It’s been over eighteen years since Toyota last sold a midship runabout two-seater, but that doesn’t stop a group of dedicated enthusiasts from meeting up every year just north of New York City for MR2 Bear Mountain. The event has been rolling strong since 1997 when a group of four MR2 owners went for a drive together. These single-nameplate events really develop the camaraderie and companionship that truly are the best parts of the automotive community.
Friends you make in the car world can be friends for life, and seeing them every year at an event like this one is as close to going to summer camp as you can really get as an adult. And even better, these MR2 folks use their annual summer camp trek to raise money for the American Cancer Society. You get to have fun while giving to a good cause? Fantastic!
While the event started with just four cars, it grew to around 180 cars in a pre-pandemic peak. This year a rainy forecast kept many from attending, but 109 cars still showed up to brave the rain and raise over $10,000 for cancer research. The guy who started what was then known as the Bear Mountain MR2 Meeting, Mr. Joe Pearlstein, died just six months after the first event. Every year since then the event has been dedicated to his honor and has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations.
Over the course of three days in late September at the Bear Mountain State Park, these enthusiasts go for drives, host a car show, throw a potluck barbecue, and just generally hang about and chat about cars, life, and the meaning of both. With the park just about 90 minutes north of Times Square, the group always takes a Friday night jaunt into the city. Saturday sees scenic drives in the Hudson River Valley, then the show and shine. Sunday is for breakfast and saying goodbyes. What a great, if exhausting, way to spend a weekend.
Unlike many of these single-model events, MR2 Bear Mountain doesn’t gatekeep the Celica or Supra owners. If you’re a Toyota sports car enthusiast, you’re probably welcome. I bet they’d even allow the odd 2000GT or Lexus LF-A if you showed up in one.
Next September you’ll probably want to hang out with some more MR2 folks, and I’m sure the event would welcome a bunch more attendees, so check out the event’s website, and get your mid-engine Toyota ready for it.
