I definitely would recommend that you get something easier to slide first and learn on that, then move on to an MR2 if you're hell bent on it.. If during this interim, you dont want to be just another 240, then look into a 1990-ish Toyota Cressida. Good long wheelbase car to learn on and it's forgiving. Gut the car to make it light, cut the springs to lower the height back to stock (stock shocks will be ok if not blown, but a simple set of agx's would help) stock springs should be ok with less weight but some eibachs would be nice, although aftermarket springs usually bias more understeer in...


When you decide you are ready for the MR2 you will hopefully understand a lot more about car control and be more able to deal with some of the characteristics of the car for sliding.

Mid engine cars change direction VERY quickly, because their weight is centered very close to the axis of rotation; ie they have a low (numerically) polar moment of inertia. Just imagine turning a pipe with a brick in the middle, vs the same pipe with a brick at the end....

The MR2 engine being in the middle and you sitting in the middle and and gas tank being in the middle all collaborate to make a great handling car that changes direction fast but as a result can also be very twitchy. The short wheelbase doesnt help things either, it just makes the car more snappy. When Toyota Team SARD went to LM with the MR2, they added over a foot to the wheelbase for high speed stability and to accomodate the V8 in back with a good weight distribution still.

Basically remove anything not absolutely necessary in back, this includes wing, marker lights, bumper beam, sheetmetal reinforcement frames (trunk and engine cover). Then relocate anything that you can to the front. I'm not familiar with the AW11 or SW20 but definitely stuff like the battery or radiators. The gas tank going in front would help too. If you can get the car to around 50/50 weight distribution then you are doing good (factory on an MR2 is around 45/55 F/R I believe) more weight in the front the better, or actually, weight either extreme end of the car will raise the PMI and make the car a lot less snappy. The car will still be difficult to drift no matter what.

If you just have to have a unique drift car I would go for something like a Starion, or old Isuzu Impulse Turbo (solid axle in back like a AE86 but with suspension tuned by Lotus). OR maybe an Alfa Milano How bout a RWD Del Sol ? Get in touch with Blake from Braille for that one.


Cheers, sorry for the novel...
-Sean