Joseph P. Rivera's desire to build a pavement-blistering Mister 2 was almost hindered when Toyota discontinued the MR2 in 1995. The year was 1996 and most of the Toyota dealerships in San Diego had sold most of the existing MR2s. After weeks of searching, Joseph located one 30 minutes away from his house in Poway, California. As fast as he could hang up the phone, Joseph jumped in his beat-up Honda CVCC and boned out to the Poway Toyota dealership to purchase the vehicle. That was just the first step in his long process of building an MR2 he could proudly floss around town.
Eye Candy
When Joseph started the project, he wanted to enhance the exterior shell. Like most cars we feature, originality scores brownie points with the editorial staff. We noticed Joseph's MR2 at the Battle of the Imports. His MR2 stood out like a circus clown at a funeral. The wild vinyl graphics were designed and laid by his company Award Masters, in National City, California. The body kit is a Kaminari prototype design with a custom SDCS front bumper installed and painted by the owner of SDCS Autobody, Jacie Mendiola.
Wheels for Joseph's chariot are 17x9-inch chrome Blitz Type O3s wrapped by meaty 235/40ZR-17 Nitto NT-501s in the rear. Blitz 17x8-inchers are in the front, also wearing 205/40ZR-17 Nitto NT-501 rubber. The MR2's handling prowess and ride height are controlled by Intrax springs mounted on KYB shocks. Visible through the Blitz rims are Kamikaze Racing cross-drilled rotors for added heat dissipation and visual appeal.
Added features on the exterior of the vehicle include its light display. Cutting this car off at night would be a big mistake thanks to Catz projector driving lights located in the front bumper next to the still-active factory driving lights. Front lighting enhancements include clear bumper lights which are actually modified factory lights.
Horsepower Boost
The need for speed is a must when considering the MR2's factory powerplant 3SGTE turbo motor. The potential for this engine has proven to be never ending. The need for horsepower on Joseph's ride had to be limited to a pump gas type of horsepower since the car is his daily driver. Group 5 Motorsports was called upon to replace the factory CT26 turbo internals in favor of the TEC, "big wheel" Super S-Trim. Rells Performance Motorsports designed the custom three-inch stainless downpipe which connects to a Sard three-inch exhaust system which provides an aggressive rumble at WOT. Added boost pressure means added intake temperature. To minimize high intake temperature a Greddy three-row intercooler with thicker piping replaces the factory cooler with rubber hosing. Pressure bypass is handled by a Sard blow-off valve and also adds a cool sounding, "Psssssshhh" to the driving experience.
To complete the performance aspect of the engine Group 5 was once again called upon to install a Southland carbon clutch and Nology Hot Wires. Engine management control for boost and additional fuel are maintained by a GReddy PRofec, Rebic AIC and Rebic simulator. The GReddy units are flush-mounted above the radio in the factory heater vent along with a GReddy turbo timer. Additional engine management is possible with an HKS VPC that enhances fuel delivery. Toyota MR2's are unable to boost over 14 psi in factory trim and Joseph's desire for more pressure forced him into purchasing an HKS fuel cut defencer.
Once the performance mods were taken care of, Joseph wanted to complete the MR2's all-show and all-go look by dressing up the engine components with color and chrome. A TRD oil cap, powdercoated valve cover and steel braided lines combine to create the perfect eye candy for onlookers at some of the biggest car shows in the west. To enhance the car-show look, Joseph had the GReddy intercooler piping, custom Rells Performance Motorsports intake pipe, strut tower and the factory strut tower bar chrome plated.
"Looks nice but how does it sound?" The stereo system that is. The factory radio, a double-din proposition, was removed in favor of a Japanese-spec Kenwood DPX 410 double-din AM/FM/CD/Cassette deck. A four-channel JBL amplifier powers MB Quart 5.25-inch separates located in the factory location and the eight-inch Bazooka ESL woofer mounted behind the driver's seat.
The day Joseph bought his Toyota MR2, he knew the road to performance would be a long one. The road has, however, proven to be worth all the effort. Joseph is quick to point to the teamwork involved on the Toyota and he wanted to give props to his wife Emerald and son JayJay, Team Rev Speed, Team Ground Zero, Kaminari, Catz, Meguiar's, Toysport, Group 5, Nology, Jacie From San Diego Collision Specialist, Willie at Rells Performance Motorsports, Glasshouse, Epic Motorsports, Solar Eclipse, International All Star Import Team, Option Auto Salon, California Plating, Southland Clutch, Johnny's Stereo, Torasport, ZXR, Sin City, Z90, Tony at Fry's Electronics, and to all of his friends that helped him.
Interior Mods
Interior mods can tell a lot about the personality of the owner. In Joseph's case, one can tell that merging on freeway on-ramps is done at extreme speeds. The dead giveaways are the Sparco seats with the five-point Momo belts and Greddy shoulder pads designed to keep the driver and passenger in place as G-forces climb. The pillar-mounted boost and air/fuel gauges test Joseph's hand-eye reflexes should the MR2 overboost or lean out. Other vital gauges include Auto Meter oil pressure, oil temperature, voltage and an additional boost gauge that are mounted above the glove box and can be relayed to the driver via the passenger. Since the Auto Meter gauges are silver faced, Joseph wanted to match the factory gauge face with the same silver. Unable to track down a manufacturer with such a product in his desired color, Joseph was forced to design the silver-face cluster on his own. After designing the gauge cluster Joseph decided to finish the interior by reupholstering the factory dash and door panels in tweed.