Among the many casualties of rally racing’s Group B era was Toyota’s obscure, first-gen MR2-based prototype called the 222D. Practically ready to race when the FIA put the kibosh on Group B (and its planned successor, Group S), the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive super-MR2 was left with nowhere to compete, forcing Toyota to shelve the 222D and relegate the project to a sad footnote in racing history. But this tale of a coulda-been racing legend doesn’t need end there, because thanks to the work of a studious Belgian MR2 owner, there’s now a body conversion kit to dress up MR2s as their forgotten hero.
Sold through a Belgian race parts shop Dicz Cars, this kit consists of a front clamshell, engine lid, and rear over-fender assembly, along with optional doors and a single-piece hardtop to cover MR2s’ leaky T-tops. A body kit alone, of course, isn’t enough to turn an MR2 into a 222D; extensive drivetrain work would be necessary to transform one of these mid-engined marvels into a faithful replica.
Documentation on what propelled the pair of 222D prototypes known to exist is scarce, but a Toyota UK blog post suggests power came from the turbocharged 2.0-liter that later powered the Celica GT-Four. Group S regulations would’ve allowed this engine to produce no more than 300 horsepower, which would’ve been distributed to either the rear or all four wheels. Toyota designed a torque split mechanism that would’ve allowed it to swap between either as stages demanded.