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Toyota MR2

The Toyota MR2 is a line of two-seater, mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports cars, manufactured in Japan and marketed globally by Toyota from 1984 until 2007 over three generations: W10 (1984–1989), W20 (1989–1999) and W30 (1999–2007). It is Japan's first rear mid-engined production car.

Conceived as a small, economical and sporty car, the MR2 uses simple but effective design elements, including an inline-four engine, transversely mounted in front of the rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes, and fully independent coilover suspension – MacPherson strut fronts and Chapman strut rears.

The name MR2 stands for either "mid-ship run-about 2-seater" or "mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-seater". In French-speaking markets, the vehicle was renamed Toyota MR because the abbreviation "MR2" sounds like the profanity "merde" when spoken in French.

Origins
The MR2 derived from a 1976 Toyota design project with the goal of a car which would be enjoyable to drive, yet still provide good fuel economy – not necessarily a sports car. Design work began in 1979 when Akio Yoshida from Toyota's testing department started to evaluate alternatives for engine placement and drive method, finalizing a mid-transverse engine placement. Toyota called the 1981 prototype SA-X.

From its original design, the car evolved into a sports car, and further prototypes were tested both in Japan and in the US. Significant testing was performed on race circuits including Willow Springs, where former Formula One driver Dan Gurney tested the car.

All three generations were in compliance with Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement. The MR2 appeared around the same time as the Honda CR-X and the Nissan EXA from Japan, the Pontiac Fiero and Ford EXP from North America, and about a decade after the VW Scirocco and Fiat X1/9 from Europe made their debut.

Toyota debuted its SV-3 concept car in October 1983 at the Tokyo Motor Show, gathering press and audience publicity. The car was scheduled for a Japanese launch in the second quarter of 1984 under the name MR2.

First generation (W10; 1984–1989)
Toyota introduced the first-generation MR2 in 1984, designating it the model code "W10". When fitted with the 1.5-liter 3A engine, it was known as the "AW10". Likewise, the 1.6-liter 4A version is identified by the "AW11" code.

In Japan, the MR2 was marketed exclusively via Toyota's Toyota Auto Store and Toyota Vista Store, both rebranded in 1998 as Netz Toyota Store. At its introduction in 1984, the MR2 won the Car of the Year Japan.

As Toyota engineered the MR2 to accommodate a 2-liter engine, its primary features included its light body (as low as 950 kg in Japan and 1066 kg in the US), strong handling, and low-power small-displacement engine. The car is often referred to as the AW11, referring to the chassis code of the most common 1.6-liter, A-engined versions.

The MR2's suspension and handling were designed by Toyota with the help of Lotus engineer Roger Becker. Toyota's cooperation with Lotus during the prototype phase can be seen in the AW11, and it owes much to Lotus's sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s. Toyota's active suspension technology, called TEMS, was not installed. With five structural bulkheads, the MR2 was quite heavy for a two-seater of its size.

Toyota employed the naturally aspirated 4A-GE 1587 cc inline-four engine, a DOHC four-valve-per-cylinder motor, borrowed from the E80 series Corolla. This engine was also equipped with Denso electronic port fuel injection and T-VIS variable intake geometry, giving the engine a maximum power output of 112 hp in the US, 128 hp in the UK, 116 or in Europe (with or without catalytic converter), 118 hp in Australia and 130 PS in Japan. Japanese models were later detuned to 120 PS. A five-speed manual transmission was standard, with a four-speed automatic available as an option.

Road tests delivered 0–60 mph times in the mid- to high-8 second range and 1/4 mi times in the mid- to high-16 second range, significantly faster than the four-cylinder Pontiac Fiero or Fiat X1/9. In the home market, the AW10 base model was offered, which used the more economical 1452 cc 3A-U engine rated at 61 kW.

In 1986 (1988 for the US market), Toyota introduced a supercharged engine for the MR2. Based on the same block and head, the 4A-GZE was equipped with a small Roots-type supercharger and a Denso intercooler. T-VIS was eliminated and the compression ratio was lowered to 8:1. It produced 145 hp at 6,400 rpm and 19 kgm of torque at 4,400 rpm and accelerated the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 to 7.0 seconds. The supercharger was belt-driven but actuated by an electromagnetic clutch, so that it would not be driven except when needed, increasing fuel economy. Curb weight increased to as much as 2494 lb for supercharged models, due to the weight of the supercharger equipment and a new, stronger transmission. A fuel selector switch was also added in some markets, to allow the car to run on regular unleaded fuel if required. In addition to the new engine, the MR2 SC was also equipped with stiffer springs, and received special "tear-drop" aluminum wheels. The engine cover had two raised vents (only one of which was functional) that visually distinguished it from the naturally aspirated models. It was also labeled "SUPER CHARGER" on the rear trunk and body mouldings behind both doors. This model was never offered outside of the Japanese and North American markets, although some cars were privately imported to other countries.

Yearly changes

MK1a and MK1b are unofficial designations, but are frequently used by owners and vendors to distinguish between early production vehicles and later face-lifted models. While there are considerable differences detailed below, the most notable being that rear suspension components are not interchangeable between the MK1a and MK1b cars.

Original introduction
 * MK1a – June 1984 (MY 1985)

 * June 1985 (MY 1986)

 * Japanese model changes:
 * Supercharged model introduced, offered with four-speed A/T or five-speed M/T
 * T-bar roof option available
 * Color-keyed front lip and bumpers, side stripes, mudflaps, side skirts option now available
 * Mudflap removed for models equipped with "Aerodynamic Spoiler Package" as the side skirts are full-length along the side
 * Rear sunshade with TOYOTA logo above rear window added
 * Third brake light added
 * Leather interior option now available
 * Bigger 212 mm flywheel and clutch for naturally aspirated models
 * Rear anti-roll bar discontinued on North American models

 * MK1b Facelift – August 1986 (MY 1987)

 * Powertrain changes:
 * Naturally aspirated 4A-GE now upgraded with a "7-rib" structural design as well as larger 42 mm connecting rods. North American 4A-GE is also now rated at 115 hp.
 * Intake camshaft valve cover now has the "16 Valve" portion in red instead of blue (this is not to be confused with the smallport third generation 4A-GE where the intake camshaft cover lettering has the entire "Twin Cam 16 Valve" in red)
 * EGR port repositioned on exhaust manifold to prevent cracking
 * Revised manual transmission internals.
 * Air filter rerouted to the trunk and continues around the trunk towards the air vent on the opposite side of the engine bay.
 * Chassis changes:
 * Slight unibody changes
 * Radiator tilted back at an angle to force air down towards the bottom of the car
 * Revised rear suspension
 * Larger 258 mm front and 262 mm rear brake rotors
 * New tail lights (UK models retained old tail light design with different integrated reflector)
 * New front lip and front bumper
 * Radio antenna moved to rear right quarter panel for t-top/sunroof models
 * T-bar roof available in North America and Europe
 * Interior changes:
 * LHD models now have parking brake on the right side
 * New center console, center armrest
 * Glovebox lock
 * Double-din radio, rear speakers added to the upper C pillar
 * Door panels, three-spoke steering wheel, gauge cluster markings
 * Seat changed to single-color velour and perforations added for leather seats

 * 1987 (MY 1988)
 * Supercharged model available in North America
 * Color-coded side mirrors and new engine lid for supercharged models
 * Full-length side skirts now standard on all models
 * Heater water pipes changed from zinc-plated steel to brass

 * 1988 (MY 1989)
 * T-bar glass panels changed from smoked (clear) to mirrored (opaque)
 * Color-code door handle and side mirrors for all models
 * Incandescent third brake lamp replaced by LED strip integrated into the rear spoiler
 * More aerodynamic wing mirrors introduced, with optional power retract mechanism
 * North American supercharged models equipped with rear anti-roll bar

The changes in MY 1986 and MY 1987 occurred in parts. Instead of a drastic change in MY 1987 models for the above MK1b upgrades, some MK1a parts continued on in early MY 1987 cars while some MK1b parts came on MY 1986 cars as options. An example is that some MY 1987 cars still retained the old "flat" front bumper despite having MK1b upgrades everywhere else on the car. Some early MY 1987 7-rib engines came with the earlier blue top valve cover. This was also noticed in the rear sway bar removal for the MY 1986. Some MY 1986 cars have a rear sway bar, while the mounting tabs on the strut housing were either there for both sides, only one side, or none at all depending on when Toyota ran out of the older rear struts with mounting tabs as production used up parts.

Reception
American car magazines Road & Track and Car and Driver both chose the MR2 on their "ten best" car lists. The Australian Wheels magazine chose the 1988 MR2 as its favourite sports car. The MR2 was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1985. The MR2 was also on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1986 and 1987. In 2004, Sports Car International ranked the MR2 number eight on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

In 1988 and 1989 Toyota produced two final production runs of fully optioned "Super Edition" MR2s, based upon the supercharged Japanese market model, and only sold in Japan. The 1988 'Super Edition' was a run of 300 units, had white/gold two-tone paint, bronze glass, unique half-leather and half-cloth seats, along with a MOMO-commissioned steering wheel and gear knob. The 1989 model, a run of 270 units, featured a special Midnight Blue paint, the MOMO-commissioned steering wheel and gear knob, Recaro "Milano" seats with matching door panels. The 1989 model also benefited from some of the last G-Limited model options, such as the LED rear spoiler brake light and more aerodynamic wing mirrors. Both "Super Edition" models had unique decals on the rear visor and side stripes.

