Some muscle automotive fanatics say, “There is no such thing as a substitute for displacement.” In different phrases, the one approach to get pleasure from a efficiency automotive is to configure it with the most important potential motor. I urge to vary. What a few high-revving, nimble sports activities coupe that may be a hoot to drive, but nonetheless able to 27 to 32 miles per gallon? Now we’re speaking.

The Decide of the Day is a low-mileage 1985 Toyota MR2 listed on the market on ClassicCars.com by a personal vendor in Goldsboro, North Carolina. (Click on the hyperlink to view the itemizing)

“Immaculate situation! All the pieces authentic,” the itemizing states. “It has been garage-kept and may be very clear in and out.”

The MR2 first went into manufacturing in Japan almost 40 years in the past, in 1984 for the 1985 mannequin 12 months. From the onset, it was engineered to be a well-balanced sports activities automotive. The structure was distinctive, designed round a rear mid-mounted inline-four motor, a two-seat cockpit, and rear-wheel drive. The chassis used a four-wheel unbiased suspension for optimized dealing with.

The first-generation MR2 was accessible with just a few totally different powertrains, together with a 1.5-liter “3A” inline-four, a 1.6-liter naturally-aspirated model, and a 1.6-liter supercharged variant. Energy might be fed to the rear wheels by way of both a five-speed handbook or a four-speed automated transmission. As we speak’s characteristic automotive comes with the center of these three engines, mixed with the stick shift. Regardless that it was solely rated at 112 horsepower and 97 lb-ft of torque, the MR2 was praised for being enjoyable to toss round. Its mid-Eighties launch got here across the similar time of the Pontiac Fiero and the Honda CRX, each of which had related “economical but sporty” missions.

Exhibiting simply 51,679 miles on the odometer, this first-year crimson MR2 has clearly been cherished all through its life. The vendor says, “I purchased it as a collector, however it might even be a fantastic automotive as a day by day driver. It simply seems to be and runs nice. It must be one of many best-conditioned 1985 MR2s on the market.”

The inside carries by way of the crimson theme to the fabric seat inserts for a sporty look. The sprint is completely boxy in all the suitable Eighties methods, and choices embody air-con and an AM/FM/cassette audio system.

This automotive is proof you could certainly mix enjoyable and gasoline financial system into the identical package deal.

The asking worth is $14,900 for this MR2, which features a automotive cowl, a manufacturing facility service handbook, the proprietor’s handbook, and a window sticker.

To view this itemizing on ClassicCars.com, see Decide of the Day.