| Toyota 2000GT | |
|---|---|
 1967–1969 Toyota 2000GT | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Toyota Motor Corporation andYamaha Motor Corporation (joint project) |
| Model code | F10 |
| Production | 1967–1970 (351 produced) |
| Assembly | Japan:Iwata,Shizuoka (Yamaha Motors) |
| Designer |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car/grand tourer |
| Body style | |
| Layout | Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Power output |
|
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,330 mm (91.7 in)[2] |
| Length | 4,175 mm (164.4 in)[2] |
| Width | 1,600 mm (63.0 in)[2] |
| Height | |
| Curb weight | 1,120 kg (2,469 lb)[2] |
TheToyota 2000GT is a limited-productionfront mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door, two-seatsports car/grand tourer designed byToyota in collaboration withYamaha. First displayed to the public at theTokyo Motor Show in 1965, the 2000GT was manufactured under contract by Yamaha between 1967 and 1970. Ahalo car for the automaker, in Japan it was exclusive to Toyota's Japanese retail sales channel calledToyota Store.
The 2000GT revolutionized the automotive world's view of Japan, then viewed as a producer of imitative and stodgily practical vehicles. As a sleek, high-performancefastbackcoupé, it demonstrated its auto makers could produce a sports car to rival the better marques ofEurope. Reviewing apre-production 2000GT in 1967,Road & Track magazine summed up the car as "one of the most exciting and enjoyable cars we've driven", and compared it favorably to thePorsche 911. Today, the 2000GT is seen as the first seriously collectible Japanese car and its firstsupercar. Examples of the 2000GT have sold at auction for as much asUS$1,200,000 in 2013.[4]
Automobile ownership in Japan during the late 1950s and early 1960s began to pick up, and Toyota noticed that most international manufacturers had a top level sports car or grand touring coupe, that would draw customers into showrooms and dealerships and drive sales of other more affordable models. Ford had recently introduced theThunderbird, Chrysler had theC-300 while GM's Chevrolet Division had theCorvette. In Europe, Mercedes-Benz had the300SL, BMW briefly offered the507, Porsche had the356, Jaguar had theE-Type, Aston Martin had theDB4, Ferrari had the250 GT Coupé, and Maserati had the3500 GT. In Japan, Nissan offered theDatsun Sports, while Honda introduced theS500 and Prince offered theSkyline Sport Coupé. Toyota had already began production of theSports 800, but the engine was far too small to be considered a world class sports car, and decided they needed to offer a proper 6-cylinder coupe.
Most of the 2000GT's design was done byYamaha Motor Corporation, who also contributed contract assistance for other Japanese manufacturers, including Nissan. In 1959, Yamaha established the Technical Research Institute to develop their own sports car, and had built the YX30 sports car with a 4-cylinder engine displacing 1600cc, having drawn inspiration from the BritishMGAB-Series 1600 DOHC engine.[5][6] Due to various problems, Yamaha senior management decided to close the research facility in 1962, but enthusiasm of developing a sports car led to them partnering with an established auto manufacturer. A prototype called the "A550X" was built, but Nissan cancelled the project and introduced the slow sellingNissan Silvia coupe in 1965.[7][8] Yamaha then proposed the design to Toyota, for whom they also did contract work, then perceived as the most conservative of the Japanese car manufacturers. Wishing to improve their image, Toyota accepted the proposal, but employed a design from their own designer Satoru Nozaki.[9][10]
The 2000GT incorporated many classic 1960s Gran Turismo design elements. Nozaki's styling was inspired by theE-type Jaguar.[11] Its smoothly flowing bodywork featured pop-up headlights above large plexiglass covered driving lamps flanking the grille similar to those on theToyota Sports 800. Bumpers were minimal, and the car was extremely low, just 116 cm (45.7 in) to the highest point of the roof. Despite a custom open-top version built for theJames Bond filmYou Only Live Twice, a factory-produced convertible was never offered.
The interior offered comfortable, if cramped, accommodation and luxury touches such as awalnut orrosewood veneerdashboard inlays provided by Yamaha's musical instrument woodworking facilities, and an auto-signal seeking radio tuner.[12]Road & Track was impressed, considering the interior suited to a "luxurious GT" and calling the 2000GT an impressive car "in which to sit or ride - or simply admire." An electric clock and a stopwatch were installed in the dashboard below the radio and above the climate controls.[12]
In August 1969, the front was modified slightly, making the driving lamps smaller and changing the shape of the turn signals. The rear turn signals were enlarged at the same time, and some alterations were made to modernise the interior. The last few vehicles were fitted with air conditioning and had automatic transmission as an option. These cars had an additional scoop fitted underneath the grille to supply air to the A/C unit.
The engine was alongitudinally mounted 1,988 cc (2.0 L; 121.3 cu in)straight-6 (the3M) sourced from theToyota Crown (S50) sedan.[12] It was transformed byYamaha into a sports car engine by coupling three 2-barrelMikuni-Solex 40 PHHcarburetors[13][14] to a newDOHC head that produced 150 PS (148 bhp; 110 kW) at 6,600 rpm and 175 N⋅m (129 lb⋅ft) at 5,000 rpm.
