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<< Index2000 GT
2000 GT was a joint production of Toyota Motor Corporation and the Yamaha Motor Corporation. This limited edition car is known to be the first true Japanese Sports Car. The 2000 GT was first introduced in the 1965 Tokyo mOtor Show, where it made quite a few heads turn. The production began in 1967 and continued till 1970. A total of just 337 cars were produced.
The Toyota 2000 GT is unique in its own sense as it is hailed to be the first true sports car made by the Japanese. The Japanese, at the time were known to produce mass market, practical vehicles and imitations. The 2000 GT changed all that. It also marked a turning point in the Japanese motor sport industry, specially Toyota and ground breaking models such as Supra and Celica followed.
The car was an instant hit as soon as it was shown to the world. It was even compared with the Porsche 911, which was in itself a great achievement. The styling of the car was done by the famous designer of German-American origin Albrecht Goertz.The front of the car shows that it was influenced by the design of the Jaguar E-Type. The body had a smooth flowing lines made of aluminum. It featured pop-up headlamps as well as fixed ones. It was also very aerodynamic. The body was very low, height being just 116 cms. The rear featured large round tail lamps. The were two convertibles also produced for the James BOnd movie, You Only Lived Twice, although they were not produced for the market.
The car was almost entirely manufactured by Yamaha. 2000 GT featured a 2.0 L, 6 cylinder engine, which gave a maximum output of 150hp at 6600 rpm and also a peak torque of 130 ft lb at 5000 rpm. It had twin cams with 12 valves with the valves at an angle of 79 degrees and the bore and stroke being 75mm. the car had a 8.8-inch clutch and a close-ratio 5-speed manual transmission. The chassis featured rack and pinion steering and an unequal length, independent A-arm suspension for both the front and rear. It also had vacuum-boosted four-wheel disc brakes. It could accelerate from naught to 60 mph in 10.0 seconds and a top speed of 128 mph.
The 2000 GT was mostly sold in Japan although it was sold in America too. It came at a price of $6800 in America, much more than the Jaguars and Porsches. The car is considered to be the first truly collectible Japanese car and has a high value at the auctions.
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