03/09/2026
Right then. Let's talk about something special that rolled into the unit last week. 🤩
A MK1.5 Toyota MR2. AW11 generation. 1986 facelift. Approximately 40 years old. And honestly? Still an absolutely gorgeous thing.
For those who don't know their MR2 history — this little beauty was Japan's first mass-produced mid-engine car. That's right, mid-engined. In 1984. The 4A-GE twin-cam engine (a Toyota/Yamaha joint effort, no less) sitting right behind the driver, driving the rear wheels, wrapped in bodywork that had more than a little Pininfarina influence. It won Car of the Year Japan in 1984. It's been called "the poor man's Ferrari" — and honestly, anyone who's driven one properly would say that's not far off. Oh, and the MK1.5? It got the T-bar targa roof option. Because of course it did. 🏎️
So. Car that old, paint that precious — what's the right approach?
NOT to attack it with a heavy cut and strip away what little original paint is left. That's not detailing. That's destruction.
The brief here was a Sympathetic Enhancement Detail. That means we work WITH what's there. We assess, we clean properly, we correct only where it genuinely makes sense, and we bring out the very best the paint has to offer without doing irreversible damage to something that simply cannot be replaced. Original 40-year-old paint is irreplaceable. Full stop.
Once the paint was looking its absolute best — we locked it in. DMC's 3+ year ceramic coating applied to all the paintwork, plus every trim and plastic panel on the car. Protection that'll see this MR2 through the next chapter of its life looking properly sorted. 💪
This is what a responsible, professional detailer does. Not every car needs the most aggressive treatment. Sometimes the most skilled thing you can do is know when NOT to push it — and know how to bring out the best in what's there instead.
This little thing drove out looking brilliant. Exactly as it should.
📍 Detail My Car — 9A Hermitage Farms, Oareborough Lane, Hermitage, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG18 9SD
By appointment only — give us a call or drop us a message to book in.