Toyota 222D rally car
While Toyota's front-engine, rear-drive Celica rally cars proved dominant in the African Group B rallies of the 1980s, they were at a disadvantage on the twistier European stages. Thus, Toyota Team Europe started a rally project in 1985, codenamed "222D" based on the MR2, for competition in Group S and potentially Group B. Though somewhat similar on the outside, it is clear that the prototype had very little in common with the production car although the two appear to share the same factory AW11 floor pan. Little else is known about the project as it never competed. With Group B cancelled in 1986, the proposed Group S regulations suffered the same fate, and the remaining prototypes were reduced to museum pieces and private collections. Supposedly eleven prototypes were made, of which eight were destroyed during testing, leaving only three known examples: Two in black, one stored at Toyota Gazoo's facility in Cologne and one sold to a private collector in 2017, one in white, with a 50mm lengthened wheelbase and a more production styled body located in Tokyo.

Although the 222D was still a prototype, it made it very far into development before Group B was canceled. Of the rumored eleven built, eight were destroyed in testing, indicating Toyota was considering bringing the 222D to competition. However, the short wheelbase proved to be a challenge during testing, as the 222D also suffered from enormous turbo lag (as did most of the competitive Group B cars), but paired with the extremely short wheel base made driving at speed almost impossible.Toyota Team Europe owner Ove Anderson describes: "you never knew what it was going to do. With such a short wheelbase and such power in such a light car it could swap ends at any time, and without any warning".

During a surprise appearance at the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Toyota drove and displayed a black 222D. The race-ready car weighed around 750 kg and its transverse-mounted, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine (what appears to be a 503E race engine, though other prototypes may have used the 4T-GTE) was reported to produce as much as 750 hp.

Second generation (W20; 1989–1999)
The MR2 went through a redesign in 1989 (though North America did not receive them until early 1990 as 1991 models). The new car was larger, weighed 350 to 400 lb more than its predecessor due to having a more luxurious and spacious cabin, larger engine sizes, sturdier transaxle, and a more durable suspension setup. The overall design of the automobile received more rounded, streamlined styling, with some calling the MR2 SW20 a "baby Ferrari" or "poor man's Ferrari" due to design cues similar to the Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS or Ferrari 348.

Like the AW11 before it, Toyota spent countless hours fine-tuning the handling capabilities of the SW20, seeking advice from professional race car drivers, including Dan Gurney of Formula One, NASCAR, and Le Mans fame.

When the AW11 was still in production and before the SW20 was officially shown to the public, several rumors were spreading stating that Toyota was building yet another mid-engine sports car, one that would have a 3.0-liter V6 engine that could directly compete with the 348, though this specific rumor was later shot down under the pretense that such a car would belong under the Lexus branding.

 * Japanese market trim levels:
 * 1) G with an NA 2.0L 3S-GE engine producing 165 PS; with an A/T standard and an optional M/T. The G was the base model of the SW20 line-up. Standard features included: manual steering, manual climate control but no air conditioning, electric mirror adjustment but manual folding, and fabric door/seat trim. The rear spoiler was optional.
 * 2) G-Limited with the NA 2.0L 3S-GE engine; an A/T was standard or an M/T was optional. The G-Limited was the higher-specification naturally aspirated SW20. Additional standard features: electric folding mirrors, power steering, steering fog lamps, and rear spoiler.
 * 3) GT-S with a turbocharged 2.0L 3S-GTE engine producing 221 PS; an M/T was the only choice. The GT-S had the same standard features as the G-Limited.
 * 4) GT with the turbocharged 2.0L 3S-GTE engine and manual transmission. The GT was considered as the luxury specification in the SW20 line-up and had alcantera/leather door and seat trim in addition to G-Limited standard features. All Japanese market cars came equipped with electronic climate control featuring 2 stage air conditioning.

 * European market trim levels:
 * 1) Coupe with the NA 2.0L 3S-FE engine producing 138 hp (not available with T-bar roof). This model had no rear spoiler or front fog lights
 * 2) GT-i Coupe with the NA 2.0L 3S-GE engine producing 158 PS.
 * 3) GT-i T-Bar with the NA 2.0L 3S-GE engine. Options included as standard were full leather seats/door cards and the premium 8 speaker audio system.
 * There were no turbo models officially offered to the European market; however, many Japanese models were sold via the grey market.

 * US market trim levels:
 * 1) MR2 with a NA 2.2L 5S-FE engine producing 130 hp and offered with a four-speed A/T or five-speed M/T.
 * 2) MR2 Turbo with a turbocharged 2.0L 3S-GTE engine producing 200 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 200 lbft at 3,200 rpm of torque, offered only with a 5-speed M/T (offered solely with the T-bar roof after early 1993).

Differences between the normally aspirated and turbocharged models include the "Turbo" emblem (US) on the rear trunk, 'TWIN CAM 16 TURBO' decal above the side intake (Japanese market), a fiberglass engine lid with raised vents, fog lights, and an added interior center storage compartment located between the two seats. All SW20 MR2s came with a staggered wheel setup, with wider wheels and tires in the rear than in the front.

Mechanical differences on the Turbo models include:
 * 3S-GTE engine with associated air-to-air intercooler and different exhaust configuration;
 * Stronger and heavier E153 gearbox with different ratios and stronger axles;
 * Larger fuel pump and radiator.
 * Models with 3S-GE and 3S-GTE engines had twin-piston front brake calipers. Models with the 5S-FE engine had only single-piston calipers.

The US market MR2 Turbo model was able to accelerate from 0–60 mph in 6.1 seconds and finish the 1/4 mile in 14.7 seconds.

The Revision 1 Turbo SW20 can pull 0.89g at the skidpad, with later revisions averaging 0.90g – 0.94.

Revision 2 cars were fitted with Yokohama A022s; coincidentally, the Honda NSX also uses a special variant of the A022.

A Japanese market Rev 3 GT-S Turbo was able to run the 1/4 mile in 13.1 seconds, beating out more expensive and higher powered automobiles such as the Honda NSX, Toyota Supra RZ, and even the Ferrari 348 TB.

Best Motoring, a popular Japanese automobile TV show, featured an episode that had them battle a factory stock Rev 5 GT-S Turbo versus other Japanese market contemporaries on the Tsukuba Circuit, with the MR2 winning the circuit race. In the rankings of personal bests, a Rev 2 GT-S was able to clock 1:08.00 at Tsukuba Circuit.

Revisions and model year changes
The second-generation MR2 underwent a variety of changes during its 10 years of production, grouped in four different periods:

Introduction of the new generation.
 * 1989 (Revision 1)

 * January 1992 (Revision 2, MY 1993)

 * Revised rear suspension with longer toe links
 * Revised front suspension which removed castor angle adjustment
 * Larger front lip
 * 15-inch wheels and wider tires on all models (Front: 195/55/15, Rear: 225/50/15)
 * Larger brakes (turbo only in US market, All cars for Japanese and European markets)
 * Shorter shift lever and smaller knob
 * Viscous LSD option (turbo only)
 * Upgraded transmission synchronizers
 * US turbo models now only sold with T-bar roof (except for a few sold in early 1993)
 * Canadian sales cease after 1993
 * EBFD and TC added as options on Japanese market models

 * November 1993 (Revision 3, MY 1994–1995)
 * European & Japanese market 3S-GE now rated at 173 hp
 * Japanese market 3S-GTE (Gen 3) now rated at 245 PS
 * American market 5S-FE now rated at 135 hp.
 * American market Turbo models retained the Gen 2 3S-GTE.
 * Round "Kouki" tail lights
 * Prior 3-piece rear wing replaced with revised one-piece
 * Color-coded center panel, front lip, and side skirts.
 * Passenger airbag (not available for the Japanese market)
 * Viscous LSD added as standard in Japanese market Turbo models
 * Japanese market E153 gearbox revised with upgraded synchros
 * Cruise control no longer an option on Japanese market models
 * Upgrades made to ABS system, which now induced an acceleration sensor located behind the gear stick
 * Upgrades to electronic power steering system (EHPS) to boost assist at low speeds and reduce assist at high speeds
 * Strengthening pieces added to rear strut towers
 * American sales cease in 1995; turbo models are not offered in California-emission states after 1994

 * June 1996 (Revision 4, MY 1996–1997)
 * Fender mounted turn signals on all models
 * 5-spoke alloy wheels featured diamond cut faces
 * Passenger airbag added as an option in Japanese market
 * Revisions to ABS system
 * European 3S-GE down-rated to 168 hp due to the introduction of EGR.
 * Unavailable in North America

Revision 5 : 1998–1999 Model (Introduced Nov-1997):

 * Clear fender mounted turn signals
 * New 15-inch wheels featuring narrower spokes
 * Adjustable rear spoiler, revised from the earlier versions
 * Red rings around gauges, red stitching on leather-wrapped shift knob (and on leather seats on turbos)
 * Japan receives the new BEAMS 3S-GE rated at 200 PS

Changes to the suspension geometry, tire sizes and power steering in January 1992 (MY 1993) were made in response to journalist reports that the MR2 was prone to "snap-oversteer". As a counterpoint to the snap-oversteer phenomenon of the MR2, other journalists point out that most mid-engine and rear-engine sports and super cars exhibit similar behaviour, and that a change to the driver's response to oversteer is really the solution. In any car, braking shifts the weight forward, and acceleration to the rear. When drivers enter a corner with too much speed, and lift the throttle mid-corner, the weight transfers forward causing the rear tires to lose traction (called lift-off oversteer), which can result in a spin. When improper steering inputs were made attempting to correct this non-power-on oversteer, the rear of the MR2 would swing one way, then wildly (and quickly) the other—thus the term "snap" oversteer. Toyota elected to change the MR2 suspension and tires to reduce the likelihood that this would occur, though many drivers would lament the change and claim that it "neutered" the sharp edge the MR2 was known for. Toyota claimed that the changes were made "for drivers whose reflexes were not those of Formula One drivers".

