After a July 2020 announcement by Toyota Gazoo Racing that it would be reproducing replacement parts for the Toyota 2000GT as part of the GR Heritage Parts Project, Toyota SA decided to restore its model.
The company also set about documenting the process.
Toyota will reveal the different stages of the rebuild of chassis number MF10-10207, which was one of only three examples of the 351 built globally to reach SA in 1967. Another is at the Franschhoek Motor Museum, while the third’s whereabouts are unknown. Perhaps it’s in a barn somewhere, so keep searching.
The graceful GT, that looks a bit like Jaguar’s iconic E-Type, was engineer Shoichi Saito’s project, the goal being to show Japanese brands had the knack and know-how to produce high-end cars that could compete with Europe and the US’s best.
The model turned up at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show and became the first million-dollar Japanese car.
It also earned itself a role in a silver-screen hit — alongside Sean Connery in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. To drive home it being Japanese-made, the car was mostly driven by “Bond girl” Akiko Wakabayashi.
The production version of the 2000GT arrived on the scene powered by a 110kW, 175Nm, 2.0l straight-six engine developed by Toyota, but fettled with Yamaha creations such as dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) and an aluminium head. The 0-100km/h was achieved in 10 seconds, with a top speed of 215km/h.
Though the road-going version’s performance didn’t trouble the Porsche 911s, Jaguars and Ferraris of the same vintage, the 2000GT did win the 1967 Fuji 24-hour race. It was also raced by US automotive designer Carroll Shelby, father of the Ford Mustang GT500, who entered a pair of modified 2000GT vehicles into the 1968 Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) production car series.
The restoration of the Toyota SA 2000GT is being undertaken by Generation Old School, a Gauteng-based, classic-car restoration company.
As part of the project, Toyota SA will create a unique, 2000GT T-shirt incorporating the inverted pyramid 2000GT badge on the rear and exterior profile on the front. The merchandise can be bought at any Toyota dealership.
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