OG Elise- 1986 Toyota MR2 2ZZ-GE Swap

First generation AW11 Toyota MR2's used to be a common sight on  the road, but in 2018 they are rarely seen (east coast observation).  The folded paper wedge styling is more distinctive now now that cars have window sills up to your ears.  Nothing says 1980's like a set of pop up headlights.  The original 4 cylinder 4A-GE was a hell of an engine back in the day as normal and most exotic cars from this era could not sniff a 7500 rpm redline.  Today's car has a resto-mod 2ZZ-GE 4 cylinder and 6 speed trans swap into it to liven things up.  This engine was fitted in the much lauded Lotus Elise and revs to a motorcycle like 8600 rpms while making the better part of 190 hp depending on the level of tune.  Find this 1986 Toyota MR2 for sale in Glens Falls, NY for $6,500 via craigslist.

Poor Man's Elise: 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder 2ZZ Swap

The W30 generation MR2 Spyder (1999-2007) was the last of the line for Toyota's mid-engine runabout that had started life way back in 1984.  Unfortunately, this latest version was available without a fixed roof or any manner of forced induction like previous versions-- and stranger still was the fact that Toyota never put the more powerful Celica GTS engine under the rear deck.  Find this 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder 2ZZ Swap here on eBay bidding for $4,050 reserve-not-met with 2 days to go, located in Asheville, NC.

2ZZ Powaaaaa: 2001 Toyota MR2

This final swapped car completes today's triumvirate of swapped rides, but this one is, surprisingly, an upgrade.  The 3rd generation (W30) Toyota MR2 Spyder was the last version of Toyota's tossable mid engine runabout to be sold around the world, but for some reason it was saddled with a dog for an engine, even though Toyota had a fantastic engine that just bolts right in.  Find this 2001 Toyota MR2 with Toyota 2ZZ swap bidding here on eBay for $6,000 located in Nashville, TN.

25k: Forbidden Lightweight: 2005 Lotus Elise

For about a decade, we in the USA had to stare forlornly across the Atlantic Ocean at the lucky devils who had access to the fantastic light weight Elise 2-seat roadster by Lotus.  It was the ultimate forbidden fruit and an entire generation was sold in Europe before our prayers were finally answered 2005 with the release of the Federal Elise.  Find this 2005 Lotus Elise offered here on eBay currently bidding for $26,700 reserve-not-met with 2 days to go, located in Houston, TX.

5k: Cheaper Elise: 2000 Toyota MR2 2ZZ-GE Swap

The 3rd generation (W30) Toyota MR2 Spyder was the last version of Toyota's mid engine runabout to be sold anywhere in the world.  It was a decent handling little car and I recall driving one new at a dealer's lot back around the year 2000; it was light and superbly balanced. The only finger that can be pointed squarely at the MR2 was that it didn't have the thrust from its 138 horsepower inline-4 even when the Celica had a 190 horsepower 2ZZ engine in the GT-S model.  Thankfully, folks have figured out that this swap is easy to do and suddenly the little MR2 has proper power to match its open mouth "wow" facial expression.  Find this 2000 Toyota MR2 2ZZ Swap offered for $7,500 in Austin, TX via craigslist.