And he didn't stop there, but we'll get to that in a minute. Rod Millen had won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on three occasions in this car (1994, 19). Mark Jones designed this machine for its 1998 debut with a Pennzoil livery that paid tribute to the actual vehicle. The second Toyota casting on this list is one of the most iconic race cars ever. One can only hope that Mattel will create a new MR2 casting- any of the three generations would be fine! I'm betting we'll see a move like this within the next two or three years from now. As always, buying in bulk is your best chance at being more efficient, so keep an eye out for any offers of that nature. Despite no TH or STH appearance, some MR2s can still sell for $30 to $50 a pop. The last model was also the closest to today's color, graphics, and wheel standards. In 1999, the MR2 appeared in the Long Haulers series, a sort of primitive "Team Transport" as we all know it today.īy the time the diecast manufacturer decided to pull the plug on this casting, 31 variations were already in use. This was the go-to wheel design until 1995, when Mattel introduced 3-spoke and 5-spoke models. The First Edition had a white paint job with a Toyota-themed livery and Ultrahot wheels. That's two years after the Japanese manufacturer introduced the actual car, but it was around the same time it arrived in North America. Larry Wood designed the Toyota MR2 casting, which debuted in 1991. I've arranged the following castings chronologically so you can understand which ones came first. If you read until the end of this story, I'll let you know how many items a complete Hot Wheels Toyota collection requires. And if you'd like to add these to your Toyota collection, you're looking at 56 variations. None of these castings is still in use today. The ones that drew the short straw are the '82 Supra Celica, the RSC, the HKS Altezza ('Tooned), the MR2 ('Tooned), the Celica (Hardnoze), the Supra (Fatbax), and the '98 Altezza (which we recently talked about with the Modern Classics release). I had to eliminate nine castings because this is a list of the 25 Coolest Hot HW Toyotas. As I began my deep dive into Hot Wheels Toyotas, I was surprised that Mattel had only created 34 castings since 1982. Sure, Toyota has several models that have become prohibitively expensive in recent years, but getting one of the more common models isn't an impossible dream. The spark plug wires are also from MSD, and NGK plugs light the fire.Ī Liberty five-speed transmission with McLeod clutch and flywheel passes the power to a Ford 9-inch rearend housing 5.43 gears mounted to a Strange spool spinning Moser axles.After looking at the 25 Coolest Hot Wheels Porsche and then Lamborghini cars, I decided to look into a more down-to-earth brand for most people. Ignition spark comes from two MSD DIS-4 Plus High Output boxes and an MSD coil. A Precision Turbo wastegate ties into a custom-built 5-inch downpipe. Garrett Motion supplied the 91mm turbocharger, running at 45 psi of boost, controlled by a TiAL Sport blow-off valve. The mass air meter is from Ford and it is all controlled by a MicroTech LT-16 fuel management system. A mechanical fuel pump from Ron’s Fuel Injection Systems feeds the 2200cc injectors. A Pro-Jay 4 Injector 4 Barrel Bully 1360+ CFM throttle body is mounted to a Pro-Jay intake manifold. Juan Ortega of Junior Performance Philadelphia, PA built the engine and Wilbert Performance of Puerto Rico helped set up the tune. Billet Boss uses a steel insert which allows for better internal cooling and lower repair cost if the rotor hits the plate.Ĩ0 cubic inches of turbocharged rotary power adds up to an incredible 1100 hp under the hood. In recent years a few aftermarket suppliers have started to produce billet plates to improve longevity, and Jose chose the Billet Boss plates out of Australia for his build. The factory cast-iron plates just didn’t last very long when you tried to make more than 1,000 horsepower with a rotary powerplant. The weak spot of the Mazda engine has always been the front and center plates. The heart of the bright red beast is a Mazda Rotary 13B engine. He reports that he replaced three-quarters of the chassis as well as rebuilding or replacing nearly every mechanical system in the car. Jose spent a number of years reconstructing and redesigning the Starlet. It had competed heavily in Puerto Rico and needed almost a full rebuild to make it safe and competitive. When it arrived he quickly realized that the car would need a lot of work to get it into shape. Jose purchased the car more than a dozen years ago and had it shipped to his home in Lowell. Like Jose, the car originally came from Puerto Rico, where it was pretty well known. Jose’s latest entry into the fray is a bright red 1981 Toyota Starlet three-door with a Mazda Rotary 13B engine for motivation.
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