At $2,200, Would You Rally Around This 1993 Toyota MR2 Ford RS200 Homage Project?

Today's Nice Price or No Dice MR2 asks us to suspend disbelief and also, for its next owner to roll up their sleeves and put in the sweat equity required to finish this remarkably-conceived Ford RS200 rally car homage. Let's see whether that's all worth what the seller is asking.

The Swedish band ABBA's 1977 album, the annoyingly-titled "ABBA, the Album," was such a huge hit that the quartet's label couldn't press enough records to keep up with the initial demand. That album spawned two number one hits in the UK, "The Name of the Game" and the a cappella-intro'd "Take a Chance on Me." Today, that latter song is considered one of ABBA's greatest hits and has wormed its way into popular culture in movies, TV shows, and ads. It must have made ABBA a lot of Kronor.

The 1992 Subaru SVX we looked at last Friday never achieved the level of popularity of even ABBA's B-sides, but at a $6,900 asking price and presented as low-mileage and well-kept, it proved a car that quite a few of you might take a chance on. The result was a solid 74% "Nice Price" win.

OK, I'm almost salivating to have you all take a gander at today's 1993 Toyota MR2 because... well, things have been done to it. This is an unfinished project car, which is often something we all agree is best left unacknowledged and avoided, but in this case, it's so crazy we've just got to take a peek.

First off, however, let's establish the builder's intentions with this project. The goal, it seems, was to create a homage to Ford's 1980s rally monster, the RS200. As you may recall, that was Ford's purpose-built attempt to play hardball with the big boys in Group B. Designed by Ghia, powered by Cosworth, and built by Reliant (yes, makers of the trikes that Jeremy Clarkson never could seem to get the hang of), the RS200 was a beast. 

For most of the 1980s, it held the record for the quickest-accelerating production car, although 'production' was used loosely, as only a few hundred road versions were built and only to comply with FIA homologation rules. Ford invested heavily in the car as a Group B competitor, but the result was several serious accidents that ultimately led the FIA to discontinue the class altogether as being too dangerous. The RS200 has since become almost mythical among Ford fans, and real-deal cars (when they can be found for sale) go for around half a million these days.

That background makes this car a little easier to understand. Plus, the basis, a Toyota MR2, is, like the RS200, a mid-engined machine. That, however, is where the similarities stop and the Bondo begins. The engine in the real RS200 is longitudinally placed and, for weight distribution, feeds a five-speed transaxle in the front of the car. That drives the front wheels directly and the rear wheels through a driveshaft next to the mill. Power output for the Cossie ran anywhere from 250 horsepower to a reported 580 horses. 

The engine in the MR2, on the other hand, is a close cousin to that in a Camry, and if this one runs (which it apparently does not at the moment), it will deliver a factory-claimed 154 horsepower. Like the RS200, it passes its power through a five-speed manual, but only to the back wheels. Save for the air box, the MR2's engine bay appears complete if covered in body filler dust. It also breathes through the Toyota's sculpted scoops on either side of the body.

The rest of the bodywork has been modded to have what could best be described as a 'concept of a plan' for the appearance of an RS200. From a distance, at night, in the rain, if you squint, it's probably hard to tell it's not the real deal rally car. From the pictures, the basics are there, but it looks like the builder lost interest somewhere about halfway into the build, and long before getting around to shaping the Bondo or fitting lights into the hood-mounted nacelles. 

The rear end is even more of a concept, with what looks like actual metal fabricated to appear like the Ford's up-swept tail. A set of Ford (or more likely, Merkur) tail lamps proves the only real connection between this homage and Ford's '80s rally machine. Those are appropriately enough held on with tape. The less said about the interior, the better. It's all original MR2, so it probably would clean up just fine, but right now it looks like it would be more at home in a Pick-A-Part than a driveway. On the plus side, the car's title is clean, and it sports a relatively low 123,000 miles.

That's a lot to take in, and the ad paints a picture of a project that will be a daunting task for anyone, no matter how skilled they are. But wouldn't you like to see the result? What? You wouldn't? Well, play along anyway and wipe that smirk off your face.

We now need to... stop laughing. We need to determine not only whether this project car is worth fixing and finishing, but also whether it's worth paying the current owner $2,200 to take on the work. What do you... I said stop laughing. Is that a reasonable price for this project? Or shall we just say no and never speak of it again?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

Washington, DC, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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