One to Buy: Pegasus White 1967 Toyota 2000 GT
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Toyota’s iconic 2000 GT came about as the result of a proposal from Yamaha who wanted to create a two-seat Grand Tourer in the mould of Jaguar’s E-type.
At the time, Yamaha had a considerable roster of clients in the automotive sector; Nissan had been the company’s first port of call, but having been rejected, Yamaha turned to Toyota for whom they also did contract work.
Toyota made several tweaks to Yamaha’s proposal; instead of a mass production model, Toyota wanted to offer the finest sports car possible – a state-of-the-art, beautifully styled and superbly crafted Coupe capable of matching anything the Europeans had to offer.
The first production 2000 GT was completed in February 1967, 16 months after the model had made its public debut at the ‘65 Tokyo Motor Show.
Deliveries began in April 1967. Each car was hand-built at the Yamaha factory in Iwata on a Lotus-style backbone chassis draped in a sensational aluminium body. Suspension was independent all round via unequal length wishbones, coil springs and telescopic dampers. Anti-roll bars were fitted at either end.
In the engine bay was a dual overhead camshaft straight six with trick Yamaha head and trio of Mikuni-Solex 40 PHH carburettors. Peak output was 150bhp at 6600rpm and 129lb-ft at 5000rpm.
Unfortunately, Toyota never came close to building the hoped-for 1000 cars a month and, by the time production ended in October 1970, comfortably less than 400 had been completed.
Set to go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s sale at Les Salles du Carrousel in Paris on February 1st is chassis MF10-10050, a 1967 example painted the trademark 2000 GT shade of Pegasus White.
