Toyota 2000GT: History of Japan's First Supercar

The Toyota 2000GT. You've heard of it, right? It’s is one of the most iconic Japanese cars of all time. it was Toyota's flagship when it was released and showed the rest of the world that Japan was more than capable of building a sports car that could hang with the best of them. It helped shift public perception of cars from there and even paved the way for later cars like the Supra, the Lexus LS400, and even the Lexus LFA. But do you know the story behind the car? It was adored by the motoring press and shunned by the marketplace when it was released, but it showed its mettle on the race track, shaped the histories of several companies, immortalized itself on the silver screen, and broke the seven-figure mark on the auction block. This is the history of the Toyota 2000GT: Japan’s first supercar.
The front end borrows the headlight style from Toyota's own Sports 800. It's driving lights are placed low on the car and sit behind a plexiglass housing. Additionally, the 2000GT throws on a set of pop up headlights up top. This wasn't always the plan. Going back to the sketch, we can see that the driving lights were intended to be the main units. These were too low for US regulations, so the team affixed the retractable lights to skirt the requirements. The front shoulders poke out slightly from the rest of the hood. They accentuate the wheels but aren't so wide that they distract from the design.
News of the car made waves the world over. Albert R. Broccoli, a producer for the James Bond movies, fell in love the moment he laid eyes on it. The 5th entry in the franchise, You Only Live Twice, was to take place in Japan. He felt the car would make a worthy followup to the legendary Aston Martin DB5 from earlier films. He got in touch with Toyota to see if they could work something out. 007, colloquially known as “zero-zero” in Japan, was incredibly popular there, and that’s to say nothing about the international notoriety of the franchise. Toyota, believing they could drum up some more hype for their sports coupe, was more than happy to help out.
TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro

00:53 Yamaha’s Early Years

05:03 Yamaha Develops a Car

08:25 Nissan Joint Venture

10:56 Toyota Enters the Frame

13:22 2000GT Development

16:21 2000GT Analysis

20:15 Magazine First Impressions

20:53 You Only Live Twice

25:18 Racing History

29:08 Magazine Reviews

31:45 Update/Decline/Legacy

SOURCES
https://global.yamaha-motor.com/about/technology/daysgoneby/001/
https://global.yamaha-motor.com/about/technology/daysgoneby/004/
https://silodrome.com/history-toyota-2000gt/
https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2017/09/25/toyota-2000gt-turns-50
https://viaretro.com/2013/05/from-albrecht-to-z/
https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/10/14/early-datsun-fairlady-sports-car-legacy
https://www.drivingline.com/articles/davey-jordan-and-the-shelby-toyota-2000gt/
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-review/vintage-review-1968-toyota-2000gt-april-1968-car-and-driver-road-test/
https://blog.toyota.co.uk/toyota-and-james-bond-the-names-2000gt
http://commanderbond.net/11802/the-cbn-james-bond-toyota-2000gt-story.html
https://www.windingroad.com/articles/news/classic-toyota-2000gt/
https://supercarnostalgia.com/blog/toyota-2000-gt-roadster-you-only-live-twice
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a28111/toyota-2000gt-history/
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/2000gt-when-shelby-raced-the-toyotas/
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29469/road-track-road-test-toyota-2000gt/
https://www.autozine.org/Archive/Toyota/classic/2000GT.html
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/news-tree-damaged-toyota-2000gt-arrives-at-repair-shop/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/13/national/crime-legal/man-sues-toyama-prefecture-loss-classic-toyota-2000gt-due-falling-tree/#.XjjkoxNKg1J
https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2018/04110700/?all=1
I'd also like to give a HUGE shoutout to 2000GT.net: http://2000gt.net/index.php
YATABE RECORDS
International Records (Distance or Time/Average Speed)
1,000 miles/209.65 km / h
2,000 km/209.45 km / h
2,000 miles/207.48 km / h
5,000 km/206.29 km / h
5,000 miles/204.36 km / h
10,000 km/203.97 km / h
6 hours (1,262 km)/210.42 km / h
12 hours (2,505 km)/208.79 km / h
24 hours (4,949 km)/206.23 km / h
48 hours (9,782 km)/203.80 km / h
World Records
10,000 miles/206.18 km / h
15,000 km/206.04 km / h
72 hours (14,833 km)/206.02 km / h
(Source: http://2000gt.net/Competition/Records/Records5.php
2000GT SHOP SITE: http://www.vintage-yoshino.com/stock/stock.html
Next Video will be on Toyota’s Calty Design Studio

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