TRD2000GT

In 1998, Toyota Racing Development offered an official kit body conversion and tuning program for MR2 owners to transform their existing SW20 MR2 into a wide-body TRD2000GT replica car. This was to pay homage to the TRD2000GT wins in the GT-C Japanese racing series, since the TRD2000GT racing series cars were based on the SW20 floor pan. The TRD2000GT body kit widened the MR2 by a total of 4 inch. Prior to MR2s being fitted with the TRD2000GT body kit, TRD had its customers select which additional engine, suspension, wheel, and interior upgrades they wanted. For this reason, no two TRD2000GT MR2s are alike. It is rumored that at least one was built to produce up to 500 bhp whereas some others had few modifications to their engines.

In order to ensure exclusivity, a high price tag was charged and total of just 35 factory car conversions were completed by Toyota Technocraft Ltd. Each official Technocraft-converted car was made using lightweight fiberglass components (front fenders, trunk lid extension, rear quarter panels, gas door, front and rear bumpers, 3-piece wing) and re-classified as completely new cars (with their own specially numbered TRD VIN plate riveted to the body to indicate their authenticity and rarity).

The Toyota Technocraft Ltd. TRD2000GT had a 60 mm wider front and rear track (due to the addition of wider wheels and tires). Virtually every car converted also had other TRD parts fitted too, including extensive changes to both the suspension and engine. Most cars left the factory making more power due to TRD bolt-ons, some cars even left the factory boasting up to 500 PS and less than 1100 kg (2425 lb) for a very impressive power-to-weight ratio. While TRD Japan only offered a small number of kits with all body parts required for third-party conversion, Toyota Technocraft Ltd. offered complete car conversions.

Apart from the cars listed on the TRD2000GT register it is unknown how many original Toyota Technocraft Ltd. cars still exist today, but it is rumored that approximately 10 conversion kits were imported from TRD Japan into the US for conversions. In many respects, the extended body can be compared to that of a Porsche 911 Slantnose modification. The car's width is extended and body dimensions dramatically changing the car's overall visuals. Very little is known about these cars outside Japan.

TOM'S T020

Apart from Toyota Racing Development, TOM'S also released official body kits and a variety of tuning parts for the MR2. The "T020" as it was called, was powered by a naturally aspirated 2.2L stroked 3S-GE that produced 175 kW at 6,800 rpm, this was due to more aggressive "F3" cams, a stroker kit, better intake flow with the aid of the "TOM'S Hyper Induction Carbon" intake kit, and an upgraded exhaust system labeled the "TOM'S Barrel", a lightened flywheel was also equipped to help the engine rev easier. The T020 also featured a more race-oriented suspension/chassis set up via camber kits, upgraded tie-rods, strut bars, roll center adjusters, stiffer springs, race shock absorbers, and sports brake pads. These modifications lowered the vehicle's center of gravity for increased agility and stability while cornering, and combined with the engine modifications enabling the T020 to accelerate from 0–60 mph in 4.9 seconds, in turn further made the SW20 chassis a much more capable track machine. A sportier look was given to the vehicle as well through engine scoops, side skirts, a Ferrari 348-esque rear light grille, forged wheels, revised bumper designs, and a larger rear spoiler.

Though undeniably still an MR2, the T020 was in all essence a more refined automobile, as is the nature of any TOM'S outfitted vehicle. Whilst the T020 was a normally aspirated vehicle, TOM'S also produced equipment for turbocharged models — e.g. wastegates, boost controllers, air filters, a 3S-GTE version of their "TOM'S Barrel" exhaust system, and "T.E.C. II" Engine Control Units. Despite the fact that these products are no longer purchasable brand new, some of these modification parts may still be procured as second-hand items, and are highly sought after by the MR2 community. TOM'S still keeps a T020 part list on their website, and there are still T020 part catalogues in circulation between enthusiasts to this day, albeit second-hand.

SW20 Spider
Between 1996 and 1999, Toyota TechnoCraft (TTC) produced 88 or 91 SW20 MR2 Spider convertible conversions. These cars featured a retractable cloth softtop roof and exclusive wingless trunk and engine lids. Most Spiders had automatic transmissions, naturally aspirated engines, and Lucerne Silver paint with blue side mouldings and black and blue accented cloth seats. The Toyota name and logo were not applied to these cars due to concerns about roof leaks.

Aftermarket
During its production, the SW20 enjoyed a myriad of tuning parts from Japanese tuners such as HKS, Blitz, Phoenix Power, etc. While some companies only offered aesthetic modifications for the SW20, others such as Phoenix Power offered modifications such as a tuned ECU, longblock modifications, and a trunk-mounted intercooler combined with a T04R Turbocharger. The Phoenix Power MR2 also featured a large rear wing reminiscent of the 911 (993) GT2 for increased downforce at high speeds, and a reworked suspension set up with Öhlins equipment. Japanese tuner Border Racing, made available several parts as well, consisting mostly of parts that improved the car's suspension geometry, namely roll-center adapters, extended tie rods, etc., though they have also produced intercooler kits for the car and several interior pieces. AP Racing at a time also produced a brake kit as well for the MR2, but this has been discontinued. Performance parts manufacturer JUN offered engine upgrades for the MR2's 3S-GTE engine which came in the form of stroker kits, which were co-developed with Cosworth, and also offered lightened flywheels, cam gears, and camshafts.

Reception
The SW20 garnered generally favorable reviews during its production life, with various sources complimenting the styling, power, and responsive handling. Car and Driver noted the revised SW20's braking capabilities to be superb, stating that 70 mph to standstill could be done in 157 feet, rivaling that of the Honda NSX. Former Top Gear host and racing driver Tiff Needell commends the SW20's handling having said that it "encourages you to drive with enthusiasm" in a review back in 1990. He does note however, that the sudden transition from understeer to oversteer may be startling for some people.

The car is infamously known for its "snap-oversteer" phenomenon. This notoriety comes from numerous instances where individuals crash their SW20s either on or off the race track due to inexperience with a mid-ship platform, as MR layouts handle very differently in comparison to the more common FF or even FR layouts. Even in its revised state from January 1992, the SW20 still has a large enough following to be labeled as a very challenging car to push to its limits, with some labeling it as "the most dangerous car that you can buy". Such a label may be true as MR2s are relatively cheaper than most automobiles with an MR platform (Honda NSX, Ferrari F355, Lotus Elise) and that it is readily available to most people.

Motorsport (W20)

Early in the 1990s, the SW20 enjoyed considerable success throughout the world. Several teams fielded the MR2 in the Swiss Touring Car Championship, as well as in the South-East Asian Supercar Championship, with much success. The chassis was also used for a time during the mid 90s in the Fuji Freshman Series in Japan in which the SW20 succeeded the earlier AE86 chassis. , both the SW20 and ZZW30 chassis are used in 750 Motor Club's MR2 Championship in the UK which started in the early 2000s.

SARD MC8-R
SARD (Sigma Advanced Research Development) built a heavily modified and lengthened version of the SW20 for GT racing called the SARD MC8-R. It used a heavily modified MR2 frontal chassis with a custom rear chassis made to fit a twin-turbo version of the 4.0-liter 1UZ-FE V8 producing 600 bhp. This is the first car which only used the frontal chassis of a production car and was effectively a purpose-built semi-sports-prototype that successfully got GT1 homologation. The overall construction method of this car (a heavily modified production car frontal chassis with race-built rear chassis combined into a style of semi-prototype) inspired Porsche to make 911 GT1 homologation specials which dominates the GT1, and foreshadowed the cancellation of GT1.

Japanese Grand Touring Championship (now Super GT)
With JGTC being the highest form of sports car racing in Japan, many manufacturers and private teams alike spent countless hours of research and development into perfecting their respective chassis. Toyota would enter their premier production cars, namely the Celica, MR2, and Supra. Unlike the experimental MC8-R, the MR2 JGTC shared more qualities chassis wise to the road-going production car, though it had a lower ride height than the standard SW20s, was wider, featured advanced aerodynamics and Brembo racing brakes. While it kept the MacPherson suspension setup from the road car, these components too were heavily modified (strut towers were more inward). The standard E153 5-speed transmission was swapped out for a race sequential transmission, which was mated to a race-spec version of the 3S-GTE engine. With the car's interior gutted, the intercooler was placed in the forward section of the vehicle with pipes travelling to and fro inside the cabin, as opposed to in the engine bay as a "side-mount" in production MR2s. Having won back to back in the years 1998 to 1999 against arguably more sophisticated race cars such as the BMW M3, Porsche 911, Ferrari F355, Toyota has proven that the SW20 chassis was competitive enough for top level sports car racing.

1998
 * Team Taisan Jr. with Tsuchiya campaigned a MR2 #25 powered by the factory 3S-GTE powerplant in the 1998 JGTC season. Keiichi Suzuki and Shingo Tachi drove an amazing five GT300 victories out of six races (as the Fuji Speedway race was cancelled due to inclement weather and several accidents), winning the teams' and drivers' championship for GT300 accumulating a total of 106 points. Their #25 MR2 also participated and won the "All-Star race" at the end of the year.

1999
 * For following year, Team Taisan Jr. moved to a Porsche chassis in GT300, while MOMOCORSE A'PEX Racing Team with Tsuchiya campaigned a crimson MR2 and won both teams' and drivers' championships. Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi drove to one victory, two 2nd places, and one third place to secure the teams' championship, with Nitta winning the drivers' championship by just one point over the Nismo Silvia that was driven by Takeshi Tsuchiya and Yuji Ide. Momocorse Racing would move to the MR-S chassis for the 2000 season, marking the end of the SW20's participation in JGTC.

Land speed record
In 1992, Dennis Aase, a member of Toyota's American factory team, became the first driver to achieve over 200 mph in the cars class as he took his SW20 to a 211.071 mph average. The car posted 203 and 218.765 mph on the two opposing runs required for the record.

The car, which previously saw action at the Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship by P. J. Jones, ran with a boost of 1.1 bar with changes to the intake and exhaust systems and the cam timing, output a maximum of 487 hp. The car ran with its stock body apart minus wing mirrors and wiper blades. His attempt at improving his record the following year was thwarted by poor weather.

