TV show Mythbusters Jr is under fire from car fans as it crushed a classic MR2 sports car with a concrete domino
Enthusiasts often argue about how best to preserve classic cars. Should they be left totally original, brought back to their former glory, or even made better than when they left the factory? Regardless of your take on restoring old cars, we all tend to agree that classics should be saved from the scrapheap. Not TV’s Mythbusters Jr… Instead they crushed what appeared be a perfectly healthy Toyota MR2 for nothing other than some slow-motion entertainment. Commenters are not happy.
The Drive reported on the unnecessary destruction of the mid-engined sports car which first appeared in a Facebook video. Its caption reads ‘Can a single domino set off a chain of events that can crush a car? This high-speed appears to have the answer.’ Watch the 7016lb concrete domino unceremoniously pancake the Toyota at your own peril.
Many classic car fans voiced their anger in the comments with plenty stating that Mythbusters Jr could have used any old car to test their theory. Anthony Litterilla posted: "You seriously need a car consultant on the team. You murdered an MR2 for no reason. I’m sure there was a Ford Probe, Nissan Juke, or Pontiac Aztec you could have erased from existence. Save classic cars!!". This was a viewpoint shared by many, with Richard Adams stating: "This is the most united comments section I’ve ever seen. Brings a tear to my eye seeing all the love for a great vintage midship."
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We hope that the Toyota in question was a non-runner, but even so, numbers of this now 35-year-old model are beginning to dwindle and values are rising. The first generation MR2 was introduced in 1984 and designed to be an affordable mid-engined sports car that promised the bulletproof reliability expected of any Toyota. Roger Becker from Lotus helped engineers the car’s chassis, something he did very well indeed. This lightweight sports car is often remarked for its agility and surprising turn of pace.
The Mythbusters show has been running for 14 years and has solved many urban myths and old wives tales. Mythbusters Jr serves as a spin-off that sees host Adam Savage bust similar myths with a motivated bunch of teenagers. In this case the group wanted to know if one domino could set off a building chain reaction that would ultimately flip the 7016lb final domino.
We love the show, but the destruction of this classic seems totally unnecessary.
