Such beautiful scenery. Reminds me of HS and college days ripping around out there. Nice one.
Glad to see the final setup be that great. 230 is only around 50 horse more than the camry it came out of. But in a smaller car like the MR2 is match made in heaven. Luke's first impression was a great touch.
Love to see MR-S content again :) Looking forward to the track shakedown - you will be surprised. With so little invested in it compared to the Evo and Civic, it will keep up with their times on most tracks, even power tracks, and destroy them on technical ones. This is your most capable track platform in your lineup now, I hope you use her well :) Still some more potential there for weight reduction, plus a good mild profile wing like 9 Lives Racing will help a lot - I dropped 3 seconds from a 90-sec power track mainly due to the Torsen actually starting to work and being able to get on the throttle way before the apex.
As someone that has a 165whp 7age 20v in a AW11, 230 whp is lots for that small twitchy W30 chassis. its not always about top speed, very excited to see where this goes, has me looking at a 2ARFE for the future.
Even if this MR2 isn't all that fast, it SOUNDS fast, and with it's wheelbase it FEELS fast. That's a great recipe for fun. This car looks like a blast to drive. Great swap.
So I have a manual 2007 Corolla as a daily with the 1ZZFE and the C59 manual trans. I had thought long and hard about building it for turbo. Since Monkey Wrench Racing does extensive tuning and has tons of parts for the 2ZZGE and 1ZZFE engines. You can make a lot of power out of those. However I am now thinking of saving that setup for my 1986 Camry I have been building. It was originally my grandparents car and is also a manual. But it basically shares its chassis compatibility with the same year Celica. I am now sold on this engine and the TC2 manual trans for my 2007 Corolla. It weighs 2530 lbs without me in it. So this engine would be extremely fun in that car. And since I now have a newer (2016) Camry Hyrbid for a daily it’s time to get my Corolla turned into a canyon carving, and track day car. This video is great! I also love how Toyotas engines actually are staring to get more attention from tuners. Since they know that almost anything can be made fast if it has a good base to build from. The 2AZ has massive intake and exhaust ports from the factory molds, and with the hybrids high comp ratio, you can make an incredibly cost effective NA build. That makes great power for the money. Great video! Awesome car! Can’t wait to see where the MR2 Spyder goes from here 😮
I hope you guys read this, but in the second gen TC the Reverse Lockout is actually built into the shift lever assembly, right under the shift knob so that is why there is no lock for the reverse lockout. Since its still a Toyota maybe there is some way to get around it
AWESOME!! good job giving her the power Toyota denied her from the factory. Toyota made a huge mistake not making the 2ZZ-GE optional in those cars when they came out.. it would have gave the S2000 some good competition...
I loved the difference between Ben and Luke's initial reactions pulling away. Ben: Dead quiet before calmly stating, "So it's making more horsepower than it used to" Luke: WOOOOOOO You guys should have Luke drive more of the cars
I would swear that road is in northern WV. I drive down a road just like that to get to the family farm. Yours actually looks a little different just because there’s actually lines in the middle. But the scenery looks the same. A lot of those turns have part of the shoulder broken and fallen of the side of the mountains. It will make you pucker, for sure…
A few years ago when I was looking for a small 2 seat sports car I had it narrowed down to a Miata MX-5,Totota MR2 or Porsche boxster......The Miata was just a little to small and I coudn't find any MR2's in my area to even see if I would fit in it or even drive one so I ended up with a lovely 99 Porsche boxster which is a sweet little car. You look like you have a beast of an MR2 that you built and I'm sure it will give you many miles of smiles.
I freakin love little cars like this. Just a solid na 4cyl in a fun small package. I had an ek with the h22 and I currently have a ep3 with the k20a3. Yea it’s slow. But fun as heck.
On most Toyota's reverse is up near first but the lockout is built in to the gear lever which obviously you don't have. Remove that and you can very easily grind reverse.