, the G/BGT record (Class G, Blown Grand Touring Sports or 2 Liter production turbo-charged GT) still stands.

Third generation (W30; 1999–2007)
The third-generation MR2 was marketed as the Toyota MR-S in Japan, Toyota MR2 Spyder in the US and Australia, and the Toyota MR2 Roadster in Europe, except for France and Belgium, where it was marketed as the Toyota MR Roadster.

Also known as the Midship Runabout-Sports, the newest MR2 took a different approach than its predecessor, most obviously becoming a convertible and receiving the 'Spyder' marketing nomenclature.

The first prototype of MR-S appeared in 1997 at the Tokyo Motor Show. The MR2 Spyder chief engineer Harunori Shiratori said, "First, we wanted true driver enjoyment, blending good movement, low inertia, and lightweight. Then, a long wheelbase to achieve high stability and fresh new styling; a mid-engine design to create excellent handling and steering without the weight of the engine upfront; a body structure as simple as possible to allow for easy customizing, and low cost to the consumer."

The only engine available for the ZZW30 was the all-aluminum alloy 1ZZ-FED, a 1794 cc inline-four engine. Like its predecessors, it used DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder. The intake camshaft timing was adjustable via the VVT-i system, which was introduced earlier on the 1998 MR2 in some markets. Unlike its predecessors, however, the engine was placed onto the car the other way round, with the exhaust manifold towards the rear of the car instead of towards the front. The maximum power of 138 bhp at 6,400 rpm and 126 lbft of torque at 4,400 rpm was quite a drop from the previous generation, but thanks to the lightness of the car it could still move quite quickly, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 to 8.7 seconds depending on the transmission option, the SMT being unable to launch and shift as quickly as the conventional manual transmission. Curb weight is 2195 lb for manual transmission models.

In addition to the 5-speed manual transmission, a 6-speed manual and 5-speed SMT were made available starting in 2002. A form of automated manual transmission, the SMT has no conventional H-pattern shift lever nor clutch pedal. The driver shifts gears by tapping the shift lever forward or backward or by pressing steering-wheel-mounted buttons. Clutch engagement is automated, and the system modulates the throttle on downshifts, matching engine speed to transmission speed seamlessly. The system prioritizes clutch life over shift speed, hence shifts and launches are slower and gentler than those a human driver can perform using a conventional manual transmission, hindering rapid acceleration somewhat. Unlike similar systems offered in contemporary sports cars, the SMT lacks a fully automated mode emulating an automatic transmission. The SMT automatically shifts to second (in the 6-speed) and then first gear when stopping (5-speed only shifts automatically down to 1st). The SMT was a standard feature in the Australian market; however, air conditioning was optional. Torsen LSD was also standard on Australian delivered cars. After 2003, a 6-speed SMT was an option. Cruise control was never offered with the manual transmission but was standard for SMT-equipped cars (cruise control was not standard in Australia). Some collectors prefer the SMT over the standard 5-speed manual transmission because in top gear at 60mph the SMT spins at 2,780 rpm instead of 3,000 rpm for the 5-speed manual at 60 mph – making it slightly quieter and giving better economy, even with the extra weight. In Australia, SMT-equipped cars had the same 4.3 short-ratio final-drive as the manual versions in other markets. The drawback to the SMT is slower acceleration (due to delayed gear changes) and very few technicians actually understand the more complex system, making repairs costly.

The MR2 Spyder featured a heated glass rear window. A hardtop was also available from Toyota in Japan and Europe.

Yearly changes
The MR-S was introduced in October 1999 to the Japanese market in three trim levels: the "B", the "Standard", and the "S". The "S" trim level included power windows, locks, mirrors, AM/FM/CD radio, cloth seats, tilt steering wheel, and alloy wheels.
 * October 1999 (MY 2000)

In March 2000, the car was introduced into the United States and Europe as a "monospec" level, which included the same features as Japan's "S" trim level. In October 2000 the car was introduced in Australia as a 5-speed SMT only.

 * 2001 (MY 2002)
 * 5-speed SMT introduced in the US.

 * 2002 (MY 2003)
 * New paint colors
 * New front and rear fascias, standard fog lights, power antennae, and color-matched side air intakes
 * 16-inch rear wheels with larger tires
 * New seats, slight changes to the gauge cluster and interior
 * SMT now has six forward gears and faster shifting
 * New springs, dampers, and a new underbody brace

 * 2003 (MY 2004)

 * Torsen (helical) limited-slip differential available as an option (C65-01B transmission)
 * Strengthened unibody for crash intrusion protection (resulting in 10 kg greater curb weight)
 * Ride height increased approximately 1 inch in all markets

 * 2004 (MY 2005)
 * 6-disc in-dash CD player standard
 * Last year of sales in North America

 * 2006 (MY 2007)
 * Last year of sales
 * Special "V-Edition" and "TF300" editions sold only in the United Kingdom.
 * Some of Final Edition have Burgundy soft top.

Performance and handling

The feedback for the new model was somewhat mixed. Some liked its new design concept, while fans of the SW20 would've liked it to continue along the path of the previous model. All agreed, however, that the ZZW30 had nearly perfect handling. The ZZW30 is considered to be the best-handling MR2 in both overall limit and controllability. For example, Tiff Needell, a very experienced race driver and the former host of the BBC television series Top Gear, praised the handling of the ZZW30. Although some complained of the relative lack of power, many owners have opted to switch out the 1ZZ-FE engine in exchange for the 192 PS 2ZZ-GE.

Productions numbers
These are the MR2 Spyder production numbers (of North American sales figures only).
 * 2000: 7,233
 * 2001: 6,750
 * 2002: 5,109
 * 2003: 3,249
 * 2004: 2,800
 * 2005: 780
 * Total: 27,941

The end of the Spyder
In July 2004, Toyota announced that sales of the MR2 (as well as the Celica) would be discontinued in the US at the end of the 2005 model year because of lower sales numbers. The ZZW30 sold 7,233 units in its debut year, falling to just 901 for the 2005 model, for a total of 27,941 through its six years of production in the US. The 2005 model year was the last year of the MR2 in the US. While the MR2 Spyder was not sold after 2005 in the US, it still was offered in Japan, Mexico, and Europe until production of the car ceased permanently in July 2007.

VM180 Zagato
The Toyota VM180 Zagato was designed by Zagato, based on the MR-S, and built at Toyota Modelista International for sale in Japan only through the Toyota Vista dealer network. It was first shown on 10 January 2001 in Tokyo and then at the February 2001 Geneva Motor Show. The body panels are attached to the original MR-S chassis, as can be seen by the recess around the door handles. The stock engine was tuned to produce 155 bhp.

V-Edition
As a farewell to the MR2, Toyota produced 1000 limited-production V-Edition cars for Japan and the UK. They are distinguished by different color wheels, titanium interior accents, minor body changes, a helical limited-slip differential, and different steering wheel trim.

TF300
Also for the model year 2007, the United Kingdom received 300 models in a special numbered TF300 series. A special 182 bhp turbocharged variant called the TTE Turbo (TTE standing for Toyota Team Europe) was available as a dealer-installed package. This package was also available for fitting to customer MR2s.

Super GT

Between 2000 and 2008, several teams campaigned the MR-S in Super GT (known as JGTC prior to the 2004 season).

 * In 2002, Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi shared the GT300 drivers' championship in the ARTA MR-S.
 * Team Reckless's MR-S won both the drivers' and teams' championships in 2005, driven by Kota Sasaki and Tetsuya Yamano.
 * For 2007, Kazuya Oshima and Hiroaki Ishiura shared the drivers' championship in the Toy Story APR MR-S, with wins at Okayama and Sepang, but lost the teams' championship by six points to the Mooncraft Shiden prototype racer of team Privée Kenzo Asset Shiden.

The future
On March 8, 2017, automotive website and magazine Evo revealed that Toyota has expressed a desire for a performance range of cars whose core has been referred to as "the Three Brothers" by Tetsuya Tada, chief of Toyota Gazoo Racing. This includes a lightweight mid-engined sports car, rumored to be a spiritual, if not direct, successor to the MR2.

title: Toyota MR2


text:
The Book of the Duchess

The Book of the Duchess, also known as The Deth of Blaunche, is the earliest of Chaucer's major poems, preceded only by his short poem, "An ABC", and possibly by his translation of The Romaunt of the Rose. Based on the themes and title of the poem, most sources put the date of composition after 12 September 1368 (when Blanche of Lancaster died) and before 1372, with many recent studies privileging a date as early as the end of 1368.

Overwhelming (if disputed) evidence suggests that Chaucer wrote the poem to commemorate the death of Blanche of Lancaster, wife of John of Gaunt. The evidence includes handwritten notes from Elizabethan antiquary John Stow indicating that the poem was written at John of Gaunt's request. There are repeated instances of the word "White", which is almost certainly a play on "Blanche". In addition, at the end of the poem there are references to a "long castel", suggesting the house of Lancaster (line 1,318) and a "ryche hil" as John of Gaunt was earl of Richmond (mond=hill) (line 1,319) and the narrator swears by St. John, which is the name of John of Gaunt's saint.

Plot summary
At the beginning of the poem, the sleepless poet, who has suffered from an unexplained sickness for eight years (line 37), lies in his bed, reading a book. A collection of old stories, the book tells the story of Ceyx and Alcyone. The story tells of how Ceyx lost his life at sea, and how Alcyone, his wife, mourned his absence. Unsure of his fate, she prays to the goddess Juno to send her a dream vision. Juno sends a messenger to Morpheus to bring the body of Ceyx with a message to Alcyone.

The messenger finds Morpheus and relays Juno's orders. Morpheus finds the drowned Ceyx and bears him to Alcyone three hours before dawn. The deceased Ceyx instructs Alcyone to bury him and to cease her sorrow, and when Alcyone opens her eyes Ceyx has gone.

