This story starts in 2008, when I was a sophomore in high school, ready to drive and itching to get my license. There was only one car that I knew I wanted, which was a 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo; little did I know that after two years of searching and test-driving a handful of MR2’s, I would find myself with this Fully Loaded, Bone Stock, White-on-Ivory Leather 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo on August 9th 2010. The MR2 in this generation was built from 1989 to 1999, but unfortunately, in the States, we only got these cars from 1989 to 1995, due to new smog regulations and the standard of OBD2. The 1993 2nd generation MR2 was special because they did some minor updates, including installing larger brakes, 15in wheels, longer tie rods, shorter shifter, lower springs, a front lip and limited slip differential from the factory. After four years of accumulating rare parts and restoring/upgrading my MR2, I found myself with what most people in the MR2 community now know as the “TRD Spec MR2,” which has the largest collection of Toyota Racing Development parts on a single MR2, minus the 2000GT Widebody and several TRD perishable items (oil filter, brake pads, clutch, etc).
Flashback to 2012, after owning my MR2 for two years: like any car person, in the back of my head was the same refrain -- what’s next? One platform that stood out to me was the Alltrac, not only because of its World Rally Championship history, but also because it shares the same heart as the MR2 -- an engine I grew very familiar with. In October 3rd, 2014, after hunting on Craigslist for two years, I found a great example of a Bone Stock Fully Loaded Black-on-Grey Leather 1993 Toyota Celica Alltrac in a neighboring city. It wasn’t posted for sale or on Craigslist, but I encountered it at a local shop, and I knew that this was the car I wanted. After talking to the owner weeks later, and test driving the car, we reached a verbal agreement that I would be the next person in line for ownership of the car. That date would be October 28th, 2017 -- after three years of waiting patiently, that car became mine. Again, 1993 was a special year for the Toyota Celica Alltrac. Not only was it the final year in which the Alltrac Celica was imported to the United States, but it would be just one of 81 shipped in the entirety of 1993. Other minor updates done for this model included a shorter shifter, different tail lights, and a badge on the hood of the car. After owning it for a little over a year, I’ve made the effort to restore and upgrade the car while keeping it close to its original United States Domestic Market Cosmetic Trim and paying homage to its World of Rally Championship history.
