Mr. Two and His Boo, Dead At 32 (and some change)If you haven't heard by now, get out your hanky-and you might want to put Dr. Phil on the speed dial, too. Toyota says that, after the 2005 model year, it's giving up on the Celica and the MR2 Spyder, as U.S. sales of both have been slumping ever since Toyota decided to open Scion stores in its showrooms. In truth the hot Focus and Civic coupes and hatches, not to mention the Miata, have made life tough for Toyota for years now.
The Celica's been with us all for much longer-for some of us, we haven't lived a year without a Celica. The first Celica came over to the States in 1971 as a rear-drive sport coupe, and in seven generations it switched to front-drive, went through '80s angular and '90s bubble-butt styling mistakes and in the current version, it has a cramped 2+2 body strapped to a high-revving four-cylinder that comes to life just north of 5000 rpm. If you look at the Scion tC from some angles, it looks like what the next Celica should have been-especially on its sticker.
As for the MR2, it's a whole lot younger than the dowager Celica. Brand-new in 1985, the MR2 zipped through several best-of lists and earned kudos for its outrageous handling and sixteen-valve four-cylinder mid-ship engine. But in its second generation, Mr. Two got bigger; wider; more pretentious; and some journalists said, much more difficult to control at its handling limits. Supercharged in the first generation, the second-gen car got turbocharging before it disappeared from the market in the mid-1990s. The current mid-engine Spyder is probably the best MR2 yet. But during its four years on the market it found few buyers, probably because they were more put off by its zero-storage interior (luggage bins barely holding an iPod) than they were impressed by its fantastic handling and nifty style. Toyota reminds us that it was also their first car that offered a clutchless, six-speed sequential manual transmission-something that Porsche, Ferrari and other ultra-luxury brands offered on considerably more expensive cars.
We'll miss them both, though we have to admit the MR2 was much more a driver's car, and the Celica...hmm...politely...was a car best meant for commuting. One or both names could return to Toyota's lineup in the future. For now, if you need a sport coupe from Japan, then look to Scion.
War rages at Subaru, MitsuAmerica is used to fighting battles that go on and on: there's Iraq I and II, Mustang versus Camaro, Coke versus Pepsi. And now Subaru and Mitsu are declaring what could be a long, drawn-out battle for the hearts, minds and particularly the wallets of rally fans by upping the ante in the Evo/WRX skirmish.