Very impressive! from the build to the drive this vehicle is extremely interesting, coming from a 2zz swapped MR2 owner. Would love to see what it does on the 1/4 mile. Thanks again for the excellent content! If I ever blow my 2zz, I know what swap to get next :)
Omg its sounds so good that 2step is wicked im very impressed i cant wait to see wat kind of times it puts down sick torque curve 2100 pounds mid engine it's gonna be a animal
On the tC's, there is a reverse lock out built into the shifter. You lift up the collar on the shifter to get over a plastic ridge built into the shift assembly.
Guys the whole crew from GG just kills it with every video. A suggestion, seeing the reaction from Luke don't you guys think he deserves to be helped to get back into the car scene. I know he sold his project car because he couldn't afford all the repairs but maybe he could be helped into getting him into another project car and get him wrenching in the channel. Brain 🧠 food thought!
Great videos as always, please more Luke reactions. You guys are so conditioned to drive track monsters, that you’re not easily impressed, Luke reacts more how WE would react haha. So pure “WOW THIS THING IS A RIPPER”
For those who want a more common vehicle to reference the power to weight ration - that MR2 has a whole lb per horsepower less than a new STi. Using the STi as a baseline just because most folks on here know relatively how quick those are (or aren’t, depending on your standards). This MR2 is a bit quicker than that
"I could see a modern day MR2 being offered with a 2AR engine" My goal has always been OEM+ and this engine along with a MAF tune on the Haltech ECU really helps deliver that. Enjoy the car and feel free to reach out when you want more power, that little engine has quite a bit more to give while remaining naturally aspirated.
This is a very cool setup, and it makes me wonder what other cars can house this engine.
Brilliant work sir!
@@Osprey1994 It is a bit tall but if you're looking into the toyota lineup, anything that has had the 3s-gte with the top mounted charge cooler mounted in it should be able to fit the 2ar.
Sir, have you ever tried to do this kind of swap on a 9th gen corolla?
What's the cost for something like this?
I liked the addition of Luke’s impressions. It gives the perspective of a “normal” driver
I remember my first vtec..
Totally agree. I'd be happy to see more of Luke in the future
Luke has a great personality for this channel. Would love to see more of his giddy enthusiasm!
Totally reminded me of Matt Maran
@@hawaiian_judge5113 you're vtec
Love how genuine and innocent Luke is and his expertise in videography. Ya’ll could not have found a better humble person. “Wow” (Luke 13:15)
my favorite bible verse
♥️
(Luke 2:AR) and on the 3rd day he said WOW!
He is definently fit driver
He looks like a younger Charlie Sheen :)
Luke’s a natural on cam, have him drive at a track day!!
Luke's reaction really sums it up- you don't need 5,6,700hp to make a fast car. 200hp done right can be plenty in a small car!
Can't wait to see how it does on track
I personally think 2000lbs cars are much more fun to drive, than 500hp 3800lbs cars
@@04dram04 same, although it's a very different driving experience, and depends where you're driving. 500hp in a heavy car on the autobahn will be exciting, but a top speed run in a 90hp MX5 would just be depressing 😂
@@quest8795 it depends. Wasnt there a competition to reach the highest top speed possible on a stock vw bug engine and chassis? Maybe we should create an MX-5 variant
Depends on the chassis: I think 270WHP in a 3rd gen MR2 is the upper limit of what the chassis can support(the fact that it's naturally aspirated and has a linear powerband helps). A turbocharged 1ZZ making +300WHP would be too much for the platform.
Cars like Porsche 911's and Lamborghini Huracan's can support 300-400WHP more with relative ease like they were made for this kind of power.
@@mathieulevasseur4082 yes, that's what I'm saying- too much and it would be unhappy
However, I don't think a 1zz will ever make 300hp, even with a turbo lol
Love Luc‘s Impression! Let him drive all the cars 😎
Bruh that was so freakin funny. Best part of the video.
Agreed
Very proud of everything you’ve accomplished Ben, been a long time since high school; you’ve done so much since then!
bro's supporting bros - you gotta love it
thank you for being kind to ben
I saw this car in person few days ago.
Even with the crazy swapped motor, surprised how it has OEM look engine bay. Its that clean. Car is super FAST.
