Sports Car World, 1978
IT IS GENERALLY assumed that successful business enterprises do not often make a wrong move. They do not often bring out the wrong product at the wrong time. Make too many mistakes like that and you are out of the game. Given this, the Toyota 2000GT is an enigma. It was certainly impressive at the Tokyo Motor Show of October, 1965, with its two-litre twin-overhead cam six-cylinder engine, its fully-independent suspension and sleek styling, but its purpose was puzzling. Where did it fit in Toyota's overall marketing strategy.
Higher priced than the Jaguar E-type the Toyota 2000GT appeared on the American market before the American car enthusiasts were prepared to think of a Japanese car in sporting terms. Americans could see themselves spending $7000 for a Jaguar or Porsche but to spend that amount on a Toyota was unheard of. Consequently, the 2000GT disappeared from the American scene with the same dispatch with which it had appeared. It was a case of now-you-see-it-now-you-don't. A four-wheeled marketing faux pax, the 2000GT is the only Toyota a purist would covet.
The chassis of the 2000GT is of the unitary type, unlike the Jaguar E-type which is half monocoque and half space-frame. The suspension both front and rear is by coil-sprung upper and lower wish-bones,
Anti-Roll Bars and double-acting hydraulic shock absorbers. The engine was designed as a compromise. Toyota had a V8 in the works but figured it was too much trouble to convert that to twin overhead cams. Apparently the letters DOHC had magic for Toyota. So they took the SOHC M-type Crown six-cylinder and converted that to a double overhead cam. The head design was by Yamaha. But the new engine took more room than had been planned so last-minute compromises included re-locating the air filter down in the lower left mudguard instead of directly atop the sidedraught carburettors.
The engine had a bore and stroke of 75mm, being exactly square, and a displacement of 1988ccm. It was rated at 110kW at 7000rpm. Compression ratio was a mild 8.4 to 1. The body styling was remarkable for a Japanese car built in an era when there was precious little innovation in terms of styling in their industry (beyond the Mazda R130, which was designed by Italy's Bertone). The only criticism of the body that experts agree on is the odd number of hatches carved into it to permit access to the battery, radiator header tank, and brake fluid reservoir.
It is almost as if the body designer had been an idealist searching for the "pure" shape and after creating it he left the everyday problems of access to the components up to his less talented subordinate. One of the clumsiest solutions is the hatchback roof which is supported in the open position with the ancient and time-honored support rod, instead of being counterbalanced. The pop-up headlights are also an abomination, but perhaps an expedient to meet the obscure regulation in the US which calls for headlights to be 610mm off the ground.
Ironically, the 2000GT is not so much an example of Toyota's workmanship as it is of Yamahas! The car carries a plaque that proclaims it was built by Yamaha for Toyota. In Japan, it is not unusual to find such co-operation between different firms. The gearbox is a five-speed, all synchronised. The fifth gear is an overdrive ratio of 0.844 to 1. Driving the Toyota 2000GT is a curious experience for a non-Japanese since the car is small inside with little headroom or "spreading" room. The dash layout is excellent. There is a large speedo joined by a large tachometer reading to 8000rpm. The auxiliary gauges include an ammeter, a water temperature gauge and one for both oil pressure and oil temperature. The 2000GT has an oil cooler as standard. The dashboard itself is a highly polished wood panel, not veneer, but real wood.
The gearshift is rather stiff, even though our test specimen had 37,000 miles (59,000km) on the odometer when we drove it. The gearlever is set low and the throws are short. The engine has surprising power considering it is some 600cm smaller than the single-overhead cam six used in the Datsun 260Z. The Toyota engine does not bog down as you wind it out toward the 7000rpm redline. Once in fifth gear, it purrs along contentedly. Economy can be spectacular. The car's owner. Bob Vandergriff, says he has achieved around 9.9km/l (28mpg) on trips.
The rack and pinion steering is light even though it has only 2.67 turns lock to lock. The test car's original Dunlops had been replaced with Michelin X radials. It seemed well balanced in corners and cornered close to neutral. The only thing that needed attention was the shock absorbering. This '65 car could have benefitted from 1978 dampers. Was the Toyota 2000GT fast? The factory claims a 0 to 96km/h in 8.4 seconds, which is almost two seconds faster than a Datsun 260Z can do when presented with the same task. Over the standing quarter-mile, Toyota claims the car takes only 15.9 seconds, which again is roughly two seconds faster than a current detoxed 260Z can do it in.
The Toyota 2000GT never really caught on anywhere. In Japan, it won the Japan Grand Prix for sports cars a couple of times but in America, even Carroll Shelby could not make it a success in racing on the limited budget Toyota gave him. Toyota was ambi-vilant about the car's future anyway, only importing 54 cars into the US in 1967. A handful also found their way to Australia. Toyota never advertised the 2000GT which accounts for the fact that today Mr Vandergriff is frequently asked if it is "some secret new car". He bought it off the showroom floor in 1967 for approximately $7500. Now six years later, his car is worth $10,000 to $12,000. Even Jaguars don't do that.