Nine specialMF-12 models were also built with the larger but lower power outputSOHC 2.3 L2M-B engine, which produced 140 PS (138 bhp; 103 kW) at 5,800 rpm and 201 N⋅m (148 lb⋅ft) at 3,800 rpm of torque.
Fitted with a five-speedmanual transmission, the rear wheel drive car was available with three different final drives. A 4.375 ratio axle car was claimed to be capable of reaching 135 mph (217 km/h) and achieve 7.59 L/100 km (31 mpg‑US; 37 mpg‑imp).[1]
Both alimited slip differential and all-around power-assisteddisc brake, a first for a Japanese car, were standard. The suspension was coil springs attached todouble wishbones at all four wheels installed on abackbone chassis and rode on 15-inchMagnesium alloy wheels.[12] It was also the first Toyota to offerrack and pinion steering as Toyota wanted to establish that this was a world-class sports car. The dashboard-mountedemergency brake gripped the rear discs directly should the primary braking system fail.
Only 337 regular production units of the 2000GT were built, figures comparable to contemporary elite Italian supercars, and according to Toyota, all 337 were sold.[3][12] The first prototype was built in August 1965, only 11 months after the project had begun. Taking two years for production vehicles to finally emerge, a total of 233 MF10s, 109 MF10Ls, and nine MF12Ls[citation needed] were built at the Yamaha factory inIwata, Shizuoka according to Toyota and Yamaha data, starting in May 1967 until August 1970. In America, a 1968 2000GT listed for about US$7,150[15] ($64,651 in 2024 dollars[16]), a moderately higher price than competitors like the $5,539Jaguar E-Type[17] or the $6,790Porsche 911S,[18] though much lower than exotics like the $19,700Ferrari 365 GTB/4.[19] Toyota did not sell very many of the cars, which led to its cancellation in 1970, while it did inspire the company to introduce performance oriented "sporty" coupes that followed in the 1970s.
As a "halo car" for Toyota, it is believed that no profit was made on the 2000GT despite its high price. About 60 units reached North America and the others were similarly thinly spread worldwide. Most 2000GTs were painted either Solar Red or Pegasus White, while other colors were offered such as Thunder Silver metallic, Bellatrix Yellow, Atlantis Green, and Twilight Turquoise metallic.
Yamaha and Toyota also collaborated on another more affordable production car, again using a Toyota engine block while Yamaha developed the DOHC cylinder head, and introduced theToyota 1600GT, using a 1967 Corona 2-door hardtop coupe. When production of the 2000GT ended, and Toyota had established a reputation of making performance oriented cars, theCelica was exclusively introduced atToyota Corolla Store locations as the top model, again offering a 2.0L DOHC engine with a manual transmission but more affordably priced. Toyota also introduced sport coupes at each of their sales distribution networks, using the same technology in a 2-door coupe with an OHC 4-cylinder engine and a fun-to-drive approach to each car. May 1967 was also the same time theMazda Cosmo was also introduced.
Lessons learned by Toyota and Yamaha led to the development of theToyota 7, which was designed primarily for use inFIA Group 7 competition. It was Toyota's first purpose-built racing car.
Recognizing that the limited number of original cars may need maintenance to keep the vehicles in drivable condition, Toyota has begun reproducing new parts from original sources, and has made them available to registered owners through the GR Heritage Parts Program.[20]
Toyota entered the 2000GT in competition at home, coming third in the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji. The 2000GT took its first win in the inauguralSuzuka 1000 Kilometres in 1966, and went on to win the 24 Hours of Fuji and theFuji 1000 Kilometres in 1967. In addition, the car set thirteen FIA world records for speed and endurance in a 72-hour test at theYatabe High Speed Test Track in 1966. Unfortunately, the record car was destroyed in a pace car accident and eventually scrapped. These records shortly promptedPorsche to prepare a 911R especially to beat this record.
Carroll Shelby also entered a pair of 2000GTs to compete in the 1968SCCA production car races in the CP category. Initially Shelby built three cars, including one spare. Although it performed well, it was the only season the car competed in the US. Toyota took back one of the cars and rebuilt it into a replica of their record car, which still resides in Japan. The two remaining Shelby cars remain in the United States.
In 2022, one of the Toyota-Shelby 2000GTs sold at auction for US $2.5 million.[21]
The 2000GT made its most famous screen appearance in the 1967James Bond movieYou Only Live Twice, most of which was filmed in Japan. Two one-off topless models—fitted only with tonneau covers to simulate functioning convertible roofs—were made specially for the film.[12] It is claimed that atarga had been considered to accommodate the burly 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) tallSean Connery. This retained the original car's fastback profile but eliminated rear side windows. Purportedly, Connery's head stuck out of the top and a roofless version was fabricated in less than two weeks for the movie.[22] The car was only driven by "Bond girl"Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) in the film.[23]
Bond actorDaniel Craig voted the 2000GT as his favourite Bond car of all time.[24]
Most of the content of this article was sourced by translating the corresponding article on Japanese Wikipedia. Some of the citations are in Japanese, having been transposed from the Japanese Wikipedia article.
