*** SOLD *** This is a tough one. Simply put, I don’t want to sell it. Apart from it being an enjoyable car to own and drive, I have a strong attachment to it, as it was the car that brought myself and my wife together. However, unfortunately, the decision has been made for us by our impending move from the Central Coast back to Sydney, that heralds the doubling of our mortgage repayments, along with the not-too-far-future need to purchase a family friendly car. I toyed with the idea of putting it in storage and de-registering it, and seeing whether in time I can afford to run a 2nd toy again (I also own a Mk IV Supra), but I think it’s better that it goes to someone who can actually get some enjoyment out of it. The car would ideally suit an enthusiast who has the time to spend tidying up the remaining details to make this great car truly excellent.
The build of this car was done with a ‘best of factory’ concept in mind. This can be seen with the updated ‘Kouki’ exterior, tasteful colour choice, updated clean factory-spec interior, sensible ride height and exhaust, sensible (and lightweight) wheels, and of course, the pinnacle of non-turbo 3S-G engines - the Red Top BEAMS conversion. Having said, there is still plenty of scope for further upgrades which would not work against this concept, such as handling and suspension upgrades. It has come a long way over the years, and now it’s both a finished project and a blank slate all at once!
My intention with this advert is full disclosure; I will try my best to list everything relevant and any issues so that there are no nasty surprises for the buyer.
WALKAROUND VIDEOVideo of walkaround (Watch it in fullscreen in HD 720p)
Key details- 1990 Australian Delivered Toyota SW20 MR2 (Midship engine, 2 seater, rear wheel drive)
- 3S-GE BEAMS Red Top conversion (see below for details)
- Targa roof, 5 speed manual
- Originally Aquamarine Pearl colour
- 247,000 klms on chassis / approx. 100,000 on engine
- No money owing, been in the family since 2005 - previously owned by my wife
- Rego due 08/08/14 (9 months rego at time of writing)
- P-Plate friendly (the quickest non-turbo MR2 you can hope for!)
Body
It’s basically a replica ’98 on the outside:
- Respray in Toyota Blue Ribbon Metallic 8T5 April 2012
- With these pictures I have attempted to show the depth of colour, click the thumbnail for a closeup
- ’98 replica wing with carbon fibre blade
- ’98 clear front indicators
- ’98 clear side indicators
- ‘94+ taillight conversion – all 4 lights are wired with dual filament bulb holders so that all 4 work for both brake and tail functions
- ‘94+ front lip
- Trust/GReddy style side skirts
- JDM motorised foglights installed (not wired up)
- 3 piece spoiler holes and antenna hole deleted
- Turbo engine lid with raised louvers
- Front wheel arches were rolled to clear 235/50/16 on 16x8” rims
- ‘Man in dandism’ reproduction vinyl window sticker
Body Issues:
- While the respray is fresh, it’s far from show quality, there are some imperfections and minor scratches. The door jambs, underside of the hood and underside of the boot have all been painted. It’s far better than the original paint which was peeling All original emblems are in place as the factory intended.
- High beams don’t work when stalk pushed forward (however will work when stalk pulled backward). I think this is just a relay fault, and apparently common, but would need to be rectified before the next pink slip inspection.
- Boot lock can’t be reached through the deeper Kouki centre panel – you can get the newer, longer type lock from Toyota to fix this, but I just used the release lever in the cabin. Maybe a remote lock kit could help as keyless entry would be nice to add at the same time (currently none is fitted).
Wheels / Suspension / Brakes
Front
Rear
- Front
- Skyline R32 GTS-t cast alloy rims (16x6.5 + 40)
- 205/50/R16 Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 tyres, almost on TWI’s - Rear
- Skyline R32 GT-R forged alloy rims (16x8 +30)
- 225/50/R16 Bridgestone Potenza Adrenaline RE002 tyres, 90% tread, excellent tyres! - Wheels resprayed bronze, only traces of gutter rash which was painted over
- Front springs are King low, rears are unknown brand. Overall the car is slightly lower than stock but still a sensible height.
- Shock absorbers have BOGE Turbo inserts to OEM spec, stock-like comfortable replaced about 5,000km ago
- Whiteline front sway bar, ’98 factory rear sway bar (larger than original ’90)
- TRD rear cross tower brace (strut brace)
- Steering rack outer tie rods and front ball joints replaced 2013, rear ball joints are available but not installed
- Standard ’90 ADM brakes (same as ’90 JDM turbo brakes) rear pads ~80% / front pads ~40%
- Entire ’98 rear subframe (incl all suspension arms, axles, hubs, exhaust, etc) was fitted from the halfcut, so now has the more conservative ‘safer’ rear suspension geometry of the ’98 model
Wheels/ Suspension / Brakes Issues:
- ABS is not working due to a missing sensor (driver side rear), however ABS light is not lit, and ‘reds’ check as normal so there are no problems with rego checks. Early model ABS is very twitchy and sensitive anyway so it is, in my opinion, safer this way :)
- Could benefit from a decent wheel alignment, it’s currently running quite a lot of toe so the steering is a bit heavy
- Handbrake does not work at all. Suspect stretched cable, however it has not snapped as is common for SW20’s
Driveline
COLD START VIDEO
Video of cold start (Watch it in fullscreen in HD 720p)
- ‘98 3S-GE Gen IV ‘Red top’ BEAMS 2.0L Twin Cam 16v with VVT-i
- Max power and torque (at the flywheel): 200PS (147kw) @ 7000rpm / 21.0kg/m (206nM) @ 6000rpm
- What’s a BEAMS? It stands for “Breakthrough Engine with Advanced Mechanism System” and is one of the first Toyota engines to feature variable valve timing (VVT-i). This is fitted to the intake cam and the motor has 11.0:1 compression, and was designed in conjunction with Yamaha. - This motor was fitted in 2008 with 110,000 klms approx on the motor when the chassis showed 214,000. Motor now has 143,000 approx and timing belt was changed in Japan at 100,813km
- Engine was taken from an MR2 half-cut purchased from SSS Automotive in Sydney
- About the same power as a new Toyota 86 – not bad for a engine that’s 15 years older with the same displacement!
