Discovery Channel’s MythBusters Jr. has come under fire from car enthusiasts after the show crushed an old Toyota MR2 during one of its stunts.
For this stunt, host Adam Savage joined forces with a group of teenagers to build a huge domino set. The final domino weighed an extraordinary 7,016 lbs (3,182 kg) and was designed specifically to crush a car. And it did just that.
A slow-motion video of the MR2 being crushed was uploaded on the MythBusters Facebook page and immediately drew criticism from fans of the classic Japanese sports car. It’s not hard to understand why.
The Toyota MR2 was introduced by the automaker back in 1984 and built over three generations. The one featured in MythBusters Jr. was a first-generation AW11 outfitted with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Its mid-engine wedge shape is iconic, and seeing one get destroyed is… well, sad if you’re a petrolhead.
It remains to be seen why the production company behind the television series decided to use an MR2 as opposed to any other vehicle it could have found at a junkyard. In all likelihood, the MR2 was chosen because it looks better on camera than most other affordable vehicles from the time period.
Comments on the MythBusters Facebook page show just how many people love the MR2.
“You seriously need a car consultant on the team. You murdered an MR2 for no reason, I’m sure there was a Ford Probe, Nissan Juke or Pontiac Aztek you could have erased from existence. Save the classic cars!!” read one of the comments.
On the other hand, Clarkson and Co. have destroyed many cars throughout their years on BBC and, then, Amazon without anyone batting an eyelid. Anyhow, we wouldn’t mind seeing Aztecs been crushed, burned or what-have-you. Almost anything that one can do to them will improve their horrid looks anyway…