1991 Toyota MR2 - Generation Two

Of course, with all this latent power potential, some sort of supporting statement needs to be made on the vehicle's exterior. Check out the front three-quarters view of the car for a look at a textbook example of "aggressive street fighting stance." The body kit is comprised of a Bomex front bumper and Kaminari side skirts and rear valance. The side skirts, in particular, give the car the look of some ill-tempered, carnivorous beast crouched and ready to spring on some unsuspecting victim. The dark Volk wheels, coupled with a low, low suspension drop and 3000GT headlight conversion only serve to heighten the drama.

Poke your head in the car's cockpit and you'll find all the equipment necessary for a purpose-built racecar. The factory seats have been replaced with Sparco Torino racing buckets fitted with four-point Sparco harnesses to keep the car's occupants anchored firmly, but comfortably, in place. A Sparco steering wheel and shift knob facilitate driver input. A slew of A'PEXi gauges provide the driver with a wealth of important information. On the A-pillar, you have all your electronic gauges, including the electric boost gauge (which you already know about), fuel pressure and exhaust gas temperature. On the far side of the dash's center console, Miranda has mounted his 12,000 rpm A'PEXi tach and the mechanical boost gauge (which you also know about). In order to keep others from accidentally driving away in his ride, Miranda deployed a custom alarm, installed by Power Extreme of Hicksville, N.Y. This alarm system, called the Power Extreme Phantom Touch, effectively paralyzes the vehicle's starter. According to Miranda, in order to disarm the system, pressure must be applied to a specific location somewhere in the car's cockpit.

"The rest is top secret," Miranda assured me.

Keep an eye out for Jann Michael Miranda on the import show circuit; he's sure to be turning a few heads. While he's definitely not as fine as April, at least in my view, his car is a certified attention-catcher, so much more so than that first gen electric blue MR2 of my murky past. With more than 350 turbo-sucking, intercooled horses on tap, this is one MR2 that's going to hit the scene and leave a mark.

By Henry Z. Dekuyper

Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!