Toyota MR2 – Japan’s Beloved Mid-Engine Sports Car The Toyota MR2 is one of Japan’s most revered sports cars. First debuting in 1984, the MR2 captured enthusiasts with its unconventional mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, lightweight, and engaging driving dynamics. Spanning three generations through 2007, the MR2 demonstrated Toyota was serious about building legitimate driver’s cars,…
Toyota Celica Supra – The Complete History of an Iconic Japanese Sports Car The Toyota Celica Supra was a sports car produced across four generations from 1979 to 2002. The Supra began life as an upscale grand touring variant of the Toyota Celica liftback, though it was later split off into its distinct model. Over…
Toyota Trueno AE86 – The Quintessential Drift Machine The Toyota AE86 Trueno is an iconic Japanese sports coupe from the 1980s famous for its nimble handling and drift racing prowess. Part of the Corolla Levin/Sprinter Trueno family, the lightweight AE86 utilized a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout for ideal balance. Although powered by only a small inline-4,…
86 Corolla Among legendary Japanese cars, few compact coupes enjoy recognition worldwide like Toyota’s Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno AE86 models. Produced between 1983-1987, these affordable rear-wheel-drive coupes became one of the country’s most celebrated grassroots performance cars through robust engineering, tuning potential and an intangible X-factor charisma winning countless fans internationally many decades later. …
Take a drive along the most rugged unpaved roads across North America and one plucky machine undoubtedly appears in rearview mirrors tackling muddy trails without effort – Toyota’s timeless Land Cruiser FJ40. As the original iteration bringing Toyota’s four-wheel drive capabilities to export markets, the 1960s-era FJ series earned abundant fame proving its mettle around…
Take a drive along remote trails from the Australian Outback to the African Savannah and one boxy silhouette undoubtedly appears tackling the roughest terrain – Toyota’s venerable Land Cruiser FJ62. As one of the longest-running 4×4 nameplates globally, the 1960s-era Second Generation Cruiser earned iconic status proving reliability and ruggedness across every inhospitable environment imaginable…
Among Japanese automakers in the 1980s, few beyond flagship luxury brands attempted mid-engined sports cars owing to complexity and costs resisting mass-market viability. Toyota bucked convention by launching its peculiarly named, economically priced MR2 (Mid-engine Runabout 2-seater) in 1984. What seemed a gambit to attract younger buyers evolved across three distinct generations spanning 26 years…
Altezza RS200 – Japan’s Overlooked Sports Sedan While history celebrates Toyota’s Supra and MR2 sports cars, few realize their Altezza RS200 sedan beat both icons around Japan’s revered Nurburgring track at launch. Developed to inject pulse-pounding excitement into the entry-level luxury segment in 1998, this stealthy four-door packed a high-winding 2.0-liter straight six engine driving…