The poet stops relaying the story of Ceyx and Alcyone and reflects that he wished that he had a god such as Juno or Morpheus so that he could sleep like Alcyone. He then describes the lavish bed he would gift to Morpheus should the god discover his location. Lost in the book and his thoughts, the poet suddenly falls asleep with the book in his hands. He states that his dream is so full of wonder that no man may interpret it correctly. He begins to relay his dream.

The poet dreams that he wakes in a chamber with windows of stained glass depictions of the tale of Troy and walls painted with the story of The Romance of the Rose. He hears a hunt, leaves the chamber, and inquires who is hunting. The hunt is revealed to be that of Octavian. The dogs are released and the hunt begins, leaving behind the poet and a small dog that the poet follows into the forest. The poet stumbles upon a clearing and finds a knight dressed in black composing a song for the death of his lady. The poet asks the knight the nature of his grief. The knight replies that he had played a game of chess with Fortuna, and lost his queen and was checkmated. The poet takes the message literally and begs the black knight not to become upset over a game of chess.

The knight begins the story of his life, reporting that for his entire life he had served Love, but that he had waited to set his heart on a woman for many years until he met one lady who surpassed all others. The knight speaks of her surpassing beauty and temperament and reveals that her name was "good, fair White". The poet, still not understanding the metaphorical chess game, asks the black knight to finish the story and explain what was lost. The knight tells the story of his fumbling declaration of love and the long time it took for the love to be reciprocated and that they were in perfect harmony for many years. Still the narrator does not understand, and asks the whereabouts of White. The knight finally blurts out that White is dead. The poet realises what has occurred as the hunt ends and the poet awakes with his book still in hand. He reflects on the dream and decides that his dream is so wonderful that it should be set into rhyme.

Editions

 * Geoffrey Chaucer, Dream Visions and Other Poems: Authoritative Texts, Contexts, Criticism, ed. by Kathryn L. Lynch (New York: Norton, 2007), pp. 3-37.
 * 'The Book of the Duchess', ed. by Colin Wilcockson, in The Riverside Chaucer, ed. by Larry D. Benson, third edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), pp. 329–46
 * Geoffrey Chaucer, The Book of the Duchess, ed. by Helen Phillips, Durham and St. Andrews Medieval Texts, 3 (Durham: Durham and St. Andrews Medieval Texts, 1982), ISBN 0950598925
 * 'Book of the duchesse', in The complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer, ed. by Walter William Skeat (London: Oxford University Press, 1937), pp. 83–96.

Translations

 * Book of the Duchess: Geoffrey Chaucer, Fourteenth Century Middle English Verse, trans. by Richard Scott-Robinson (2016)
 * Geoffrey Chaucer, The Dream Poems and Other Works, trans. by A. S. Kline (2008)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: The Book of the Duchess


text:
Ilya Repin

Ilya Yefimovich Repin (5 August 1844 – 29 September 1930) was a Ukrainian-born Russian painter. He became one of the most renowned artists in Russia in the 19th century. His major works include Barge Haulers on the Volga (1873), Religious Procession in Kursk Province (1880–1883), Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan (1885); and Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks (1880–1891). He is also known for the revealing portraits he made of the leading Russian literary and artistic figures of his time, including Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky, Pavel Tretyakov, and especially Leo Tolstoy, with whom he had a long friendship.

Repin was born in Chuguev, in Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire. His father had served in an Uhlan Regiment in the Russian army, and then sold horses. Repin began painting icons at age sixteen. He failed at his first effort to enter the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg, but went to the city anyway in 1863, audited courses, and won his first prizes in 1869 and 1871. In 1872, after a tour along the Volga River, he presented his drawings at the Academy of Art in St. Petersburg. The Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich awarded him a commission for a large scale painting, The Barge Haulers of the Volga, which launched his career. He spent two years in Paris and Normandy, seeing the first Impressionist expositions and learning the techniques of painting in the open air.

He suffered one setback in 1885 when his history portrait of Ivan the Terrible killing his own son in a rage caused a scandal, resulting in the painting being removed from exhibition. But this was followed by a series of major successes and new commissions. In 1898, with his second wife, he purchased a country house, The Penates, in Kuokkala, Finland (now Repino, Saint Petersburg), close to St. Petersburg, where they entertained Russian society.

In 1905, following the repression of street demonstrations by the Imperial government, he quit his teaching position at the Academy of Fine Arts. He welcomed the February Revolution in 1917, but was appalled by the violence and terror unleashed by the Bolsheviks following the October Revolution. In 1917, Russia lost control over the Grand Duchy of Finland, leading to the full independence of Finland. Following this event, Ilya Repin was unable to travel to St. Petersburg (renamed Leningrad), even for an exhibition of his own works in 1925. Repin died on 29 September 1930, at the age of 86, and was buried at the Penates. His home is now a museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Early life and work
Repin was born on 24 July 1844 in the town of Chuguev, in the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire, in the heart of the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. His father, Yefim Vasilyevich Repin (1804—1894) served in an Uhlan Regiment of the Imperial Russian Army. He fought in the Russo-Persian War (1826–1828), the Russo-Turkish War (1828–29) and the Hungarian campaign (1849). When his father retired from the army, after twenty-seven years of service, he became an itinerant merchant selling horses.

Repin's mother, Tatiana Stepanovna Repina (née Bocharova) (1811—1880), was also the daughter of a soldier. She had family ties to noblemen and officers; the Repins had six children and were moderately well-off. In 1855, at the age of eleven, he was enrolled at the local school where his mother taught. He showed a talent for drawing and painting, and when he was thirteen, his father enrolled him in the workshop of Ivan Bunakov, an icon painter. He restored old icons and painted portraits of local notables. At the age of sixteen, his skill was recognized, and he became a member of an artel, or cooperative of artists, the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, which traveled around Voronezh province to paint icons and wall paintings.

Repin had much higher ambitions. In October 1863 he competed for admission to the Imperial Academy of Arts in the capital, Saint Petersburg. He failed in his first attempt, but persevered, rented a small room in the city, and took courses in academic drawing. In January 1864 he succeeded and was allowed, without fee, to attend classes.

At the academy he met the painter Ivan Kramskoi, who became his professor and mentor. When Kramskoi founded the first independent union of Russian artists, Repin became a member. In 1869 he was awarded a gold medal second-class for his painting Job and His Brothers. He met the influential critic Vladimir Stasov and painted a portrait of Vera Shevtsova, his own future wife.

First success
In 1870, with two other artists, Repin traveled to the Volga River to sketch landscapes and studies of barge haulers (The Repin House in Tolyatti and the Repin Museum on the Volga commemorate this visit). When he returned to Saint Petersburg, the quality of his Volga boatmen drawings won him a commission from Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich for a large scale painting on the subject. The painting, Barge Haulers on the Volga was completed in 1873. The following year he was awarded a gold medal first-class for his painting The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus

In May 1872 he married Vera Alexeievna Shevtsova. (1855-1917). She joined him on his travels, including a trip to Samara, where their first child, Vera, was born. They had three other children; Nadia, Yuri, and Tatyana. The marriage was difficult, as Repin had numerous affairs, while Vera cared for the children. They were married for fifteen years.

In an 1872 letter to Stasov, Repin wrote: "Now it is the peasant who is the judge and so it is necessary to represent his interests. (That is just the thing for me, since I am myself, as you know, a peasant, the son of a retired soldier who served twenty-seven hard years in Nicholas I's army.)" In 1873 Repin traveled to Italy and France with his family. His second daughter, Nadezhda, was born in 1874.

Paris and Normandy
Repin's painting Barge Haulers of the Volga, shown at the Vienna International Exposition, brought him his first International attention. It also earned him a grant from the Academy of Fine Arts which allowed him to make an extended tour of several months to Austria, then Italy, and finally in 1873, to Paris. He rented an apartment in Montmartre at 13 rue Veron, and a small attic studio under a mansard roof at number 31 on the same street.

He remained in Paris for two years. He described his subjects as "the principal types of Parisians, in the most typical settings." He painted the street markets and boulevards of Paris, and especially the varied faces and costumes of the Parisians of every class. His major Russian work created in Paris was Sadko (1876), a mystical allegory of an undersea kingdom, which included elements of Art Nouveau. He gave the young heroine a Russian face, surrounded by a strange and exotic setting. He wrote to his friend the civic Stasov: "This idea describes my present situation, and perhaps, the situation of all of our Russian art". In 1876, His Sadko painting won him a place in the Russian Academy of Fine Arts.

He was in Paris in April 1874, when the First Impressionist Exhibition was held. In 1875, he wrote to Stasov about "The liberty of the "impressionalists", Manet, Monet et the others, and their infantile truthfulness." In 1876 He painted a portrait of his wife Vera in the exact style of Berthe Morisot's portrait by Édouard Manet. as a tribute to Manet and Morisot. Though he admired some impressionist techniques, especially their depictions of light and color, he felt their work lacked moral or social purpose, key factors in his own art.

Following the ideas of the Impressionists, he spent two months at Veules-les-Roses in Normandy, painting landscapes in the open air. In 1874–1876 he contributed to the Salon in Paris. In 1876 he wrote to the secretary of the Russian academy of arts: "You told me not to become "Francified." What are you saying? I dream only of returning to Russia and working seriously. But Paris was of great utility to me, it can't be denied."

Moscow and "The Wanderers" (1876–1885)
Repin returned to Russia in 1876. His son Yury was born the following year. He moved to Moscow that year, and produced a wide variety of works including portraits of the painters Arkhip Kuindzhi and Ivan Shishkin. He became involved with the "Wanderers", an artistic movement founded in St. Petersburg in 1863. The style of the Wanderers was resolutely realistic, patriotic, and politically engaged, determined to break with classical models and to create a specifically Russian art. It involved not only painters, but sculptors, writers and composers.

