Ultra-Rare 1970 Toyota 2000GT up for Sale in Japan

Now here's a car you definitely won't see at your local used car lot. A fully restored example of Toyota's iconic 2000GT is currently up for sale in Japan by a Tokyo-based dealer. This classic GT is one out of some 351 production models cars built between 1967 and 1970.

The 2000GT is widely considered to be Japan's first proper supercar and the forefather of high-end sports cars from the Land of the Rising Sun such as the modern day Lexus LFA.

The Japanese rear-wheel drive sports car made its world debut at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, however, it took Toyota two more years to begin delivering the first examples to buyers.

There's a debate on who's responsible for the styling of the 2000GT as some insist that Toyota refined the original design by Yamaha and German-American designer Albrecht Goertz, the creator of the BMW 507, but most seem to concur that Toyota designer Satoru Nozaki should be the one credited for the car's styling.

Then again, there are those that don't care about the debate claiming that whoever designed the car was greatly influenced by Jaguar's legendary E-Type Coupe.

Styling aside, the 2000GT featured an aluminum body while power was provided by a 2.0-liter twin-cam straight-six sourced from the Toyota Crown but heavily modified by Yamaha, which drove the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.

This particular 2000GT is 1970 model that underwent a painstaking and detailed restoration that is said to have lasted six years. The dealer said that the 2000GT had clocked 90,000 km (about 56,000 miles) before the restoration started in 2003. No word on pricing but you know the saying...

Source: Wintel

Toyota 2000GT Replica Based on Nissan 240Z with GT-R Engine

At last weekend's Tokyo Salon 2009, Mr. Makoto Kobayash and his company Road Star Garage from Aichi, Japan, launched their latest Toyota 2000GT replica, this time based on the 1970's Datsun Fairlady Z S30 - known in most markets as the 240Z and later as 260Z and 280Z. Whereas the original 1965 Toyota 2000GT used a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated, straight six producing around 150HP, Road Star Garage fitted the replica with a Nissan Skyline GT-R derived and NISMO prepped, twin-turbocharged RB26 N1 six-cylinder unit.

The Japanese firm hasn't published any performance or output figures, but understandably, this replica holds a mighty punch under its hood. As some might remember, Road Star Garage also produces a Toyota 2000GT convertible based on the underpinnings of the Mazda MX-5 / Miata - see here.

Carscoop thanks Mr. Makoto Kobayash for the Tokyo Show Photos

Link: Road Star Garage

Toyota 2000 SR Concept Inspired From The 2000GT

The 2000 SR is a concept designed by a company dubbed “SURE Design” and it pays tribute to Toyota’s classic 2000GT. The Toyota 2000GT was Japan’s first serious attempt to enter the supercar market and due to the fact that it was produced in limited numbers -just 351 units were built between 1967 and 1970, it is considered as one of the most sought out sports cars of our time.

The modern iteration of the 2000GT is designed as a two-seater coupe powered by a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 600Hp 3.5-liter V6 turbo unit (front mid-engine position) that runs on bio fuels with rear wheel transmission for circuits and race tracks, and a second front-mounted electric motor capable of independently driving the front wheels. The electric motor is designed to be used around cities or countryside in pollution free mode, at moderate speeds. -More pics after the jump

HIROSHI: Toyota 2000GT Replica Based On Mazda Miata

Toyota 2000GT & Mazda Miata; two of the most famous and iconic sports cars ever to be produced in the “Land of the rising sun”. However, that and the fact they share the same front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, is about all these two have in common. The 2000GT was a very expensive sports coupe produced in minuscule numbers -just 351 units between 1967 and 1970, while the Miata / MX-5 roadster is one of the best selling sports cars of all time with more than 800,000 units produced since 1989. -Continued : Click “Read More…” below

Still, that didn’t bother Mr. Makoto Kobayash who runs Road Star Garage in Aichi Japan to find a common ground between the two sports cars. Even if the 2000GT was never actually sold as a cabriolet, two coupes had been transformed into drop tops for the sake of the 1967 James Bond film, “You Only Live Twice”. And that's exactly what inspired the Japanese company into creating a 2000GT Cabriolet replica based on the Mazda Miata / MX5, which they call, Hiroshi.

Unfortunately, that's all we can tell you about the "Hiroshi" as all the details on the company's site are in Japanese and as many of you might know, we can’t tell the difference between sayonara and sushi. But feel free to check out the full image gallery below. An oh, don't forget to tell us what you think about the conversion.

Link: Road Star Garage