11 Facts About Toyota 2000GT

Toyota 2000GT revolutionized the automotive world's view of Japan, then viewed as a producer of imitative and stodgily practical vehicles.

Today, the Toyota 2000GT is seen as the first seriously collectible Japanese car and its first supercar.

Automobile ownership in Japan during the late 1950s and early 1960s began to pick up, and Toyota 2000GT 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.

Toyota 2000GT had already began production of the Sports 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.

Toyota 2000GT 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.

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When production of the 2000GT ended, and Toyota had established a reputation of making performance oriented cars, the Celica was exclusively introduced at Toyota Corolla Store locations as the top model, again offering a 2.

Toyota 2000GT 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.

The Toyota 2000GT took its first win in the inaugural Suzuka 1000 Kilometres in 1966, and went on to win the 24 Hours of Fuji and the Fuji 1000 Kilometres in 1967.

Toyota 2000GT took back one of the cars and rebuilt it into a replica of their record car, which still resides in Japan.

Toyota 2000GT made its most famous screen appearance in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice, most of which was filmed in Japan.

However, his friend Sachio Fukuzawa, a factory racing driver for Toyota 2000GT, convinced Gilbert that a Japanese car should be used for a film taking place in Japan.