Japan’s head-turning, one of a kind and simply put “the best sports car ever” was built with a driver’s heart in mind. Being an eye-candy starring in the James Bond film you only live twice in 1967, Toyota 2000GT was quick in capturing the attention of many with its top-notch features. Shoichi Saito, the project lead, made it clear that to take whatever means necessary to make 2000GT the greatest car in the world.
The concept of the car was initiated in 1964 after the Japanese Grand Prix. Working along with Yamaha Motor, Saito painted his ideas into reality by launching car’s first prototype in 1965 that named as 280A1. The prototype featured an ultra-low body that didn’t meet customer’s need and required some tweaking and changes that would roll out in the coming two years but the wait was worth it.
Taking a look at the updated version of the car, we can see a fine piece of art that features a curvaceous and shapely body with lines that defined this beauty. At the front we have a T-shaped grille that has lamps covered with pexiglass on either side of the car and a chrome bumper that contours the frontal view of the car. Under the bonnet we see a robust engine and pop-up lamps for maximized illumination that remain intact with the body when switched off to not compromise the air flow.
A driving enthusiast’s dream come true is what this car is. Compact with an outstanding cabin that sits at about 116cm above the ground, this car comes with the promise of one-of-a-kind proportions and sleek design structure. One of the most unique features of 1968 TOYOTA 2000GT is the glass-lining of the cabin and a pillar leaning towards the back and forming a peak on top.
Behind the wheel we have two chrome-ringed dials through which drivers can seamlessly monitor the speed and five smaller gauges for further ancillary information. The car also had a radio for the drivers to get into the groove while driving and experience the full joy of riding in this beauty. But beauty isn’t the only thing 1968 TOYOTA 2000GT had to offer. This car comes with the promise of world-class performance featuring 150 Horse Power, 6 cylinders filling up to 2 liters each , and a Maximum speed of 220km/h due to which the car zoom past 0-100km/h in just 8.6 seconds.
Not only this, but the car also offered power-brakes on all four wheels, high-end suspension, light weighted alloy wheel of magnesium that came along with the tools necessary to make the driving experience seamless and as smooth as it can be. A total of three-fifty of these cars were manufactured making it one of the most wanted sports cars in the sixties. The supercar shared the features of Jaguar’s British coupe and Datsun 240Z which is why it was known as Japanese E-type.
Toyota took this opportunity to boost up its presence and build a reputation that superseded the common opinion of them manufacturing rather conservative vehicle. Toyota 2000GT took the automobile world by a storm, and with its cutting-edge features, functionalities, and design, a reformed imaged of the manufacturer was coming to the surface. Toyota’s super car had the potential to not only be a one-time thing for the company but holding a promise in itself of much more to come. History remembers this car for being unparalleled in its agility and versatility. Breaking the records thrice globally and thirteen times in foreign countries, this car lived up to its name of being Japan’s first supercar.
The reason Toyota had to collaborate with Yamaha was that at that time, they did not have enough facilities to leverage the production of the car. Yamaha being the big shot name in the motor world, was a good choice for Toyota to build its exceptional supercar. They had collective workshops related to the production of musical instruments to better understand the sounds made by wires, used in motors, with wind pressure.
Yamaha redeveloped the twin-cam engine of regular Toyota automobiles into the highest standard engines with an outstanding finish. They combined the engine with Toyota’s own cylinder head that enabled the car to have 150 Horse Power, six cylinders filling up to 2 liters each, and a maximum speed of 220km/h, due to which the car zoom past 0-100km/h in just 8.6 seconds.
The cockpit of the car was made with inspiration taken from Lotus. The central console was the key feature that was adopted from Lotus. Built with extra care and precision, the end result was just flawless. The interior of the car was luxurious with a rosewood dashboard and high functionality radio that people would often describe as leading to an impressive and admirable driving experience. However, the drawback of the car was that the interior space was limited, and tall people would suffer discomfort because they couldn’t fit their frame and their head would touch the roof.
Toyota 2000GT was one of the most beautiful Japanese cars of the sixties which is why it was also extremely expensive. Toyota had the original plan to sell 1000 cars but the prices of the car lowered the chances of high sales. The initial cost of Toyota 2000GT was $7,000 in the early sixties, making the car more expensive than Jaguar e type, Porsche, and Chevrolet corvette. The Japanese tried to justify the cost of the car by emphasizing on the top-of-the-line features and functionality of the car.
Even though the car was without a doubt exceptional that 2000GT never actually achieved much fame outside of Japan, which became the reason why only 351 of these cars were built in total. Toyota 2000GT is universally known as the most valuable collectible Japanese super automobile that has ever been manufactured. Even though the car didn’t reach a serious manufacturing process, it did succeed in giving Toyota the respect it seriously lacked amongst its competitions.
Toyota 2000GT was also known for its outstanding endurance, which was further showed off in countless profile races in the upcoming years. The epitome of the racing experience was through the roof as the car exceeded all the demanding speed trials in the testing courses. After many challenges, GT achieved the average of 128.76 mph in an oval circuit, hereby demolishing and completely breaking the world records and setting international appearances for its one-of-a-kind speed. Toyota 2000 GT was Japan’s brainchild and a true supercar that the world saw in the sixties. It is still an exceptional addition to any driving enthusiast who loves to collect valuables.
