One to Buy: 1967 Toyota 2000 GT
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.
Reprinted below is RM Sotheby’s description for this Japanese icon:
Chassis MF10-10050
One of only 337 examples of Toyota’s iconic halo car built between 1967 and 1970
Equipped with a 2-litre twin-cam straight-six, five-speed transmission, and four-wheel disc brakes
Conceived to rival the Jaguar E-Type and Porsche 911
Superlatives are all too often abused in the car world, but in the case of the Toyota 2000GT the praise is fully justified—and then some. The most significant, coveted, extraordinary, beautiful… All can surely be applied to such an astonishing machine. Small wonder that this masterpiece of high-performance chic forms the centrepiece of The Degenève Collection, a showcase curated by one of Europe’s longest-serving Toyota dealers.
A collaboration between Toyota and Yamaha, the 2000GT was unveiled at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show before going on sale in May 1967. Conceived to demonstrate that Japan could rival the best Europe had to offer, Toyota had its sights firmly set on Jaguar and Porsche, while the 2000GT’s backbone chassis pays obvious homage to Lotus. Beneath the sleek bonnet, there was a 148 horsepower 1,988 cc twin-cam straight-six fed via triple Mikuni-Solex twin-choke carburettors. There were independent double-wishbone suspension and disc brakes all round, plus a five-speed transmission, limited-slip differential, and 220 km/h top speed. And then there was the styling. With such exotic lines, the 2000GT was the obvious transport for 007 in You Only Live Twice. But the centre-lock magnesium-alloy wheels, vast driving lights and Zagato-inspired roofline all shouted endurance prototype—so Toyota dutifully took its movie star racing, notable results including first and second in the inaugural Suzuka 1000 km.
In all, a mere 337 2000GTs were produced from 1967 to 1970 but, remarkably, this is the third to have belonged to the current owner. One of the arguably more attractive first-series cars (of which 233 were built), “MF10-10050” is a right-hand-drive domestic-market example that left the Yamaha factory on 26 July 1967. Finished in the original Pegasus White, the Toyota is said to have been restored before being imported from Japan in 2013. Since arriving in Europe, it has been a focal point in a Toyota showroom and made appearances at events including Epoqu’Auto in Lyon and Auto Rétro in Vetraz-Monthoux.
Estimate: €500,000 - €700,000
