The 1967 Toyota 2000GT has always been known for its superb craftsmanship, performance as well as style but it has always been pushed aside by its European counterparts especially in the world of auto collectors. However, the 1967 Toyota 2000GT has finally received its much deserved recognition by being sold in RM Auctions for a whopping price of $1.2M. This is why it has been dubbed as the most expensive Asian car to be sold today.
The price of the 2000GT back in 1967 started at $7,230 and up. This means that even before, this model wasn’t really exactly cheap. As a matter of fact, it was relatively more expensive than its competitors like the Porsche 911 and Jaguar E-Type which were priced at $6,180 and $5,549 respectively. The Toyota 2000GT was first revealed back in 1965 but it was 2 years later when it came out in the market. It was Raymond-Loewy who came up with the design of the 2000GT which was first offered to Nissan but was rejected. Toyota later accepted the design.
The goal of the Japanese designers was to design a car that will rival the looks of sports cars in Europe during those times. This series was manufactured in Tokyo between the years 1967 and 1970 and it was only in limited numbers.
It was the 1967 Toyota 2000GT that changed the way how the world looked at the skills of Japanese manufacturers in terms of automobiles. The 2000GT proved that the Japanese auto company can actually compete internationally when it comes to producing high end vehicles.
Japanese auto manufacturers back in the 60s were known for producing family and economy cars and it was their European counterparts who were already dabbling in manufacturing sports cars. It was a surprise then when the conservative Japanese manufacturers produced the Toyota 2000GT. There were only 337 units produced and those that were built in the later years included air conditioning. Nowadays, the Toyota 2000GT is considered to be the first desirable collectable Asian car.
At first glance, the 2000GT bears some resemblance with the Jaguar E-Type. Its smooth flowing body is made from aluminium and it is powered by a six-cylinder engine which is located under the hood. It’s also quite low at just at 45.7 inches off the ground with a length of 4,176mm. This model was seen in a James Bond movie and in the TV series “Hawaii Five”.