Page 1 of 1 Toyota launched a completely new line-up of cars at the 1965 Tokyo Motorshow. Two of them were sports cars, the small 790cc Sport 800 and the 2 litre 2000GT. The 2000GT was the first all Japanese cars to really challenge the European sports cars, on both looks and ride quality.
The engine was derived from the Crown saloon and extensively modified by Yamaha to produce 150bhp. The straight six engine was fitted in an X-backbone type chassis which was very similar to a Lotus Elan chassis. Other features included a cross-ratio 5-speed transmission, limited slip differential, and Japan's first 4-wheel disc brakes with vacuum booster.
In October 1966 the 2000GT proved its class in an endurance run of 78 hours. In those 78 hours the 2000GT broke 13 international records and 3 world records in the 1500 - 2000 cc class, the 72 hours record (with an average of 206.02 km/h), the 15,000 miles record (with an average of 206.04 km/h) and the 10,000 miles record (with an average of 206.18 km/h).
Although the 2000GT was a class act it wasn't a sales success because of its rather high price compared to the European sports cars. With only 351 built it is a very rare sight and quite valuable. Page 1 of 1