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The FISA (FIA) announced a possible replacement class to the Group B rally in 1985. It was called “Group S.” The new regulations needed ten cars for homologation and was a prototype class for rallying. The class was planned to make its debut on January 1, 1988, as a heavily revised replacement to Group B for 1987 but was canceled.
Toyota’s first attempt at making a competitive Group B car was the Toyota Celica TCT. However, that car was built when rear-wheel drive was still the norm, which mean that it was not competitive against its four-wheel-drive competitors. The FISA had announced the makings of a new Group S prototype class complementary to Group B, Toyota then had to begin working on a new contender for both classes. The project was code-named 222D. There was also a white prototype.
There’s not a lot of information about the 222D though. The black version was built with a race-developed 750 hp Toyota 503E I4 engine coupled to 4WD in a chassis that weighed just around 750kg (1,650lb). A Japanese clip from the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed when TMG brought the car out for a hill climb. At least it gave us an idea about what it could have felt like, though.
At the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Toyota displayed the black 222D. It was produced as much as 750 horsepower. A V6 powered prototype was also rumored to exist but has never been seen in public before. Some other prototypes used the 4T-GTE engine.
Although they were not considered true Group S cars, the Group S rules limited the engine displacement to 1.2L. Which meant that they were hybrid Group B / Group S cars. One was designed for tarmac rallies, while the other was suited to gravel rallies. All three engines were turbocharged and had a 2.0L - 2.2L. Rumors say that one of these was given to a VIP to drive around during a recent WRC event in Germany. Recent photos of both the black and white version of the 222D MR2. According to some forums, some of them have been destroyed. So no one knows if they’re still here, One member going by the name of Ralf claims to have spoken on the phone with Boetcher, the chief of TTE told him during a telephone call recently that it is possible to buy the car, but he had no idea what it was going to cost.
Not much else is known about these prototypes since the cars were canceled. Eleven prototypes were rumored to have been built; most were destroyed in crash tests, only three examples are left. As mentioned earlier, a black 222D made an appearance at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed. A pair of 222Ds were also shown at the 2016 Eifel Rally Festival in Germany for the special 30th anniversary of Group B’s ultimate year, which was 1986. Still, they did not participate in the exhibition runs.
Engine: 503E, I-4, DOHC 16v, petrol
4T-GTE, I-4, DOHC 16v, petrol
V6 petrol
Displacement: 2140 cc (503E)
2090 cc (4T-GTE)
Aspiration: Turbocharged
Cooling: Water-cooled
Transmission: 2WD/4WD, Manual
Brakes: F&R discs dual circuit with servo, adjustable ratio split front to rear.
Length: 3950 mm
Wheelbase: 2319 mm
Weight: 750 kg
Sources: Black Monster - Toyota MR2 222D Prototype: https://www.carthrottle.com/post/wboqgok/
Images: oldconceptcars