2020 turned out to be a bit weird. But if there's one good thing I'll remember it by is that I finally got to drive my MR2 close to how much I planned. I planned a big road trip and going across borders, but covid killed that plan fast. So I racked up quite a bit of miles on the local mountain roads. I got to know the aw11 chassis a bit better and understand it better, which proved to be a much bigger eye-opener than I expected. I also spent many hours listening to the bike carb 4age screaming behind my head and that's always time well spent.

The conclusions? The aw11 is a genuinely good chassis. It's not as balanced as an mx5 but once you get to know it and spend more time near its limits you will see where it shines. Brake early, and get on the power early and the aw11 mr2 can go flat out through corners through which the vast majority of cars can not. If you've spent most of your time driving FF cars the mid-engined setup will be a bit weird. But once you break the ice and stay on throttle through a corner where you otherwise wouldn't do so, you will want more and you will start pushing that threshold and keep surprising yourself how far the chassis can actually go.

I have also come to realize the extent to which peak horsepower is irrelevant on a tight twisty road. We all know this, but seeing it and feeling it over and over in practice is another dimension. Many a modern car will make the mr2 look kinda slow on the highway, but on a tight road more modern cars need a lot of suspension and a lot of driving talent to even have a chance of standing toe to toe with this absolutely ancient wedge. This alone is a bit mind boggling as most information outlets try to convince us that newer is better. In many things, sure, but definitely not in all.

Another thing I learned is that to enjoy this car it really needs to be driven hard. For me, this became the only way to experience it in its true form and actually enjoy it. Babying it and cruising in it too much somehow blurs the connection I have with it and I start questioning what's the point of it? It's not comfy, it's loud, it's not practical, it's not frugal, I don't enjoy detailing or washing it so why do I own it? The answer to this question can't be expressed in words, but only through driving it the way it's supposed to be driven.

Follow @ficacrew on IG - he's the man that made this video possible. He also took an absolutely ancient Zastava 750 (Fiat 500) to Tunisia, Island, Turkey and beyond and really has amazing stories to tell.

A special thank you to my patrons:
Daniel
Peter Della Flora
Daniel Morgan
William
Richard
Pepe

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