One-Off Toyota Picnic Sport Turbo With MR2 Engine Is Not For Your Average Soccer Mom

In 1997, Toyota GB took a standard Picnic GL model and outfitted it with the 3SGTE engine of the second-generation Toyota MR2 Turbo. The Picnic Sport Turbo was born and out of nowhere, the one-off has appeared for sale on eBay.

Thanks to the MR2 engine, the Picnic Sport Turbo delivered 210 hp at 6,000 rpm and 305 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm when it left the factory. This allowed it to accelerate from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 7.5 seconds and through to a 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed.

After being kept in Toyota’s heritage fleet for a number of years, the unique people mover was sold to an Irish dealer but was rediscovered and purchased by Toyota in 2012 and returned to its press fleet workshop. Now, for the first time, it is being offered for sale to the public with an asking price of just 3,495 pounds ($4,465 USD).

It is difficult to be certain if this ad is legitimate and there’s a chance it isn’t, particularly since it has been listed as a Toyota ‘Picknic’. Spelling aside, the Picnic pictured certainly appears to be the one-off Toyota GB created and has the same multi-spoke wheels the automaker fitted after rediscovering it in 2012.

If it is the real deal, as we believe it is, it’s a serious bargain for a piece of Toyota’s British history.