scionlife

[table:f46f096e82][row:f46f096e82][col:f46f096e82]The Toyota 2000GT was a sports car produced in very limited numbers by Toyota in Japan. First seen at the Tokyo Motor Show of 1965, production vehicles were built between 1967 and 1970. It revolutionised the automotive world's view of Japan, formerly seen as a producer of imitative and stodgily practical vehicles, and showed that the Japanese makers could produce a sports car to rival those of Europe.

Reviewing a pre-production model in 1967, Road & Track magazine summed up the 2000 GT (sic) as "one of the most exciting and enjoyable cars we've driven", and compared it favorably to the Porsche 911. Today, the car is seen as the first seriously collectible Japanese car, the first "Japanese Supercar", and examples change hands for fairly high prices.

Much of the work was done by Yamaha, who in addition to their wide product range of the time also did much work for other Japanese manufacturers. The German-American designer Albrecht Goertz, a protegé of Raymond Loewy, had gone to Yamaha in Japan in the early 1960s to develop a two-seater sports car for Nissan. A prototype was built, but Nissan decided eventually not to pursue the project. Yamaha also worked for Toyota, then perceived as the most conservative of the Japanese auto makers. Wishing to improve their image, Toyota accepted the proposal instead.

Many attribute the Jaguar E-Type as an influence on the Goertz lines, but the design is widely considered a classic in its own right. The smoothly flowing bodywork was executed in aluminum, and featured pop-up headlights as well as large driving lamps in fixed locations either side of the grille, with plexiglas covers over them. The design scarcely featured bumpers at all, and the plexiglas driving covers in particular are rather easily damaged. The car was extremely low, just 45.7 in (116 cm) at the roof. In 1969, the front of the car was modified slightly, making the driving lamps smaller. The last few vehicles were fitted with air conditioning, and an additional scoop was fitted underneath the grille to supply air to this. These last cars also have larger rear turn signals.

The engine was a 2.0 L (121 in³) straight-6 (the 3M) based on the engine the top-of-the-line Toyota Crown sedan. It was transformed by Yamaha with new double overhead camshaft heads into a 112 kW (150 hp) sports car engine. Carburation was through three two-barrel Solex 40 PHH units. Nine special MF-12 models were also built with the larger 2.3 L 2M engine. The car was available with three different final drives; optioned with the 4.375 ratio version, the car was said to be capable of reaching 135 mph (217 km/h).

The engine was mounted longitudinally and drove the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. A limited slip differential was fitted, and in a first for a Japanese car, all-round power-assisted disc brakes. The atypical emergency brake gripped the rear disc directly.

The interior offered comfortable, if cramped, accommodation and luxury touches like a rosewood-veneer dashboard and an auto-seeking radio tuner. At the time, Road & Track felt that the interior was up to par for a "luxurious GT", calling it an impressive car "in which to sit or ride - or simply admire."

An absolutely minuscule 337 of the 2000GT were built, figures as low as specialist Italian supercar construction. All were actually built by Yamaha; it took two years for production vehicles to emerge. In America, the 2000GT sold for about $6,800, much more than contemporary Porsches and Jaguars. It is believed that no profit was made on the cars despite their high price; they were more concept cars and a demonstration of ability than a true production vehicle. About 60 cars reached North America and the others were similarly thinly spread worldwide.

Toyota entered the 2000GT in competition at home, coming third in the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix and winning the Fuji 24-Hour Race in 1967. In addition, the car set several world records for speed and endurance in a 72-hour test.

Carroll Shelby would also enter a pair of 2000GTs to compete in the SCCA production car races competing in the CP category.[/table:f46f096e82]