Toyota MR2 with M3 style Mirrors

The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car produced by Toyota from 1984 until July 2007 when production stopped in Japan, in three different design series. The latest version was called the Toyota MR-S in Japan, the Toyota MR2 Spyder in the United States, and the Toyota MR2 Roadster in Europe. Imports to the United States ended in 2004.  Many modifications can be done to your Toyota to make it look sportier and perform better.    

Installing M3 style mirrors is one of those neat projects that can really add some spice to the look of your Toyota without taking up too much of your time. The total install time for a pair of M3 style mirrors should be less than two hours.  

Aftermarket mirrors are available in different materials, including FRP plastic, carbon fiber and fiberglass. Plenty of different styles are available such as D1 style, F1 style and M3 styles. You can also get them in manual or electric, and get them with or without LED turn signals built in.

The toughest part of the job is actually finding a set of mirrors that will match your body color. If your Toyota is white or black, there are usually aftermarket mirrors available in those two colors. Any other color will need to be custom-painted to match your body paint.

Some aftermarket mirrors are manufactured with an additional lamp in the side. This can be wired to either to your parking lamps or your turn-signal lamps. Either one requires additional wiring to be threaded through the door, so I usually don't recommend this approach. Most of the cars I've seen with lamps in the side of the mirrors don't actually have them connected-they're just for show.

Some car historians contend that the MR2 was Lotus-designed. This is a reference to the Lotus M90 (a.k.a. the X100) project, but this was scrapped after a single prototype was built. This used the same engine and gearbox as the MR2. At the time, Toyota, along with the Chapman family was a major share holder in Lotus, but General Motors later acquired majority control. Lotus Engineering, a prolific consultancy company forming part of Group Lotus but separate from Lotus Cars, were heavily involved in the designing the 4AG series Toyota engines (in the first MR2s) and the ZZ series engines in modern Toyotas. However, the MR2 was designed by Toyota with Lotus engineer Roger Becker involved on its suspension and handling.