- Hasn’t missed a beat since conversion
- Dyno test result was 115.1rwkw in Jan 2009
- Serviced 09/13 with Penrite synthetic 10W30 & filter. Serviced every 5000km
- No modifications to engine, exhaust or intake
- Cooling system fully flushed and replaced with red coolant & new thermostat at time of conversion
- Accessory belt replaced at time of conversion
- Custom throttle cable to suit conversion and enable use of cruise control module if activated (see below)
- S54 5 speed manual from same half-cut replacing original S54, shifts very smoothly
- Open differential - sadly the halfcut did not have the commonly fitted LSD diff centre, and in my opinion the car would benefit from this, however the stock LSD is a weak Torsen type, so the opportunity is there to upgrade to a decent LSD centre.
- Gearbox fluid replaced with fresh ATF at time of conversion
Driveline Issues:
- Only engine issue I’m aware of is the idle speed is a tad high - could just be a dirty idle air valve or possibly a sensor fault
- Cruise control mechanism is present but does not work following conversion - I think it just needs a speed signal wired in
- Air conditioning is present but also does not work following conversion - pipes did not match new compressor
- Battery clamp is missing
Interior
- Black dashboard in good condition
- ’98 red stitch shifter knob
- ’98 red stitch 3 spoke steering wheel also in great condition is available but not currently installed – needs conversion for horn contact. Current wheel (from ST202 Celica) in good condition
- ‘94+ door cards in great condition
- Various dash panels were replaced with newer ones in great condition, including the glovebox & ashtray (commonly damaged / missing)
- Blue LED conversion to original ADM 260km/h dash cluster
- Pioneer stereo head unit
- Weather seals to targa roof replaced 08/13 on both sides with new genuine seals and eccentric targa rod guides, however, a slight leak remains at the top front of the driver’s side window. I have available but not installed the seals which go on the glass part of the roof – this may correct the remaining leak
- Targa shades are present and in good shape
- Genuine MR2 ‘Man in Dandism” floormats
- Fire extinguisher (It’s cheap insurance JIC)
Interior Issues:
- Original ’90 seats with tears on driver side bolster and general wear. I was searching for a decent set of ‘94+ seats to complete the interior update but never got there. IMO a pair of the red stitched 86 GTS seats would be an even nicer upgrade if you can get them!
- Maybe 1 or 2 of the 4 speakers work, no antenna for radio (don’t use it anyway)
- Heater cable is broken, you can change the heat setting from cold to hot inside the cabin, but you can’t go from hot to cold (but you can do it manually at the tap in the frunk)
- As mentioned above, cruise control doesn’t work following the engine conversion
- Boot carpet in poor condition
- Minor issues: Carpet is a bit tired, plastic ring around ignition barrel is missing, window switches don’t sit flush in trim, door light switches work intermittently, window tinting is scratched / worn and would benefit from being stripped and replaced, storage compartment under ignition barrel occasionally pops open, windows rattle a bit but work fine
Spares
I’m currently holding a large collection of spare parts - interior parts, body parts (engine lid, 3 piece spoiler, engine side covers, Rev 1 front lip, Rev 1 taillight set), misc hoses and fittings, passenger seat, 14” stock wheels, and a set of larger Rev 3 brake calipers that need rebuilding, with rotors. Any / all of these could be included with sale for a negotiated price, but are generally in inferior condition to the corresponding parts currently fitted to the car. So I will include them fairly cheaply if not free :)
Price and contact details
I’ve had a hard time working out a price for this car. While it isn’t perfect overall, the BEAMS conversion makes it very unique in Australia and this along with the fresh and IMO tasteful respray, ‘Kouki’ cosmetic updates, and other details & money spent offset the usual negatives of age and kilometres.
$8,000 ono.
Contact me anytime as follows:
Call / text Ben on 0409 595 364 or Mel on 0411 185 353
Email / Messenger jaemus@hotmail.com
PM me or reply to this thread.
Interstate buyers are welcome and we will do our best to accommodate within reason, more pictures / videos etc are available on request.
For those of you who know me and / or the car well, and will be compelled to clog the thread with "omg nooo don’t sell it" type posts, could you please refrain from posting such, it would be appreciated ;) Feel free to inbox me on Facebook instead
Thanks for reading :)