Like Mother, Like Son: Toyota MR2 SW20 Gets Built to Honor Parent's Former AW11

As the automotive industry is going through massive changes, ditching fossil fuels in favor of electric energy, people who are opting to purchase and work on '90s, '80s, or even older cars are swimming against the current. And while it might not make sense from an economic or environmental point of view, these cars tend to provide fuel to the soul, in a way few brand new vehicles can.

A Chip off the Old Block

Alex Rodriguez is a 23-year old car enthusiast from Mississippi who first got into cars by playing with Hotwheels at a young age. He was about 13 years old when he realized he is really into cars, and the fact that his mother had owned several cool vehicles might have played a role in that too. It's not that common to hear that someone's mom used to drive a Mazda RX-7, or a Toyota Celica ST-185, or a Toyota MR2 AW11.

Alex notes that his mom is not necessarily a car person, but she's always had nice cars, and even to this day, she is still driving a Toyota, albeit a larger FJ Cruiser. Alex eventually got behind the wheel of a 2014 Scion TC, which he still drives every other weekend, but about two years ago, he decided to dive deeper into the world of fast cars and ended up buying a 1992 Toyota MR2.

As Alex recalls: "I bought it on the 28th of December in 2019, it was my dream car! I would always talk about the SW20 MR2. I had just gotten a new job and managed to save up, and I bought it right before prices started going up." These days, like with all older Japanese sports cars, prices have been soaring, and you are looking at anything in between $10,000 to $20,000 for a Turbo MR2, while the naturally aspirated ones are just under $10,000.

Passion Is Energy

A three-hour drive to Louisiana was all Alex needed to get his MR2, and he instantly realized the car had been well taken care of when he saw the seller's collection of vehicles. "There were some cool cars in his garage, he had a black SW20, and a red Pontiac Fiero with a V8 in it," he recalls. At the time, this was still a naturally aspirated car, but with rear-wheel drive and a mid-mounted engine, the drive back home left a strong impression, to say the least.

Alex remembers his parents loved the car the moment they saw it, and his mom must have been touched, considering her previous encounters with the MR2. We asked him how it feels to drive an RMR layout. "I was used to driving FWD cars, and going to RMR vehicle feels very different. The naturally aspirated version is very slow, but it's super forgiving. The handling is amazing, everything is tight, I would say the car is quite tossable around the corners," he explained.

He had a plan from the very first moment he bought the car. He knew he was going to swap in a 4th generation 3S-GTE engine, the kind you'd expect to find in a Toyota Caldina GT-T AWD Wagon, which can deliver about 260 horsepower and 239 lb-ft (324 Nm) of torque. As Alex has already fiddled around with the engine, upgrading the intercooler, downpipe, intake, and fuel lines, his SW20 should now be capable of some 300 horsepower, which would make it considerably faster than a stock, factory-built, turbo SW20.

Commitment Is Key

Of course, with extra added power comes extra responsibility, and he couldn't just rely on the initial setup of the car, which was built with lower horsepower figures in mind. And so he ended up upgrading the suspension with a set of Fortune Auto 500 coil-overs and a 1993+ Turbo M2 brake conversion with Stoptech rotors and pads. More grip was needed, and so the Tom's Racing C7R wheels are now wrapped in Falken Azenis RT615K tires.

The '90s vibe is certainly there with this car, considering all the upgrades Alex has resorted to, including the Autopista spoiler, the Greddy side skirts, and rear bumper spats, and the Bomex lip, to name just a few. "I try to keep it as period-correct as possible, and I think it ended up looking pretty cool". But what hit the sensitive chord was Alex's idea to replicate the graphics that his mom had on her AW11, and there's a cool photo showing the two of them, which makes for a great family picture.

While his mom hasn't driven the SW20 yet, Alex does sound keen to have her sitting behind the wheel, and not just for posing. He recalls that her reaction after seeing the wrap was pretty emotional. "My mom absolutely loves it, she almost cried when she saw the graphics. I definitely need to get her to drive it sometime soon". And it seems that his mom isn't the only one who has praised the way this MR2 turned out, as Alex has been getting a lot of attention in several JDM enthusiast groups over the past few weeks.

As he hasn't given up on his Scion TC, the MR2 also gets driven every other weekend and considering this car weighs under 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg), it must feel quite interesting to drive around in it. "Right now, with 300 horsepower, I am still learning how to drive it properly. I'm very hesitant on the throttle sometimes, I've never driven a turbo car before, especially with this layout. This is for sure one of the best-handling cars I've ever sat behind the wheel of, and it feels extremely fun to drive fast," Alex says as he tries to describe his experience with the MR2.

As this is basically Alex's project car, work on it is bound never to end, and he does have some upgrades in mind already. The good thing is that this is in no way a show car, but it really gets driven. As he gets to know it better, we're sure you'll be seeing it at a racetrack near you quite soon. After all, as prone to snap oversteer as this vehicle may be, if it gets driven properly, it should be quite the track weapon, to say the least.