Ben and luke is such a nice guy, i got bens G&G handwriting and signature on my helmet and he was happy to do it. I felt like i met my childhood heroes. 😂
Sorry I couldn't give you a ride, Scotty! So nice meeting you!
@@GearsandGasoline haha it would be so much fun
I was happy to just meeting yall and watch you driving anyways that was more than enough!
I ended up cracking my rotor so had to take off earlier.
Im sure we will have more chance sooner or later!
Gotta say... that engine sounds absolutely glorious. A little raspy, a little high-strung, definitely race-car like, but also just glorious. The sharp little backfires and seemingly instant response must make this a riot to drive. Beautiful cinematography and editing as always... thanks for the video!
Luke is a natural on camera and his first reaction is unreal! It really shows how good that engine swap is and how torquey it is as his head is just thrown back into the seat.
Luke is such a great addition to this team. He definitely needs more prominent roles in videos like this! And hopefully a raise :)!
Wow, this is actually so inspiring to see. That little MR2 sounds great! You picked a marvelous place to film your cruise in that thing too, can't wait to see it on the track.
I have to say, that was the first time I've ever been in that part of Virginia and everywhere around there is so damn pretty. It was just a shame i was in a truck with a trailer in tow because those were some serious driving enjoyment roads.
Love the video......
This brings me back to when youtubers didn't have the globb of money they now have, and how they had to find a way to squeeze power out of their humble builds. Not saying that this was cheap btw. Best of luck with this project. Looking forward to see more power being squeezed out as well as seeing how this will perform on the track(s).
I seriously love my 2arfe MRS, I used the 4.6 gears out of a rav4 and it seriously builds revs.
You think the 2ar-fe is better engine than 2ar-fxe
@@rolldog82 howdy, I finished my swap before the fxe was well understood and Frankenstein Marc had figured a lot of key things out. But having known what I know now about the 2 I would still go 2arfe as I like using OEM ECU with a remap more than mucking around with tunes etc. Also the capability of my car is very good as it is now with 2arfe and I am not desperate for that next 50+ hp. In a perfect world if I didnt have kids and had a better workshop etc the fxe would be a no brainer.
@@driftke70 how much hp is 2ar-fe? Lower compression right? I thought fe is 200hp? Fe sounds better than fxe but am guessing the high compression ls better?
I love how Luke gets a dopamine blast and enjoys the ride, Ben's like "aight just let's make sure everything is tight" so fried🤣
I really appreciate the sound of that mr2 actually , damn !
signing a petition for luke to say "WOOOW" one more time on the MR2
We need an MR2 shirt or hoodie with "WOW" on it.
Oh yeah
Absolutely loved Luke coming up to give is thoughts on the Mr2. It’s not only about time to give him a shot but it’s also super refreshing to see him and listen to a younger and more “naive”/raw perspective.
Amazing video, keep it up boys!
Thank you for making this car live in 2022 ! Just did some mods on mine, full Malian exhaust, Lotus Elise rims with semi slick tyres, finally fixed my oil consumption problem ... More to come with "Jeep LED" swap, need the front TRD lip, gonna put some side skirts... Probably shorts springs too. Keep the fun going!
Such a great build series! Great job as per usual guys!
More Ben Lin content! Love watching this build series. Interested to see Luke out on the track too
This car reminds me a bit of Alex Kersten‘s MX5, Phil.
A lazier, bigger displacement engine in a very small Japanese roadster.
This engine sounds incredible, would not be surprised if it's faster than the evo on shorter tracks
As someone who owns a 3800SC Fiero now, swaps are game changers.
So happy w how this thing is shaping up. You were right, Mark is definitely onto something w this swap.
Also I loved that you let Luke give it a rip. I’ve owned nothing but slow cars (fastest car i own is a turbo w 200 hp lmao) so I related heavily when he just started yelling at the feeling of the torque coming in haha. I was the same way when i first went full throttle in my 180SX, “WOOOOOOO!”
Keep up the great work guys! The content is super good right now!
WOW! What a video. What can I say. Just Wow. Wow.
Man I love this series. The under dog prevailing is always an awesome series to follow.
