As I was perusing the corners of the web today I came across the unthinkable. A 1960's sports car I had not seen nor even heard of. Being your typical car guy I can rattle off the go fast cars produced in the late 1960's and early 1970's without breaking a sweat. You have your Mustang, Camaro, Corvette, Charger, Challenger in the pure American arena. From across the pond you have your Porsche 911, a Ferrari or two, and of course the beautiful Jaguar E-Type. What is less known is a little entry from Toyota by the name of the 2000GT. A little gem from 1967 that I would love to have my hands on today.
Stylistically it resembles the Jaguar E-Type in my eyes. The roadster from Toyota is complete with the round shape and long hood you would commonly associate with the Jaguar. In overall design when comparing the two I have to give it to Toyota. Everything about it flows much better from bumper to bumper. The shape of the rear is an especial improvement as it looks much more masculine and refined.
Under the hood of the 2000GT rests a 2.0 liter straight-six sourced from Toyota's Crown sedan. The engine was sent to Yamaha motors who would then convert it from a single to a dual overhead cam setup and tune it to put out a claimed 150 horsepower. This was impressive to say the least for a 2.0 liter engine in 1967 and would propel the car to a said top speed of 135 mph. In comparison, a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette with a 327 cubic inch V8 under the hood was said to max out at 130 mph.
The Toyota 2000GT was a rather exclusive vehicle as only a little over 300 were produced from 1967-1970. Further research indicates that its biggest media moment was an appearance in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. As exclusive as it was, I am glad the little gem did not evade me forever. Now all I need is about $200,000 dollars to go purchase one.
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