After Group B cars were banned from the World Rally Championship and Group A took over as the premier class, Lancia’s Martini-backed Deltas collected a trio of back-to-back Driver and…
Read MoreIn terms of iconic four-wheel drive utility vehicles from the 20th century, Toyota’s first generation Land Cruiser is right up there with the best of them. Initially offered as a two-door Hardtop, Toyota…
Read MoreAlthough Mazda became the first Japanese manufacturer to take outright victory at Le Mans, Toyota had arguably been even more committed to the cause having spent vast sums on its various…
Read MoreDespite an enviable back catalogue of sporting motor cars that variously achieved icon status, massive commercial success or major competition honours, until the late 2000s Toyota had never…
Read MoreWith the first generation Mr2 having proven a massive commercial success (Toyota shifted nearly 165,000 of the things in five years) it was no surprise that the Japanese giant launched a second…
Read MoreHaving unveiled the 2000 GT amid great fanfare in late 1965, customer deliveries began in the spring of 1967 by which stage Toyota’s hoped-for figure of 1000 sales a month was already looking…
Read MoreHaving successfully campaigned third generation A60 Celicas on Toyota’s behalf in IMSA’s junior GTU category, Dan Gurney’s renowned All American Racers was commissioned by the Japanese…
Read MoreAlthough the gen. three Celica TCT was fairly conventional by the super specialised nature of most Group B creations, its toughness and reliability helped Toyota to half-a-dozen WRC wins on the…
Read MoreToyota’s 2000 GT represented the first attempt to build a high-end production sports car by a Japanese manufacturer. Powered by a dual overhead cam 150bhp two-litre straight six, the 2000 GT…
Read MoreAlthough Toyota’s seven-year $2b F1 programme of 2002 to 2009 ultimately yielded just 13 podiums from 139 starts and a best finish of fourth in the 2004 Constructors’ championship, it led to the firm…
Read MoreToyota created its offshoot Lexus brand in 1989 to market the company’s new LS 400 luxury saloon in foreign regions. The LS 400 was a critically acclaimed four door sedan conceived to take on the…
Read MoreHaving presented a trio of design concepts for their new front-engined supercar since 2005, Lexus finally unveiled the finalised LFA at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009. Production versions then…
Read MoreFor the 1988 season, Toyota created the 88C which was a fairly straightforward evolution of the previous year’s 87C. These updated cars, again powered by a turbocharged 2.1-litre 3S-GT inline four…
Read MoreToyota’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…
Read MoreToyota first started to compete in top flight rallying during the early 1970s when the firm began a long-term association with Swedish driver, Ove Andersson. In 1975, Andersson’s rallying operation…
Read MoreFor 1985, Toyota decided to embark on a factory Sportscar programme with the intention of becoming the first Japanese manufacturer to win at Le Mans. However, the Group C era could not…
Read MoreAuto manufacturers began to adopt the mid-engined layout for their small displacement sports cars in the late 1960s. By the early 1970s, models like the Porsche 914 and Fiat X1/9 were being sold in vast…
Read MoreToyota’s Group 7 programme began in the autumn of 1967 when the green light was given for it to replace the 2000 GT which had been campaigned in various disciplines since 1966. The new…
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