It’s been no secret that Toyota’s Gazoo Racing (GR) division is on a tear, not only with its existing lineup but also rumoured future models.
One of those is the MR2, the mid-engined, two-rear sports car which ran from the 1980s until the 2000s, before ultimately bowing out with no successor for the past two decades.
Speculation surrounding its revival has circulated in recent years, and Best Car magazine now reports Toyota has filed for the ‘GR MR2’ trademark in Japan, all but confirming its return.
Though not an assurance that it’s coming back, it’s the strongest sign yet that Toyota is interested in doing so, however we don’t yet have any concrete details about the new MR2.
Best Car has previously reported the MR2 would once again be mid-engined but this time be all-wheel drive, rather than the rear-drive heritage of the model.
Confusingly, the publication has also recently claimed a new Toyota Celica would launch in the coming years, though it too would be a mid-engined, all-wheel drive, two-door coupe, blurring the lines between it and the MR2.
This seems unlikely as the Celica has always been front-engined, and through its life sold in front-, rear- and all-wheel drive guise.
One of the things that’s almost certain is the new Toyota GR MR2 will be powered by the brand’s upcoming turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, codenamed ‘G20E’ and currently undergoing testing in a mid-engined GR Yaris, the M Concept.
While Toyota has yet to say anything on the record about the MR2, some of its executives have spoken publicly about the new Celica.
“Bottom line is we are working on a product that could theoretically go by the Celica name If we can figure out how to pull it off and it gets approved,” Cooper Ericksen, Toyota North America’s senior vice president of Product Planning and Strategy, told Motortrend in May.
“People are talking about it. It’s a pretty advanced development.
“Akio [Toyoda, Toyota chairman] has said when it comes to specialised GR performance products, it is very difficult to replicate that emotional driving feel out on track with something other than traditional ICE (internal combustion engine).
“So, while there could be a motor in a future Celica, I’m not closing the door to a vehicle that is ultra lightweight, that has a super advanced system but is still a traditional ICE.
“It could be something that does not have an electric drive.”
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