Repin created a series of major historical works, including the Religious Procession in Kursk Governorate (1883), which was presented at the 12th annual exposition of the Wanderers. It was notable both for its extraordinary crowd of realistic figures, including surly policemen, weary monks, children and beggars, each expressing a vivid personality. He also experimented with outdoor sunlight effects, apparently influenced by the impressionists and his outdoor studies in France. His next major work of this period was Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan. This painting, depicting the tsar, his face full of horror, just after he has killed his son with his sceptre in a demented rage. It caused a scandal. Some critics saw it as a veiled criticism of Tsar Alexander III, who had brutally suppressed the opposition after a failed assassination attempt. It was also attacked by the more aesthetic faction of the Wanderers, who considered it overly sensationalist. It was vandalised twice and was finally, at the tsar's request, removed from view. The tsar reconsidered his decision, and the painting was finally put back on view.

The portrait of the Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna is one of his most tragic historical works. It depicts The daughter of Tsar Alexis who became regent of Russia after the death of her father, but then was deposed from power in 1689 and locked away in a convent by her half-brother, Peter the Great. The painting captures her fury as she realises her future life.

"They Did Not Expect Him". (1884-1888),(Tretyakov Gallery) is a notable and subtle historical work of the period, depicting a young man, a former "narodniki" or revolutionary, emaciated and frail from prison and exile, returning unexpectedly to his family. The story is told by the different expressions on the faces of his family and small details, such as the portraits of Tsar Alexander III and of favourite Russian poets on the wall.

Repin and Tolstoy
In 1880 Lev Tolstoy came to Repin's small studio on Bolshoi Trubny street in Moscow to introduce himself. This developed into a friendship between the 36-year-old painter and the 52-year-old writer that lasted thirty years until Tolstoy's death in 1910. Repin regularly visited Tolstoy at his Moscow residence, and his country estate at Yasnaya Polyana. He painted a series of portraits of Tolstoy in peasant dress, working and reading under a tree at Yasnaya Polyana. Tolstoy wrote of an 1887 visit by Repin: "Repin came to see me and painted a fine portrait. I appreciate him more and more; he is lively person, approaching the light to which all of us aspire, including us poor sinners." His last trip to see Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana was in 1907, when Tolstoy was 79. Despite his age, Tolstoy went horseback riding with Repin, ploughed fields, cleared paths of brush and hiked through the countryside for nine hours, all the while discussing philosophy and morals. Repin's portraits of Tolstoy in country dress were widely exhibited, and helped build Tolstoy's legendary image.

Repin and Russian composers
In addition to his portraits of Tolstoy and Russian writers, Repin painted portraits of the major Russian composers of his time, His images, like his paintings of Tolstoy and other writers, became an integral part of the image of these composers. His portrait of Modest Moussorgsky was particularly famous. The composer suffered from alcoholism and depression. Repin painted him in four sittings, beginning four days before his death. When Moussorgsky died, Repin used the proceeds of the sale of the painting to erect a monument to the composer.

His portrait of Mikhail Glinka, composer of the opera "Ruslan and Ludmilla" (1887) was an unusual work for Repin. it was painted after Glinka's death; Repin never met him, and based on drawings and recollections of others. Other composers painted by Repin included Alexander Glazunov who had just completed Borodin's opera "Prince Igor", and Anton Rubinstein the founder of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory of Music.

His third daughter, Tatyana, was born in 1880. He frequented the art circle of Savva Mamontov, which gathered at Abramtsevo, his estate near Moscow. Here Repin met many of the leading painters of the day, including Vasily Polenov, Valentin Serov, and Mikhail Vrubel. In 1882 he and Vera divorced; they maintained a friendly relationship afterwards.

Repin's contemporaries often commented on his special ability of capturing peasant life in his works. In an 1876 letter to Stasov, Kramskoi wrote: "Repin is capable of depicting the Russian peasant exactly as he is. I know many artists who have painted peasants, some of them very well, but none of them ever came close to what Repin does." Leo Tolstoy later stated that Repin "depicts the life of the people much better than any other Russian artist." He was praised for his ability to reproduce human life with powerful and vivid force.

Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks
In 1890 he was given a government commission to work on the creation of a new statute for the Academy of Arts. In 1891 he resigned from the Wanderers in protest against a new statute that restricted the rights of young artists. An exhibition of works by Repin and Shishkin was held in the Academy of Arts, including Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. In 1892 he held a one-man exhibition at the History Museum in Moscow. In 1893 he visited academic art schools in Warsaw, Kraków, Munich, Vienna, and Paris to observe and study teaching methods. He spent the winter in Italy and published his essays Letters on Art.

In 1894 he began teaching a class at the Higher Art School attached to the Academy of Arts, a position he held, off and on, until 1907. In 1895 he painted portraits of Emperor Nicholas II, and Princess Maria Tenisheva. In 1896 he attended the All-Russian Exhibition in Nizhni Novgorod. His paintings were exhibited in Saint Petersburg, at the Exhibition of Works of Creative Art. His paintings from this year included The Duel and Don Juan and Dona Anna. In 1897 he rejoined the Wanderers, and was appointed rector of the Higher Artistic School for a year. In 1898 he traveled to the Holy Land, and painted the icon Carrying the Cross for the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Jerusalem. After returning to Russia, he attended Pavel Tretyakov's funeral. In 1899 he joined the editorial board of the magazine World of Art, but soon quit.

Move to Finland (1890)
In 1890 Repin met Natalia Nordman (1863-1914), who became his common-law wife. She was the daughter of an admiral, a writer and feminist, an activist for the improvement of working conditions. She advocated a simple life close to nature. In 1899 he acquired land near a village of Kuokkala, about forty kilometres north of St. Petersburg, and they built a country house, called the Penates, which became his home for the next thirty years. It was located in the Grand Duchy of Finland, then part of the Russian Empire, about an hour by train from St. Petersburg. At first he used it only as a summer house, but after he resigned from the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts in 1907, it became his full-time home and studio. It was a rather eccentric estate, including a studio covered with a pyramidal lantern roof, a landscape garden with a "Pushkin alley" of trees, a multicoloured music kiosk in the Egyptian style, and a telescope overlooking the Gulf of Finland. He hosted vegetarian breakfasts for his guests (a practice he adapted from Tolstoy), and very elaborate receptions on Wednesdays. His Wednesday guests included the opera singer Chaliapin, the writer Maxim Gorky, the composer Alexander Glazunov the writer Aleksandr Kuprin; artists Vasily Polenov, Isaak Brodsky and Nicolai Fechin as well as poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, philosopher Vasily Rozanov and scientist Vladimir Bekhterev.

In 1900 he took Nordman to the World Exhibition in Paris, where he served as a painting judge. They visited Munich, the Tyrol, and Prague, His painting Get Thee Behind Me, Satan! was shown at the 29th Exhibition of the Wanderers. In 1901 he received from the Tsar one of his largest commissions, portraits of all sixty members of State Council. He proceeded with the help of photographs and the aid of two of his students. One of the subjects was Alexander Kerensky, the Russian president before the Bolshevik seizure of power. In addition to his government commissions, he found time for a light work on an entirely different theme; a painting in 1902–1903 called "What Freedom!" depicting two students dancing in the waves at the beach after completing their examinations.

1900-1905 - Revolution and disillusion
The repression of popular demonstrations in front of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1905 disillusioned Repin. He called 1905 "the year of disaster and shame". He resigned from his teaching post at the Academy of Fine Arts, and concentrated on painting. The movements toward democracy in the early 20th century inspired Repin, he joined the Constitutional Democratic Party, was offered the rank of Councillor of State, and was invited to take a seat in the Duma, the national assembly. He made a colourful painting of the celebration of the new Russian Constitution of 1905. Later, he painted the portrait of the newly-elected Russian President, Alexander Kerensky.

Repin concentrated on writing his memoirs, which he finished in 1915. He visited St. Peterburg to see expositions, including a 1909 show of works by the modernist Kandinsky. Repin was not impressed; he described it as "the swamps of artistic corruption".

In 1900 he took his common-law wife Natalia Nordman to the World Exhibition in Paris, where he served as a painting judge. He visited Munich, the Tyrol, and Prague, and painted Natalia Nordman in a Tyrolese Hat and In the Sunlight: Portrait of Nadezhda Repina. In 1901 he was awarded the Legion of Honor. His painting Get Thee Behind Me, Satan! was shown at the 29th Itinerants' Society Exhibition. In 1902–1903 his works included the paintings Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council and What a Freedom!, over forty portrait studies, and portraits of Sergei Witte and Vyacheslav von Plehve.

In 1904 he gave a speech at a memorial gathering for the artist Vasily Vereshchagin. He painted a portrait of the writer Leonid Andreyev and his work The Death of the Cossack Squadron Commander Zinovyev. He made sketches depicting government troops opening fire on a peaceful demonstration on 9 December 1905. During 1905 Repin participated in many protests against bloodshed and Tsarist repressions, and tried to convey his impressions of these emotionally and politically charged events in his paintings.

He also did sketches for portraits of Maxim Gorky and Vladimir Stasov and two portraits of Natalia Nordman. In 1907 he resigned from the Academy of Arts, visited Chuguyev and the Crimea, and wrote reminiscences of Vladimir Stasov. In 1908 he publicly denounced capital punishment in Russia. He illustrated Leonid Andreyev's story The Seven Who Were Hanged, and his painting The Cossacks from the Black Sea Coast was exhibited at the Itinerants' Society Exhibition. In 1909 he painted Gogol Burning the Manuscript of the Second Part of Dead Souls, and in 1910, portraits of Pyotr Stolypin, and the children's writer and poet Korney Chukovsky.