It’s just amazing the a change in cam timing has unleashed such a huge change in the engine
Ha, the wow compilation at the end should be one of the Ben’s ringtone for him. Beautiful shot on the vid gentlemen. Car is going to be one heck of a canyon carver and a blast to drive on the track.
This kind of power is the goal for my Miata. I’m thinking of doing a K24 swap rather than turboing it, just to do something fun & different. Love this build!
This swap is awesome.. what the MR2 needed! That area is beautiful too, wow 😍
Ahhhhh! You forgot where the window switches were!
Lovely car, mines in about the same shape but did a 2zz swap. Glad your channel has breathed a little life into it.
Best thing for both the transmission synchros as well as making sure youre going into first and not reverse, is going back into second gear, then straight forward into first
Making slow cars go fast. I love to see it
you spelled "go a little faster" wrong.
@@hawaiian_judge5113 it does pretty well in endurance racing
Great cinematography! Ya'll had some awesome scenery and weather for this shakedown drive. Seems like a great build and I love the sound you are getting out of the 2AR. Looking forward to more like this!
Y'all are making me regret my 2zz swap... But then again 8300rpm is just a different kind of sound. Love the car man, cleaned up extremely well!
My k20 goes to 9,500
@@ctr6224 my chainsaw goes to 13.5k if we are competing.
@@alexstromberg7696 mine goes to the moon and back
This is a cool swap but after the cost of the engine, custom exhaust, haltech, digital dash and tuning you are talking probably $8-10k for 230whp. A 2zz/c60 with bolt ons and a tune is gonna get you close for about 2-3k.
@@hankschrader3085 and less weight
Loved the video. This is what hot rodding is all about. Light car, decent limits for the street, and great fun. Sure beats the current crop of 4500 pound 'performance cars' that we have running around now that remove all of the driver involvement.
Toyota did sell Camry's with the 2.5/6MT combo around 2010-2011 ish. Id love to see this engine work done to a hubcap camry
I’ve been lucky enough to come across 2 of those for sale, really wish I could’ve bought one.
That combo is what started all of this, i happened across a 2010 camry with an EB62 and 2AR in 2009, it had almost no miles on it but it was wrecked. It was calling my name and i've been racing it ever since. Rock solid drivetrain.
Ben's k20 civic vs Ben's 2ar mr2 in a drag race and on the track. This has got to happen!
the civic will destroy it
Rear engine rear wheel drive the MR2 will definitely take it on launch. Will the K20 reel it back in? Who knows.
Reminds me of when I went from my K20A3 with 160ish HP to a K24A with 220hp. HP increase is nice but you'd be surprised how much difference 35 ft-lbs of torque makes in a light car. No more waiting for the engine to rev up. Its not a rocket, but now it just goes with you want to.
Love the beautiful mountain road in the fall. Love the car… and her transformation. And love watching you guys enjoy the MR2. ✌🏾
would love to see a wrap on this
Perhaps the perfect car to watch them try and wrap themselves! 🤔 I'd be interested in that!
This car needs a respray before wrapping tbh so maybe they could do both
@@mortis8188 lol true the paint in the front is completely fucked
Preferably an iron man one
Lukes reaction would be me lol, I have a 212whp K swapped Eg that feels so quick
Mark is a marvel in his own right. I've watched a bunch of his videos. a regular dude that can decipher harnesses and create greatness. That's proof that We all are here with a purpose💪
wow happy 1 mil GnG!! keep up the best work you guys always do. lots of love!
Being from VA I love watching these drives around the mountains.. Makes me want to go out and cruise
So happy for you, I had a grin from ear to ear watching... As an AE82 owner I'm always watching engine swaps.. this is exciting
I love that you guys filmed this on the BRP! I grew up in Boone, N.C. so I recognize that pavement anywhere. Such beautiful scenery. Reminds me of HS and college days ripping around out there. Nice one.
WOW! U guys did a very good job on the MR2 build. The engine sounds healthy. The exhaust pur sounds very smooth. Good job on the build.
Great to see it running again. Have fun Ben. It's came a long way.
