Toyota: Silent types

There are those who say you risk the wrath of the Celtic gods if you ignore a lone gypsy woman selling flowers. Especially if your eyes meet but you try to ignore her presence. This, it has been said, can cause much pain. Likely as not she will somehow hex your day.

Politely pay her the money and quietly go on your way, say the wise ones. She might even bless you in an ancient tongue for being so dignified.

But if you get on your high horse, warn the gods, and tell her the flowers are wilted and that you would never in a million years pay hard-earned money for such a lifeless bunch and that she shouldn't be selling flowers on the street in the first place, and why isn't she sitting at a crystal ball where gypsies belong ... this is where things can get messy.

Your invective, say the gods again, will be met with stony silence. Her dark eyes will stare into your soul. Later, bubonic plague might find its way into your kitchen.

It's a similar story with Toyota New Zealand, although the Japanese carmaker, as far as we know, doesn't put a pox on your house if you don't like its products.

Toyota has a lineup of vehicles for the New Zealand market. What you see is what you get, just like the gypsy flower-seller.

But there are other vehicles Toyota won't talk about, cars on drawing boards and in overseas motor shows that it won't acknowledge exist.

Criticise why it does things this way and, again, like the gypsy woman, it will quietly retreat from further conversation, albeit in a friendler manner.

Two such vehicles which fall into the "silent" category are the XYR and the MR-Spyder.

The XYR is the replacement for the Celica; the Spyder is the carmaker's third attempt at an affordable sports car to rival the Mazda MX-5. The first was the MRJ concept, unveiled in 1995. The second was the MR-S, in 1997.

Neither the XYR nor MR-Spyder exist, says official Toyota NZ policy, because the cars are not in its product lineup alongside the Corolla, Camry and Hilux.

But Japanese executives at the Chicago motor show the other day admitted that the MR-Spyder is very close to the car's final form.

Toyota's aim worldwide is to introduce the production model Spyder at a price similar to that of the MX-5, which in New Zealand starts at $39,950.

Talk is it will go into production later this year and be launched in New Zealand in March 2000. It is likely to be badged the MR2, replacing the popular targa-topped model which has been around since the 1980s in two different models.

And like the old MR2 and another obvious but considerably dearer rival, Rover's MGF, the Spyder will mount its engine amidships, behind two racing-type seats.

The soft-top Toyota uses a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine which has variable valve timing and is said to produce more power than the MX-5.Toyota collaborated with Yamaha on the engine. Like the Mazda mill, it has twin cams and four valves a cylinder.

The Toyota is expected to weigh about 1000kg, which should give it an advantage in acceleration over the MX-5.

It is also expected to have another advantage over the manual Mazda, that of a five-speed Formula One-style sequential gearbox.

A computer takes the place of the clutch pedal, by engaging and disengaging the clutch and shifting gears. Ferrari, BMW and Alfa Romeo use a similar system.

To change gears the drive can either push buttons on the steering wheel or nudge a lever on the centre console. A four-speed automatic model is also on the cards for the United States market.

The sports car is expected to use a hybrid electric-hydraulic power-steering system which, Toyota has claimed, relieves the engine of the burden of spinning a conventional power-steering pump.

Suspension will be struts front and rear and the soft-top roof, which stows in a rear compartment, will be raised and lowered by hand.

Suspension will be struts front and rear and the soft-top roof, which stows in a rear compartment, will be raised and lowered by hand.

The base model XYR, or Celica by another name, will also use the MR2's 1.8-litre engine. But Toyota and Yamaha have reworked the motor to cope with the heavier Celica. Early figures indicate it will produce 134kW at 7600 rpm. The same motor would make the 1000kg at MR2 a little flyer.