TMI VM180 Zagato

Rare cars from Zagato usually fetch high prices when they are offered for sale or auctioned. Whether this also applies to this vehicle remains to be seen. After all, the TMI VM180 is such a rarity that it is known only to a few car experts outside Japan. No wonder, after all, only 100 units were built 20 years ago. The basis was the Toyota MR-2 (or MR-S in Japan) of the third model generation presented in 1999. The only technical change was a power increase of the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine to 116 kW/155 hp and 178 Nm of torque. Power transmission was handled by a five-speed sequential gearbox. Completely new, however, was the design, which, as noted above, came from Zagato in Italy. All that remained of the basic car were the windshield, the factory hardtop and the basic shape of the doors. Particularly noticeable were the dark lamp surrounds at the front and rear.

When the TMI VM180 was presented in Tokyo on January 10, 2001, it wasn’t yet clear to many onlookers whether there would be a small series or not. It wasn’t until the car also made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show two months later that a run of 100 cars was announced. For this purpose, completely produced Toyota MR-2s went to Toyota Modellista International (TMI). There, well-trained mechanics took the cars apart again, fitted the new add-on parts in Zagato design and installed sports seats with black and red leather covers. On the presentation car, these had still been black and grey and were combined with color accents on the sports steering wheel and the dashboard. The bodywork was available exclusively in silver or red. BH Auction and Yahoo will soon be offering a silver TMI VM180 with a mileage of just 40,070 kilometers.

Images: BH Auction