War, the Bolshevik Revolution and later years (1917-1930)
The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 brought a series of setbacks and tragedies to Repin. His wife became ill with tuberculosis, and departed for treatment in Locarno, Switzerland. She refused assistance from her family and died in Switzerland in 1914. Then, following the October 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Finland, including the Penates, declared its independence from Russia. The border was closed, and Repin refused to return to Russia. He turned to Finland for new clients, painting a large group portrait of notable Finnish leaders and artists, including the architect Eliel Saarinen, the composer Jean Sibelius, and the future Finnish President Carl Gustav Mannerheim. Repin included the back of his own head in the painting.

In 1916, Repin worked on his book of reminiscences, Far and Near, with the assistance of Korney Chukovsky. He welcomed the early phases of the Russian Revolution, namely the February Revolution of February 1917. However, he was hostile to the Bolsheviks and was appalled by their rise to power in the October Revolution and the violence and terror they unleashed thereafter. In 1919. he donated his collection of works by Russian artists and his own works to the Finnish National Gallery in Helsinki, and in 1920 honorary celebrations of Repin were held by artistic circles in Finland. In 1921–1922 he painted The Ascent of Elijah the Prophet and Christ and Mary Magdalene (The Morning of the Resurrection).

Repin was so hostile to the new Soviet regime, that he even lashed out at their spelling "reform". Specifically, he objected to writing his last name Рѣпинъ (Riepin) under the new rules, which made it Репин, as the elimination of ѣ led many people to incorrectly spell his name as Ryopin.

After end of the war in 1918, Repin could travel again. In 1923, Repin held a one-man exhibition in Prague. Celebrations were given in 1924 in Kuokkala to mark Repin's 80th birthday, and an exhibition of his works was held in Moscow. In 1925, a jubilee exhibition of his works was held in the Russian Museum in Leningrad (renamed St Petersburg-Petrograd). The rising Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, sent a delegation of Soviet artists, including a former student of Repin, Isaak Brodsky, to persuade Repin to return to St. Petersburg, and to give up his residence in Finland. But Repin did not want to be under the thumb of Stalin, and refused, though he donated three sketches devoted to the Revolution of 1905 and the portrait of Alexander Kerensky to the Museum of the Revolution of 1905. In 1928–29, still in Finland, he continued working on the painting The Hopak Dance (The Zaporozhye Cossacks Dancing), begun in 1926, which was his final work. It portrays Repin's admiration of Ukraine and its culture. Repin painted it with oil on linoleum, because he could not get a canvas large enough.

Repin died in 1930, and was buried at the Penates. After the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939, the territory of Kuokkala was annexed by the USSR. In 1948, despite Repin's hostility towards Bolshevism, it was renamed Repino in his honor. The Penates became a museum in 1940, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Portraits
Repin particularly excelled at portrait painting. He produced more than three hundred portraits in his career. He painted most of the notable political figures, writers and composers of his time. One exception was Dostoevsky, whose mysticism Repin did not appreciate at all. He preceded each portrait with six or seven sketches. He had to persuade a reluctant Tolstoy to be portrayed working in a field with bare feet, as he usually did.

Repin persistently searched for new techniques and content to give his work more fullness and depth. Repin had a set of favorite subjects, and a limited circle of people whose portraits he painted. But he had a deep sense of purpose in his aesthetics, and had the great artistic gift to sense the spirit of the age and its reflection in the lives and characters of individuals. Repin's search for truth and for an ideal led him in various directions artistically, influenced by hidden aspects of social and spiritual experiences as well as national culture. Like most Russian realists of his times, Repin often based his works on dramatic conflicts, drawn from contemporary life or history. He also used mythological images with a strong sense of purpose; some of his religious paintings are among his greatest.

Drawings and sketches
With some of his paintings, Repin made one hundred or more preliminary sketches. He began his works with sketches in pencil or charcoal, using lines and cross-hatching. Often he would rub the drawing with his finger or an eraser to get the precise shading that he desired. He sometimes used drawings or paintings of his children to experiment with different points of view. For his large paintings, he made very detailed studies, experimenting with the composition and judging the overall impression.

Genre painting
No Russian painter of the 19th or 20th century was more skilled at genre painting, portraying scenes of daily life in a sympathetic and perceptive way, giving each character a distinct purpose and personality. His works ranged from domestic scenes to small dramas, such as policemen arresting a young militant for distributing revolutionary tracts.

Repin and Ukraine
In the 1870s to 1880s he visited Chuguyev and gathered materials for his future works. There, he painted his Archdeacon.

Paintings of Repin inspired by Ukrainian culture include:

The Repin Museum in his birthplace of Chuhuiv presents objects and works from his early life in Ukraine.

 * Man with a bad eye (1876)
 * Ukrainian girl by the fence (1876)
 * Mohnachi village near Chuguyev (1877)
 * Portret of M. Murashko (1877)
 * Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks (1880–1891, two versions: St. Petersburg, and Kharkiv)
 * Vechornytsi (1881)
 * Ukrainian village woman (1886)
 * Taras Shevchenko's portrait (1888)
 * Haydamaka (1902)
 * Cossacks on the Black Sea (1908)
 * Prometheus (1910, after T. Shevchenko's poem)
 * Hopak (1930)

Repin was a member of the committee, set up to create a monument to painter-poet Taras Shevchenko whom he called an "apostle of freedom". He illustrated novels such as Taras Bulba and Sorochinsky Fair by Nikolai Gogol (1872–82) and Zaporissya in the remains of ancient legends and people by Dmytro Yavornytsky (1887), and drew numerous sketches of architecture as well as different popular aspects of Ukrainian culture. Repin's sphere of knowledge included a number of prominent thinkers of the time, including Marko Kropyvnytskyi, Mykola Murashko, and Dmytro Yavornytsky.

Repin helped the committee of the Visual Arts Union in Mykolaiv. He was also an honorary member of Literature and Art Union, as well as Union of the Antiquities and Art in Kiev. He supported numerous painters, Murashko's art schools in Kiev, M. Rajevska-Ivanova in Kharkiv, and the Art school in Odessa.

In one of his last letters he wrote: "kind, dear compatriots [...] I ask you to believe in the sense of my devotion and endless regret that I can't move to live in a sweet, joyful Ukraine [...] Loving you from the childhood, Ilya Repin". The painter was buried by the "Chuguyev's hill", a place at the end of his property in Penates.

Style and technique
Repin persistently searched for new techniques and content to give his work more fullness and depth. Repin had a set of favorite subjects, and a limited circle of people whose portraits he painted. But he had a deep sense of purpose in his aesthetics, and had the great artistic gift to sense the spirit of the age and its reflection in the lives and characters of individuals. Repin's search for truth and for an ideal led him in various directions artistically, influenced by hidden aspects of social and spiritual experiences as well as national culture. Like most Russian realists of his times, Repin often based his works on dramatic conflicts, drawn from contemporary life or history. He also used mythological images with a strong sense of purpose; some of his religious paintings are among his greatest.

His method was the reverse of the general approach of impressionism. He produced works slowly and carefully. They were the result of close and detailed study. He was never satisfied with his works, and often painted multiple versions, years apart. He also changed and adjusted his methods constantly in order to obtain more effective arrangement, grouping and coloristic power. Repin's style of portraiture was unique, but owed something to the influence of Édouard Manet and Diego Velázquez.

Legacy
Repin was the first Russian artist to achieve European fame using specifically Russian themes. His 1873 painting Barge Haulers on the Volga, radically different from previous Russian paintings, made him the leader of a new movement of critical realism in Russian art. He chose nature and character over academic formalism. The triumph of this work was widespread, and it was praised by contemporaries like Vladimir Stasov and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The paintings show his feeling of personal responsibility for the hard life of the common people and the destiny of Russia.

On 5 August 2009, Google celebrated Ilya Repin's Birthday with a doodle.

title: Ilya Repin


text:
Steven Smith (astronaut)

Steven Lee Smith (born December 30, 1958), is an American technology executive and a former NASA astronaut, being a veteran of four space flights covering 16 million miles and seven spacewalks, totaling 49 hours and 25 minutes. Smith’s spacewalk time places him in 14th on the all-time American and World spacewalk duration lists.

Education
Attended Bret Harte Middle School in San Jose, California and graduated from Leland High School, San Jose, California, in 1977; received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1981; a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1982; and a master’s degree in business administration in 1987. All three degrees are from Stanford University.

Awards and honors
NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Space Flight Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award, IBM Outstanding Community Service Award. Seven-time high school and collegiate All-American in swimming and water polo. Two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion at Stanford in water polo. Captain of the 1980 NCAA Championship team. Former Board Member of Special Olympics Texas.

Career with IBM
Steve Smith worked for IBM in the Large Scale Integration (semiconductor) Technology Group in San Jose as a technical group lead from 1982 until 1985. Following a leave to pursue graduate studies, Smith returned to IBM’s Hardware and Systems Management Group as a product manager until 1989.

Volunteerism
Smith is a member of the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit which provides training workshops to coaches, parents, and sports administrators of schools and youth sports organizations. He did a 1-on-1 interview with them called Astronaut Steve Smith: How Youth Sports Took Him To The Outer Limits.

From 2000-2003 Smith was the director of Special Olympics Texas. This followed Smith winning the 1998 Outstanding Service from a Community Leader Award.

NASA career
Smith joined NASA in 1989 as a payload officer responsible for preflight payload integration and real-time flight controller support for Mission Control in the Mission Operations Directorate. After being selected to be an astronaut candidate in 1992, Smith went through a year of astronaut candidate training, and in September 1993, he became the first member of the 1992 astronaut class to receive a flight assignment.

He served as the Astronaut Office representative for the Space Shuttle Main Engines, the solid rocket boosters, the external tank, and shuttle safety. Smith was also assigned to duties at the Kennedy Space Center for a year and a half as a member of the astronaut support team. The team was responsible for space shuttle prelaunch vehicle checkout, crew ingress and strap-in prior to launch, and crew egress post landing. After STS-103, he served as the Deputy Chief Astronaut for a year. Smith completed an assignment serving as the NASA Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Launch Package Manager for the ISS Program, and currently serves as the NASA International Space Station Program Liaison to the European Space Agency.

