The Toyota SUPERAUTOBACS APEX MR-S '00 is a race car produced by Toyota. It first appeared in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and has been featured in all subsequent mainline games up to Gran Turismo 6.
The car appears to be the #31 driven by Shinichi Takagi and Yudai Igarashi, who finished the GT300 class of the 2000 JGTC season in 12th place overall for Takagi and 16th place overall for Igarashi.
In-game description[]
"The JGTC machine that fought the 2000 season, utilizing its small size to great effect."
The second-generation MR2, called in-house as the SW20, wasn't just a popular road car; it made for an impressive race machine as well.
The car performed especially well in the GT300 class of the JGTC (All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship), winning dozens of races, and when its reign ended in 1999 (at the same time production of the road car ended), Toyota appointed the all-new MR2 Spyder (MR-S in Japan) as the SW20's successor.
The new race car was designed by TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and developed by Apex Racing; it surpassed the performance of its predecessor in every way. With a longer wheelbase (by 1.9 inches) and shorter overall length (by 10.8 inches), the MR2 Spyder was more agile and, thanks to newfound lightness, quicker in a straight line. It utilized the same 3S-GTE engine as the SW20, as well as a number of chassis components that included the front and rear strut suspension that featured a modified pushrod setup allowing easier ride height adjustment.
With Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi doing the driving, Toyota entered the 2000 race season with high hopes for the new race machine; however, handling issues and lack of speed on the straights put its championship hopes in jeopardy. Toyota entered a revised version of the MR2 Spyder mid-season, which seemed to cure all the previous car's ailments. The car soon won its first race and, in 2002, the driving team of Nitta and Takagi took the driver's title behind the MR2 Spyder's wheel.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | --- | --- | Win the Amateur All Japan GT Championship (1/4 chance) Win the Special Stage Route 11 All-Night Endurance (1/4 chance) |
| Gran Turismo 4 | Toyota New Car Dealership | 500,000 | Available from the start in Arcade Mode |
| Gran Turismo PSP | Toyota Dealership | 500,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 5 | Used Car Dealership (Lv. 12+) | 195,492 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Toyota Dealership | 200,000 | --- |
Trivia[]
- This car also appears in Gran Turismo Concept, but it's unplayable. It does, however, appear as a CPU car.
- The engine sound used for this car in GT3 was actually taken from the JGTC Supra models.
Pictures[]
Videos[]