I've loved this series. Thanks for keeping ol Sh*tbucket around and making it *hopefully* faster!
Can't wait to see how it does on track!
Glad to see the final setup be that great. 230 is only around 50 horse more than the camry it came out of. But in a smaller car like the MR2 is match made in heaven. Luke's first impression was a great touch.
I wanted to enjoy this video for its car content, but instead I found myself being mesmerized by the freshness of Ben's fade.
DUDE thank you. Brittany rocks.
@@GearsandGasoline car's a ripper, dude! Congrats! Also, Luke is like a more eloquent Dude In Blue haha
@@speedacademydave Kinda hit the nail on the head with that description Lol
On a small track or an autocross this car will be a weapon now, very very fast out of the corners and very quick to slow down.
Love to see MR-S content again :) Looking forward to the track shakedown - you will be surprised. With so little invested in it compared to the Evo and Civic, it will keep up with their times on most tracks, even power tracks, and destroy them on technical ones. This is your most capable track platform in your lineup now, I hope you use her well :)
Still some more potential there for weight reduction, plus a good mild profile wing like 9 Lives Racing will help a lot - I dropped 3 seconds from a 90-sec power track mainly due to the Torsen actually starting to work and being able to get on the throttle way before the apex.
It really is a WAW build... Congrats to Dr. Frankenstein.. and great video as always ..
As someone that has a 165whp 7age 20v in a AW11, 230 whp is lots for that small twitchy W30 chassis. its not always about top speed, very excited to see where this goes, has me looking at a 2ARFE for the future.
I’m loving all these video! Both of y’all doing your own projects is always amazing to watch!
You guys do such an amazing job editing. It's like watching an episode on tv. I'm old school.
Even if this MR2 isn't all that fast, it SOUNDS fast, and with it's wheelbase it FEELS fast. That's a great recipe for fun. This car looks like a blast to drive. Great swap.
The ZZW30 has a longer wheelbase than an FD RX7.
Luke's first impression really puts the car into perspective
This build is so interesting and fascinating I wanna see where this build ends up
IT SOUNDS SO GOODDDDDD😩😍😍😍
I just love Luc's reactions! I daily a Fit as well and yeah, torque reactions must be pretty crazy in that mid engine build!
This swap and build is awesome, can't wait to see how it performs on the track!
That was fantastic. Great engine swap that retains the car's personality. That's a great chassis in search of a good engine.
So I have a manual 2007 Corolla as a daily with the 1ZZFE and the C59 manual trans. I had thought long and hard about building it for turbo. Since Monkey Wrench Racing does extensive tuning and has tons of parts for the 2ZZGE and 1ZZFE engines. You can make a lot of power out of those. However I am now thinking of saving that setup for my 1986 Camry I have been building. It was originally my grandparents car and is also a manual. But it basically shares its chassis compatibility with the same year Celica.
I am now sold on this engine and the TC2 manual trans for my 2007 Corolla. It weighs 2530 lbs without me in it. So this engine would be extremely fun in that car. And since I now have a newer (2016) Camry Hyrbid for a daily it’s time to get my Corolla turned into a canyon carving, and track day car.
This video is great! I also love how Toyotas engines actually are staring to get more attention from tuners. Since they know that almost anything can be made fast if it has a good base to build from. The 2AZ has massive intake and exhaust ports from the factory molds, and with the hybrids high comp ratio, you can make an incredibly cost effective NA build. That makes great power for the money.
Great video! Awesome car! Can’t wait to see where the MR2 Spyder goes from here 😮
2AR** 2AZ is the previous generation. It doesn't have big ports and valves like the 2AR does.
You guys keep putting out bangers.
this is by far one of the most entertaining channels I've come by. Thank you for making amazing videos
Love this thing so much. Awesome to see what can be done with a 2ar.
I hope you guys read this, but in the second gen TC the Reverse Lockout is actually built into the shift lever assembly, right under the shift knob so that is why there is no lock for the reverse lockout. Since its still a Toyota maybe there is some way to get around it
AWESOME!!
good job giving her the power Toyota denied her from the factory. Toyota made a huge mistake not making the 2ZZ-GE optional in those cars when they came out.. it would have gave the S2000 some good competition...