Steve Smith is a veteran of four space flights covering 16 million miles and seven spacewalks totaling 49 hours and 25 minutes. Smith’s spacewalk time places him in the top five on the all-time American and World spacewalk duration lists.

STS-68
Smith served as a mission specialist aboard the mission STS-68 in September 1994. Smith’s responsibilities were split between shuttle systems and Space Radar Lab 2 (SRL-2, the flight’s primary payload). Smith was one of two crewmen trained to perform a spacewalk had one been required. Endeavour circled the Earth 183 times and traveled 4.7 million miles during the 11-day flight.

STS-82
Smith performed three spacewalks as a member of the February 1997  mission,  STS-82, which serviced the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The crew completed five spacewalks in order to improve the scientific capability of the telescope and to replace degraded equipment. The flight orbited the Earth 150 times covering 4.1 million miles during the 10-day flight.

STS-103
Smith returned to the Hubble Space Telescope and performed two spacewalks as the payload commander for the Discovery mission, STS-103 in December 1999. The crew performed three spacewalks to return Hubble to science operations with several upgraded subsystems. STS-103 orbited the Earth 120 times covering 3.2 million miles in just under 8 days.

STS-110
As the lead spacewalker of the April 2002 STS-110 crew which installed the S0 Truss Truss on the International Space Station, Smith performed two of the flight’s four spacewalks. The crew spent a week in joint operations with the station’s Expedition 4 crew. The STS-110 mission covered 4.5 million miles during 171 orbits in just under 11 days.

Subsequent NASA roles
Smith served as the NASA International Space Station (ISS) Program Liaison to the European Space Agency until mid-2015, after which he went to serve as the Associate Director for ISS, Science Directorate, at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

Post-NASA career
Since retiring from NASA, Smith is a Keynote Speaker, giving talks for companies like IBM and LinkedIn. His speech topics include Lessons from Space to Enhance Your Life and Work, Leadership at 17500 Miles Per Hour, and An Astronaut's Journey: Dreams, Resilience, and Earth's Beauty.

Smith has also joined several boards, including that of The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation and the Blue Sky Network.

title: Steven Smith (astronaut)


text:
Steven Smith

Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to:

Academics

 * Stephen J. Smith (physiologist), American physiologist
 * Steven B. Smith (political scientist) (born 1951), American political scientist
 * Stephen Smith (historian) (born 1952), British historian
 * Sir Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and university administrator
 * Steven S. Smith (born 1953), American political scientist
 * Stephen C. Smith (economist) (born 1955), American economist
 * Stephen Alexander Smith (1958–2022), Canadian legal scholar
 * Stephen Smith (gynaecologist), British gynaecologist and university administrator
 * Stephen D. Smith (born 1967), British Holocaust and genocide specialist
 * Stephen C. Smith (sociologist) (born 1968), American sociologist
 * Steven M. Smith, British plant geneticist

Art and literature

 * Stephen Catterson Smith (1806–1872), English-Irish portrait painter
 * Stevie Smith (1902–1971), British poet
 * Steven Ross Smith (born 1945), Canadian poet, writer, journalist and arts activist
 * Steven B. Smith (poet) (born 1946), American underground poet, artist, and publisher
 * Stephen H. Smith, American sculptor
 * Steven C. Smith (author), American biographer

Military

 * Stephen Smith (privateer) (1739–1806), American privateer and militia leader
 * Stephen R. Smith (1836–1889), Adjutant General of the State of Connecticut
 * Steven G. Smith (born 1946), United States Navy admiral
 * Steve Smith (general) (born 1959), senior officer in the Australian Army Reserve
 * Stephen G. Smith (general), U.S. Army general

Music and performing arts

 * Steve Smith (American singer) (born 1945), American singer
 * Steve Smith (comedian) (born 1945), Canadian comedian, best known for his alter ego Red Green
 * W. Stephen Smith (born 1950), American voice teacher
 * Steve Smith (drummer) (born 1954), American jazz and rock drummer
 * Steve Smith (clown) (born 1951), American clown
 * Stephan Said (born 1968), American singer-songwriter and activist, also known as Stephan Smith
 * Elliott Smith (Steven Smith, 1969–2003), American musician
 * Steve Smith (British musician) (born 1972), British singer and guitarist
 * Steven R. Smith, American multi-instrumentalist, instrument-builder and initiator of the Hala Strana project

Politics and government

 * Stephen Smith (public servant) (1887–1948), New Zealand civil servant, Resident Commissioner in the Cook Islands
 * Stephen K. Smith (1894–1981), politician in Newfoundland, Canada
 * Stephen Edward Smith (1927–1990), brother-in-law and campaign manager for John F. Kennedy
 * Stephen Smith (Whitewater) (born 1949), gubernatorial aide to Bill Clinton
 * Steve Smith (Minnesota politician) (1949–2014), American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
 * Stephen J. Smith (politician) (born 1951), American politician and member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Stephen Smith (Australian politician) (born 1955), Australian Labor Party politician, Minister for Defence and member for Perth
 * Stephen Stat Smith (born 1955), American politician and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
 * Steven Wayne Smith (born 1961), Texas Supreme Court justice
 * Steven D. Smith (born 1964), member and Deputy Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
 * Steve Smith (Arizona politician), member of the Arizona House of Representatives

American football

 * Steve Smith (offensive lineman) (born 1944), offensive tackle & defensive end for Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings & Philadelphia Eagles
 * Steve Smith (quarterback) (born 1962), player for the University of Michigan Wolverines, 1980–1983
 * Steve Smith (running back) (1964–2021), player for the Los Angeles Raiders and Seattle Seahawks
 * Steve Smith (wide receiver, born 1974), arena football offensive specialist
 * Steven Smith (American football coach) (born 1976), head football coach at Lincoln University in Missouri
 * Steve Smith Sr. (born 1979), wide receiver who played with the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens
 * Steve Smith (defensive back) (born 1979), played at Oregon, drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars
 * Steve Smith (wide receiver, born 1985), former Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants

Association football

 * Steve Smith (footballer, born 1874) (1874–1935), English international footballer
 * Steve Smith (footballer, born 1899) (1899–1994), Scottish goalkeeper
 * Steve Smith (footballer, born 1946) (1946–2024), English footballer and manager (Huddersfield Town)
 * Steve Smith (footballer, born 1957), English footballer (Birmingham City, Bradford City and Crewe Alexandra)
 * Steven Smith (footballer, born 1985), Scottish footballer
 * Stephen Smith (footballer, born 1986), English footballer

Athletics

 * Steve Smith (pole vaulter) (1951–2020), American pole vaulter
 * Steve Smith (American high jumper) (born 1971), American high jumper
 * Steve Smith (British high jumper) (born 1973), British high jumper

Baseball

 * Steve Smith (infielder) (born 1952), Cleveland Indians third base coach and former infielder
 * Steve Smith (pitcher) (born 1961), American baseball coach and former pitcher

Basketball

 * Steve Smith (basketball coach), American head coach for Oak Hill Academy basketball team
 * Stephen A. Smith (born 1967), American sportswriter, NBA analyst, and talk show host
 * Steve Smith (basketball) (born 1969), American basketball player and analyst
 * Stevin Smith (born 1972), American basketball player
 * Steven Smith (basketball) (born 1983), American basketball player

Cricket

 * Stephen Smith (cricketer) (1822–1890), English cricketer
 * Steve Smith (cricketer, born 1961), Australian, Australian Rebel, and Transvaal cricketer
 * Steve Smith (cricketer) (born 1989), Australian international cricketer

Ice hockey

 * Steve Smith (ice hockey, born 1962), Canadian ice hockey player, center for Colgate (NCAA) and NHL scout
 * Steve Smith (ice hockey, born April 4, 1963), Canadian ice hockey player, defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres
 * Steve Smith (ice hockey, born April 30, 1963), Scottish-born Canadian ice hockey player, defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Calgary Flames

Rugby union

 * Steve Smith (rugby union, born 1951) (born 1951), English rugby union player and British Lion
 * Steve Smith (rugby union, born 1959), Irish rugby union player and British Lion
 * Steve Smith (rugby union, born 1973) (born 1973), Manu Samoa & North Harbour Rugby Union player from New Zealand
 * Stephen Smith (rugby union, born 1934) (1934–2010), English rugby union player

Other sports

 * Steve Smith (pool player) (born 1954), American pool player
 * Steven Smith (Australian rules footballer) (born 1956), former Australian rules footballer and current President of the Melbourne Cricket Club
 * Steven Smith (equestrian) (born 1962), British equestrian
 * Steve Smith (darts player) (born 1979), English darts player
 * Stephen Smith (rugby league), Fijian rugby league international
 * Stephen Smith (boxer) (born 1985), British boxer
 * Steve Smith (cyclist) (1989–2016), Canadian mountain biker

Other people

 * Stephen Smith (abolitionist) (1797–1873), Pennsylvanian African American abolitionist
 * Stephen Smith (surgeon) (1823–1922), New York physician, public health organizer, and civic leader
 * Stephen Francis Smith (1861–1928), Canadian chess master
 * Stephen Smith (aerospace engineer) (1891–1951), pioneer of rocket mail in India
 * Steven Smith (teamaker) (1949–2015), American tea entrepreneur
 * Stephen G. Smith (writer) (born 1949), American journalist, writer and editor
 * Stephen J. R. Smith, Canadian businessman
 * Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist and writer
 * Steven Smith (astronaut) (born 1958), American technology executive and NASA astronaut
 * Stephen Anderson Smith (born 1962), American clean energy activist
 * Stephen Smith (died 2015), American murder victim; see Murdaugh family

Characters

 * Steve Smith (American Dad!), in American Dad!

title: Steven Smith