Toyota was and still is a synonym for reliability. Some people also remember that, alongside their rather unremarkable economy cars, they also made some pretty epic sports cars. One such car was the Toyota MR-2, particularly the SW20 generation, which combines all aspects that made Japanese sports cars of the 1990s as epic as they are. Although Toyota has given us a spiritual successor to the AE86, in the form of the GT86 and has brought back the Supra name, the brand’s mid-engine sports car is still sitting on the side bench.

The SW20 generation of the MR2 is the most popular, for numerous reasons. Its design is timeless while being representative of its era at the same time. It has pop-up headlights, can be had as a Targa, and in the 3S GTE-powered version can produce some serious power. It also has a playful chassis and its mid-engine layout earned it the Baby Ferrari nickname.

The best thing is that the SW20 MR2 is still a very affordable car despite being very sought-after. But while every car enthusiast born between the 1980s and 2000s knows about the MR2, we never really knew what it meant for the car world when it was a brand new car. Luckily, this video from MotorTrend’s YouTube channels gives us a good idea.