This Is Why the Toyota MR2 Was Called the "Poor-Man’s Ferrari"

When it comes to rear-wheel drive affordable sports cars, the Japanese know the name of the game better than anyone else does. Sure, we now have the Toyota GT-86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ trio, but in the 1980s and 1990s, customers had a lot more options to choose from.

The Toyota MR2 however, is a special case, as it belonged to a rare breed of mid-engined RWD affordable sports cars. This layout allowed great handling capabilities that rivalled those of much more expensive sports cars.

Launched in 1984, the first-generation MR2’s hard angular lines were followed in 1989 by a more rounded and sculpted second-generation model, often labeled as the “poor-man’s Ferrari”.

This mischievous remark actually says a lot about the MR2’s qualities, and the car’s fans couldn’t agree more.

Scroll down to see how attached they are to their MR2s from the latest Petrolicious video.

By Dan Mihalascu

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