The ZZ family of engines from Toyota was born in 1997 with the 1ZZ-FE, and it was originally developed with fuel efficiency in mind. However, in 1999, Toyota engineers brought the 2ZZ-GE to the world.

Toyota wasn't going to watch Honda perfect the naturally aspirated formula with engines like the B18, and in 1999, launched the brand-new 2ZZ-GE engine. This 1.8-liter unit shared many of the ...