So yeah. This is going to take more than a kidney, but there’s a one-owner 1967 Toyota 2000GT for sale. Not only that, but this one of 62 sold in the US is a yakuza special because it’s Number 88, and as you may know Japanese crime syndicates love both the number 8 and LHD cars. With the recent disasters in Japan it may be an inopportune time to put this car on the market, but then again, if the yakuza has over half a million US dollars just sitting around for massive undisclosed aid shipments to the Tohoku region, maybe they can spring $650,000 for Japan’s O.G. supercar.
This car was originally sold in St. Louis, and restored by Maine Line Exotics, the 2000GT specialists that we visited for JNC Vol. 01’s profile on the Shelby SCCA racer. As you can see in the background, they have more than one 2000GT in the stable, and are one of the premier American experts on these vehicles.
Beautiful rosewood interior and twin-cam M-series motor courtesy of Yamaha.
This sale of this car has spread across the web, and while most articles have finally gotten the designer — Satoru Nozaki — correct, Jaguar E-type comparisons still abound. Does this look like the E-type to you? Hell no. It’s perhaps the most beautiful rear end this side of Jennifer Lopez.
[eBay] Hat tip to Joji.
One of those rare occasions when 650 big ones seems like a bargain.
is that another red one in the back ground? if so, that makes for a nice stable of cars!
If I may blatantly correct you……………..ahem….Maine Line Exotics is THE premier American experts of 2000GT’s!
I have never seen ANY similarity to the E-Type! The Brits were just scared of being dethroned, and therefore started the whole “They copied us” thing! I’m also sure they started the Von Goertz rumor! UPTIGHT WANKERS!!!
You guys I think most of the resemblance comes from the long hooded proportions and low-slung sexiness. Look at the side views:
Toyota http://www.ritzsite.nl/Archive/Toyota_2000_GT_1968.jpg
Shaguar http://www.sunsetclassics.com/1971-jaguar-xke-2-2/bodygallery/slides/1971-jaguar-xke-518.jpg
The 2KGT is basically an XKE with a few creases and a Toyota fascia. That said, it’s still a very nice looking car. You can’t *mistake* one for another, but they do share a resemblance.
Well, what is wrong with the notion that a car ‘may’ resemble a Jaguar E-Type? They are beautiful cars, and if anything shared its resemblance, it is a great attribute! The 2000GT is a fine car, and it is as original and rare as any super exotic of any era. It is a very well designed car, and while the $650,000 price-tag for any 2000GT may raise a lot of questions for true investment collectors who really to transact such cars, any dreamers and common folk would see nothing but awe and respect of its untouchable stature in the dream-car world, whether its $150,000 or $1million.
I’ve recently driven the LF-A on a track, and I must say, the two cars share the same reason for existence, that is to pour all that the company can focus, on a piece of product that really is the mark of a flagship, and nothing else. The LF-A, like the 2000GT is an unusual product, from a very usual company. But the level of detail and craft, the care and development it saw, and what it has achieved with the passion and dedication of engineers dedicated to the task, are simply belying of its nature, as being simply a Toyota. Just the glance and comparison of simple catalog numbers, both cars never stirred any sense of reason or value at it’s original MSRP. Rather they seem downright non-sense, when you consider both of them out-priced its European rivals with similar specs without performance numbers being much better, and worse in some cases.
But that seemed not to be the reason for the project. What I saw in the LF-A, was a rare and once-in-half-century decision by Toyota to craft something intrinsically excellent. The LFA is not a actuator-cyborg car that most performance car is today from Japan. The electronics are there and it is apparent, but it was applied in a polar opposite direction that is not to raise the sheer performance of a platform, but to make an already super-exotic platform, with attributes that will define a LeMans 24 race car, to behave much like a Lexus and be civilized for its owners to be truly a Toyota. On the track, LFA’s advanced electronic feel seemed to fade and disappear the harder it was pushed, and at the very speeds and loads of spirited driving, it felt as natural as any classic front engine, rear-drive performance car with stratospheric capacity to perform. Still, none of the ultra-high ceiling of performance seemed to come from artificial intelligence or actuator gimmickry. It was simply that good to begin with, without the electronic wonders.
Getting back to the 2000GT, I see the same principle. The 2000GT for its time, was a car made with construction and design applications which were more akin to a race car of its time, and with its own, in-house touches of making a comfortable, street sports car, they’ve succeeded in making something with very Toyota-like reliability, but with materials and techniques, which defined the greatest super sports cars of its era. It was not influenced by them, looking from the inside out, it was more that the car was created out of the best knowledge, and by the best skills and talents of whoever was passionate, and was free to do so without the usual product constraints and resources endless. It succeeded in making the statement of a product, speak for itself, and stand on its own.
That’s what I felt…
ok.. so does the hyundai genisis and all the Z’s.. it’s a two door sports coupe.. they all look alike..
We had our own JNC internal discussion about this, and Kev put it very well. “Most GT coupes of the 60s were long hood, pointy snout and short cabin with fastback. That kinda describes E-Type, Ferrari GTO (and 275/GTB), Bizarrini GT, Aston Martin DB4 Zagato (and Project 215 le mans racer), Cobra Daytona coupe, you could go on and on….”
See? Every car copied the E-type! 😉
the e-type is beautiful but the 2000gt is waaaaay more elegant. same goes for the Z
Beautiful!
more toyota 2000gt:
http://www.formfreu.de/2010/08/06/toyota-2000-gt-welttreffen-classic-days-schloss-dyck/
I could have bought one for $80,000AU, how do you think I feel! I think you can still buy E Types for that.
Regards Ken.
PS I do have a totally original factory 22 page brochure for the 2000 GT.
Regards Ken.