This Is The Avalon V6 Powered MR2 That Toyota Should Have Built

"DailyTurismo" (thedailyturismo)
03/05/2014 at 12:42 • Filed to: Daily Turismo

The first generation Toyota MR2 was a lightweight 2-seater budget sports car built from 1984 to 1989. A speedy version had a small Roots supercharger mated to an inline-4 cylinder making 145 hp...not exactly a screamer by any standard. Stick a big V6 from a Toyota Avalon into the back and suddenly things get exciting.

Find this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! offered for $4000 in Upland, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rod S.

The original 1.6 liter 4-banger has been replaced by a 1MZ-FE V6 from a Toyota Avalon. The 3.0 liter 1MZ engine is rated at 192 horsepower and 208 ft-lbs of torque stock— this one should be good for a few more ponies with an intake and exhaust upgrade. Thankfully the seller has mated the Avalon V6 to an MR2 sourced 5-speed gearbox with limited slip differential. Let the hooning commence.

This isn't a pretty example of a AW11 generation MR2 and the paint is flaking off like peeling bits of skin from a bad sunburn....but it is being driven by the owner as it should be..sideways on a track. Many owners shy away from showing pictures of their cars on a track because many sellers know that each track mile is like 100 road miles on the wear parts, but savvy buyers know that people who track their car will replace certain components (brakes, bushing, tie-rod ends, shocks, ball joints) due to the fear of potential death.

See a better way to get a paint-ready V6 powered MR2? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Originally posted as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Low resolution image credits: craigslist; Tip from Rod S.

DISCUSSION (13)

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > DailyTurismo
03/05/2014 at 12:50

I dunno man, I've never really cared for the modern Toyota V6. All the ones I've ever driven (including a 1g Avalon) have come across as very soulless, "lazy" engines that protest being revved, and only do it because you're making them, not because they want to. I feel like it would kind of dampen the spirit of the MR-2 to swap in such a boring power plant.

HammerheadFistpunch > DailyTurismo
03/05/2014 at 12:59

1MZ swaps are pretty common, and they are great transplant candidates as they are crazy small and light, but keep an eye on the valvetrain and only use synthetics...they are known for sludge and valve guide problems.

puddler > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
03/05/2014 at 14:08

fat people don't like to exercise, trim a thousand pounds off 'em and they'll be some movin' fools.

midengineer > DailyTurismo
03/05/2014 at 14:42

Not bad, but I'd personally prefer a black top instead a v6 in an aw11.

mike in So Cal > DailyTurismo
03/09/2014 at 16:08

no way in hell thats going to be legally smogged with that engine

Beeblebrox237 > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
03/09/2014 at 17:34

They seem to work okay in modern Lotuses. It's probably the rest of the car as much as anything.

DailyTurismo > mike in So Cal
03/09/2014 at 18:13

It is totally permissible in California to swap in any later (by model year) car engine into a particular car chassis as long as you maintain all emissions equipment and controls. There is a process where the car gets checked by a BAR referee - you can read about it here:

http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_barresource…

I don't recall if this particular car has passed that process and now the ad is down -probably sold.

mike in So Cal > DailyTurismo
03/09/2014 at 19:30

Maybe, but i still doubt CARB would allow a V6 to be installed in a car that never came with a V6. They even strongly recommend the original engine be rebuilt (but not modified), so even getting a low mile 4 cyl japanese salvage engine from an MR2 seems iffy. maybe they know people?

SoichiroFerdinandandEnzo > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
03/09/2014 at 20:06

Ask Lotus what Toyota engines do when not held bound by a Toyota car. Wonders.

DailyTurismo > mike in So Cal
03/09/2014 at 23:57

No no...seriously, read the link above. You can legally swap ANY engine into ANY car in California as long as you meet certain requirements. You can't swap a HD engine from a commercial pickup into a car or vise-versa and you need to keep all smog equipment from the donor vehicle. Corvette ZR1 engine into a 1976 Toyota...yup.

Here is another source for ya!

http://www.importtuner.com/newsstand/impp…

California Engine Swap Guidelines
1. The engine must be from the same year or newer vehicle. For example, if the car is a 1999 Civic, the engine must be from a 1999 or newer car.

2. The engine can be larger than the original, but it cannot be from a heavy-duty vehicle, unless the vehicle was equipped with one from the factory.

3. The engine and chassis must have all of their original emissions components in place and functioning properly. However, mixing and matching emissions parts from different vehicles is generally not allowed. As such it's up to the reff to decide what needs to be there. A quick way to see what you need there is to look at the sticker under the hood. It will list all the emissions equipment that came on the car.

4. A federally certified engine cannot be used in a vehicle that was originally equipped with a California certified engine.

Enjoy your new found knowledge on Cali engine swapping and swap something crazy into something slow. Ecoboost inline-4 into a 1982 Caddy?

Jim is one of KFCs secret ingredients > mike in So Cal
03/10/2014 at 10:14

It's doable if you pay attention to detail.

mike in So Cal > DailyTurismo
03/10/2014 at 22:55

i just dont trust them to get anything right... and as far as...

" As such it's up to the reff to decide what needs to be there. A quick way to see what you need there is to look at the sticker under the hood."

what if the V6 doesnt have the same controls that the sticker has? like an EGR 4 cyl, but non-egr 6? then youre up to the mercy of a govt official.

not saying it cant be done and pass, but like anything else that relies on a govt officials ok, YMMV

Aleksei > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
05/27/2015 at 17:06

I think the main reason that engine resists revving is the heavy flywheel. You should take a look at the V6 MR2 Matt Farah reviewed — it has a lightweight flywheel, and it is hilariously revvy. So much so that when he was trying to blip the throttle it redlined every time. It took him like 20 downshifts to get it right.