Description
2002 Toyota MRS Monocraft GT-300, 6 speed SMT, in immaculate condition and very rare... and better than an Elise S1!
The Autobacs Monocraft GT-300 bodykit was produced as a Toyota Approved kit to homologate the very successful Toyota GT-300 race car. Autobacs sold them either as a complete package with them providing the car; or with the customer providing the car (manual or 6 speed SMT); or as separate components. Options were limited to a surprisingly few:
-LSD
-Cold Weather package and rear foglight
-Radio upgrade
-Rays Volk TE37 rims and Advan tyres – this was only offered for 100 cars
-Work Meister S1 rims and Advan tyres – no limit of number provided
-A’pex silencer
-A’pex dampers
-Genuine Toyota hardtop
-Brembo brakes and pads
-Wed GT rear Wing
-Wed aero bonnet (competition use)
-Wed aero bulge
My Monocraft GT-300 has the Rays Volk wheels, so very rare, Toyota hardtop, adjustable Wed GT rear wing. The cost of these at the time, including painting but not fitting, was 1 628 760 Yen, so
about £8000 at today’s exchange rate. With the car comes the Monocraft fitting instructions for the body kit.
The following TRD (Toyota Racing Development) options have also been fitted:
-“Sports Meter” 83001-ZW300 showing water temperature, oil temperature and oil pressure
-Rear Strut Tower Bar 53605-ZW301
-Original |Toyota Motorsport GmbH Turbo
It has a genuine, extremely rare Toyota Motorsport GmbH turbo kit (complete with the original fitting instructions), exported from Germany to Japan in 2005. Power increased to 184 bhp, with complete Toyota reliability.
There is evidence of a service history in Japan by SARD, a race tuning company in Tokyo, heavily involved in the GT3 programme.
I bought the car direct from a Japanese auction for my car collection and it arrived in April 2021.
Although grading can be a bit hit or miss, this was graded as a 4. 5 (out of 5, for exterior condition) and A (top grade) for interior. 4. 5A is about the highest grade that can be awarded for a used car at Japanese auctions. On arrival I immediately took it down to Rogue Motorsports, one of the very the best garages in the country for these cars, to carry out a full service; they recommended replacing the clutch as it was slipping slightly. They replaced it with an Exedy Stage 1 organic performance clutch, replaced all fluids etc at a cost of £2300. The gear change (paddle or gear stick) is as tight as the day it left the factory, there is no sloppiness as with abused/ non maintained vehicles.
The paintwork is immaculate. There are a few chips under the boot lid (the rear wing makes it quite heavy) and on the front splitter. The underside is immaculate too with absolutely no rust at all.
This is probably a unique car - a low mileage Monocraft bodied MR2, wityh Toyota approved turbo, immaculate and well maintained And it's better than an Elise S1!I bought this direct from an auction in Japan. My son's business is involved in the motor racing business in Japan and we often watched GT300 racing on TV. When I saw this come up for sale, I simply fell in love with it - it is genuinely beautiful and catches everyone's eye. I don't think there is a single curve or crease out of place....
Back in the 1980's I had lusted after a Grinnal TR7 V8 but hadn't been able to afford one - now good ones are impossible to find. So my justification to my wife for buying this lovely car was that I couldn't get a Grinnal!
I have kept it in my warehouse along with other cars, so always clean and dry. It will have a new MOT before finalising a sale.
I also have had both an Elise S1 and a VX220, and the MR2 is in my opinion simply better in every single respect. There's no comparison at all. The turbo boost isn't overwhelming but adds useful performance too.
The reason for selling is that I now have my TR7 V8 - not a Grinnal but one with a TVR Tuscan Challenge engine!
