Matchbox Toyota MR2 and Zylmex Fiat X1/9




One thing that was the rage in the 1970's and 1980's was mid-engine sports cars.  This was started by Lamborghini with the Miura and made Ferrari finally adopt this style.  What the concept was is better weight distribution, roomier cabin, and better driver placement over the long hood and far rear seating arrangement of typical rear-wheel drive sports cars.  Then in the 1980's the fuel prices and emissions regulations pointed to a much smaller sports car with mid-engine design.  The Porsche/VW 914 was one of the pioneer's, and here are two more: the Fiat X1/9 and Toyota MR2.









Zylmex Fiat X1/9

The Fiat X1/9 was Fiat's entry into the mid-engine sports car arena.  It was designed in the 1960's to meet strict U.S. safety regulations that would be coming up, yet after a decade being sold as a Fiat it was sold in the 1980's as a Bertone product.  The car featured two trunks, front and rear, fuel tank and spare tire between the front passenger seats and mid-mounted engine, the body a monocoque design, a targa top that can be stowed at the front and yet not compromise any luggage space, and a 1.5L SOHC I-4 that produced 67 horsepower through a five-speed manual transmissions.  The stylish car has also adopted me-too's that include the Pontiac Fiero and Toyota MR2.









This Zylmex casting is not one of the best, yet has a simple and clean charm in dark green with tan interior.  The front has flip-up headlights, the full-length bumper with bumper pads, and a lower chin spoiler.  To add more detail I added signal lights just below the headlights and to cover up a major paint chip area I added a black nose section to the front.  The sides are rather plain so I added the correct vent and side marker details to give emphasis, and the eight-dot wheels look great here if only they can actually roll the car smoothly without binding with the fenders.  Despite the car's targa nature Zylmex decided to leave the top on so I colored it black to give it that targa model look with top on.  The rear has the split bumpers, engine cover on the decklid, and taillights where I had to add detail to make them stand out.  The interior is, well, lame as it has two seats and a center console but lacks any dashboard or any design theme's related to the real X1/9.  Then again what do you expect for a cheap model that was found at the flea market for cheap.









Matchbox Toyota MR2

Toyota entered the mid-engine sports car arena in 1984 with the MR2, a car designed for a fun and economical car rather than a sports car at first, but then during development the car gained more sport thanks to Lotus engineering and test with Dan Gurney.  In 1985 more content was added that included a T-targa roof option, TOYOTA on the rear shade panel, and a supercharged model.  The styling was too much related to the Fiat X1/9 and Pontiac Fiero so when Toyota updated the car for the second-generation they went for a more stylish path.  The engine is located mid-ship and is a 1.6L DOHC supercharged I-4 from the Toyota Corolla family and produces 120 est. horsepower through a five-speed manual transmission.






This Matchbox version seems tight fit when at the time there were other identical MR2 castings, not to mention Matchbox's own Pontiac Fiero casting looked quite close to the MR2, so some additional touches would be needed.  Starting with this cool white that has Toyota logo's and Pace Car on the sides to give it that sporty feel.  The front has that wedge shape nose with pop up headlights, signal lights on the bumper (I added the black trim), and a lower chin spoiler and large grille.  On the sides the MR2 has a two-part metal body section (noticeable where the wheelwell flares meet the body) to allow the rear bumper be part of the interior trim.  Exterior mirrors, side vents, and the tri-colors give some character to an otherwise flat side profile.  The rear has a decklid spoiler, TOYOTA in the clear sun visor just above the engine cover, and a MR2 plate between the detailed taillights.  The base is plastic and is a slim strip that has most of the details at the rear where the mid-engine I-4 is located.  The 8-dot wheels look great here, but on the track the car feels a bit big and the wheels tend to rub into the body too much, ruining an otherwise fantastic sports car.





The interior has a right-hand drive layout with seating for two with a dashboard that really has a sporty layout.  The main dash has a curved chisel end that meets up toward the middle, while the gauge pod is a deep recess behind a 3-spoke steering wheel where the two upper spokes point down in a shape of an arrow.  These two cars here look like promising sports cars, if only they can roll smoothly down the track.  For pure details and better looks the Matchbox Toyota MR2 is the better sports car here.

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