2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder “Tsuyu”

The Story

Bought during the pandemic as a project, this is my first car and the shrewdest teacher I have ever had. Named "Tsuyu" after its froglike appearance, it was supposed to stay stock. But 3 months in, I ran out of talent on a poorly maintained road in the rain. The clean title truly was the cork in the bottle, as following repairs, I relentlessly pursued Time Trial and AutoX. The result: A custom roll bar, wheels, tires, suspension, sway bars, hard top, racing seat with harnesses…But left the engine stock for reliability. When all was said and done, I topped up with fresh oil. Which proved pointless a day and a half later, when it all burned up in stop and go traffic. Because of the setbacks, Tsuyu got me deeper into the car community. And from suspension work, troubleshooting, tearing apart and swapping engines, every problem was an opportunity to learn. Though I admit that sometimes I think "should I have bought that Cayman instead?"