The car that changed Toyota forever

Be in classes the best selling style of all time and on international sales as a company and as a group Toyota It’s definitely one of those developers who can look to the future at least… with relative hope.

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In terms of production volume, the large Japanese company has been among the leading manufacturers in the last three decades, and at the same time it has been able to lead in several important developments in four-wheel technology, while Toyota’s finances also seem to be. on a solid basis.

But things weren’t always that way for the Japanese company, which more than half a century ago was a relatively small manufacturer by the standards of the time, trying to break out of Japan and expand into the US and Europe.

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In the late 1950s and early 1950s, the model of the Japanese company was the Toyopet Crown, founded in 1955. And while the Crown had found its audience in Japan after the war, the flagship of Toyota, which wanted to penetrate the American market .it was not only marginal by American standards, but almost unfit for the endless ways of American roads.

Toyota even tried to convince the American public about the reliability of its model by crossing the USA with the Crown. from one coast to the other, a popular marketing “tool” at the time for producers who wanted to be known to the publicwith Toyota even trying to do it twice.

However it was a project that held back the Japanese as the Crown, with its small by American standards 1.5 liter engine, not only struggled to maintain highway speed. but during the route he experienced mechanical problems.

The above was known to the public and tarnished the image of the Japanese before they even managed to penetrate the American market as they wanted with a car that was made for completely different roads in Japan. Sales were not good and Toyota stopped shipping to the US. for two years until he invented something else that would be better suited to the needs of the Americans.

That’s when the Japanese decided to completely redefine the way they see things, to come out of their conservative shell –it was seen as more conservative than the Japanese manufacturers– and re-introduce ourselves to an international audience, but this time looking at the pinnacle of four-wheel development.

The 1960s were the golden age of roadsters and GTs and to achieve their goal the Japanese turned to the second race. with the goal of creating a car “bark” that would not only have nothing to envy the top proposals of the time but would set new standards..

The car was the limited-production 2000GT, which stunned the four-wheel world when it was officially introduced in 1967. almost hand-made and foreign, for the data of the time 2000GT interesting in terms of design (inspired by the Jaguar E-Type), technological solutions used by the Japanese in almost every part of it and also with world and national records. which followed Toyota’s attempt to prove that there is substance behind the 2000GT image.

Japanese company coupe it was developed in collaboration with Yamaha, which knocked on Toyota’s door in the summer of 1964 right on time and a sports car offer they couldn’t pass up.

The 2000GT coupe was built by Yamaha at its Iwata factory with the three-cross company handling its engine development. It has been delivered 6-cylinder internal engine with two liters and 150 hp, independent suspension with double wishbones and disc brakes on all wheels. and finally magnesium.

Before its commercial launch, tThe Japan GT successfully participated in several races both inside and outside Japan’s borders and set many national and international speed records at the same time. and this raised the image of Toyota worldwide as a manufacturer of large sports cars.

During the presentation of the production model to the public, h Toyota’s action that made it known around the world was the participation of two specially modified 2000GTs (the only roadsters) in the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice”. which premiered just one month after its launch.

The 2000GT reintroduced Toyota to an international audience and of course to the American one, it boosted the company’s overall sales and changed its image, giving the then-largest automaker a reputation it didn’t have.. Read more about the unique 2000GT here.