The Toyota Prius isn't a PH favourite. The
Mk3 Toyota MR2
certainly is. So what happens when you bring the two together? The one-off TE-Spyder 800 hybrid roadster.
Hang on, that centre console's familiar
It's officially one of the after-hours skunkworks projects that just seems perfect for production (the Jaguar XK180 was devised in similar circumstances) and unveiled at the Tokyo show.
Created by the Toyota Engineering Society, it uses a 116hp '1NZ-FE' version of Toyota's 1.5-litre engine with some intake and exhaust tweaks. The 102hp electric motor comes from the latest Prius, with the batteries mounted longitudinally and low. It runs an E-CVT transmission.
However, with the car weighing less than 1,000kg, it doesn't hamper acceleration too much; 62mph takes just 5.8 seconds. There's no word on fuel economy or range, but the TE-Spyder does incorporate the external charging facility of the Prius Plug-In
It's a tantalising recipe, isn't it? More powerful than the Honda S660 (which it closely resembles) and probably less expensive than a Tesla Roadster. Let's hope the society engineers get the go ahead for a production project soon.