I loved the difference between Ben and Luke's initial reactions pulling away.
Ben: Dead quiet before calmly stating, "So it's making more horsepower than it used to"
Luke: WOOOOOOO
You guys should have Luke drive more of the cars
I would swear that road is in northern WV. I drive down a road just like that to get to the family farm.
Yours actually looks a little different just because there’s actually lines in the middle. But the scenery looks the same. A lot of those turns have part of the shoulder broken and fallen of the side of the mountains. It will make you pucker, for sure…
Can’t wait to see this thing on the track, well done!👍🏼🚀
A few years ago when I was looking for a small 2 seat sports car I had it narrowed down to a Miata MX-5,Totota MR2 or Porsche boxster......The Miata was just a little to small and I coudn't find any MR2's in my area to even see if I would fit in it or even drive one so I ended up with a lovely 99 Porsche boxster which is a sweet little car.
You look like you have a beast of an MR2 that you built and I'm sure it will give you many miles of smiles.
I freakin love little cars like this. Just a solid na 4cyl in a fun small package. I had an ek with the h22 and I currently have a ep3 with the k20a3. Yea it’s slow. But fun as heck.
On most Toyota's reverse is up near first but the lockout is built in to the gear lever which obviously you don't have. Remove that and you can very easily grind reverse.
*we talking about 6 speeds not 5.
Very impressive! from the build to the drive this vehicle is extremely interesting, coming from a 2zz swapped MR2 owner. Would love to see what it does on the 1/4 mile. Thanks again for the excellent content! If I ever blow my 2zz, I know what swap to get next :)
Omg its sounds so good that 2step is wicked im very impressed i cant wait to see wat kind of times it puts down sick torque curve 2100 pounds mid engine it's gonna be a animal
On the tC's, there is a reverse lock out built into the shifter. You lift up the collar on the shifter to get over a plastic ridge built into the shift assembly.
Can’t believe there’s a camry hidden somewhere in that engine. What an epic build. Looking forward to some s2k content!
That engine sounds healthy! Also, great choice of scenery. 👍
This thing sounds so good. I’m super jelly of this mr2. I want a project car so bad 😢
i love the owen wilson "wow" style compilation at the end xD
Video and sound quality is amazing for a top down drive. Great work guys.
Welcome to the world of underrated Toyota engines.
Guys the whole crew from GG just kills it with every video. A suggestion, seeing the reaction from Luke don't you guys think he deserves to be helped to get back into the car scene. I know he sold his project car because he couldn't afford all the repairs but maybe he could be helped into getting him into another project car and get him wrenching in the channel. Brain 🧠 food thought!
I was up there on the Blue Ridge Parkway last week---what a lovely place!
awesome build! Cant wait to see how she performs on a course🤟🏼
If I still had my MR2, this would have abandoned my Elise build roadmap. This chassis is underrated and deserves more credit than its critics gave it.
I always loved my modified 2AR-FE, solid power delivery and torque band for a 4 cylinder, makes me left wanting from other 4 bangers I drive...
We need a sundae cup fit build! Luke would be the perfect candidate to see driving progression.
Great videos as always, please more Luke reactions. You guys are so conditioned to drive track monsters, that you’re not easily impressed, Luke reacts more how WE would react haha. So pure “WOW THIS THING IS A RIPPER”
To prevent accidentally going into reverse, shift into 2nd (don’t release clutch), then into 1st. Always helped me prevent a reverse grind.
I felt that something was missing from this gen mr2 but now everything seems to be in place.. Keep it up :)
Luke's review was awesome! I know that feeling so well
Luke's reaction was golden, I love it
You should install a turbo on it 6 or 8 psi to be safe for the extra 100whp and sick noises.
For those who want a more common vehicle to reference the power to weight ration - that MR2 has a whole lb per horsepower less than a new STi. Using the STi as a baseline just because most folks on here know relatively how quick those are (or aren’t, depending on your standards). This MR2 is a bit quicker than that