Japan’s hottest sports car
“Welcome to Japan, Mr Bond!”… in 1967 the sophisticated secret agent travelled to the Land of the Rising Sun in pursuit of his arch-enemy Blofeld. The film was titled ‘You Only Live Twice’ and this time 007’s car was a Toyota 2000 GT, the hottest sports car Japan could offer. Albert R. Broccoli, producer of the movies, had asked in 1966 for a suitable Bond car. But the 2000 GT existed only as a coupé… and the very tall Sean Connery would have had difficulty even getting into it.
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- Nevertheless the 2000 GT had hit its true target which was to prove that Toyota were able to build sports cars.
A one-off version
The idea of building a Targa version from scratch was quickly discarded. The solution adopted in May 1966 by the Japanese car manufacturer was to have two roadsters built in the Toyopet Service Centre in Tsunashima exclusively for 007. Apart from the rear fender and lights the back end of the car was completely new. The covering under which a retractable roof might be expected to lurk was actually a fake… there was no folding roof underneath. The white speedster was also without side windows but nevertheless the overall appearance was harmonious and it almost looked as if series production could be on the near horizon. In the 1960s Japan was beginning to establish its image as a land where high-tech dominated and so Toyota came up with a couple of cute gimmicks. At this time no cordless telephones existed, nor was it possible to make calls via a colour monitor screen… but James Bond was given both. There were surveillance cameras and a voice-activated tape recorder behind the seats to complete the panoply of gadgetry.
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- In May 1966 by the Japanese car manufacturer had two roadsters built in the Toyopet Service Centre in Tsunashima exclusively for 007.
The lovely driver
In Japan 007 was not doing the driving himself. The beautiful secret agent Aki saved the snobbish Mr Bond’s life on several occasions and proved to be an excellent driver, keeping her cool even when bullets were flying thick and fast. When the 2000 GT was being chased by thugs in the pay of the criminal Mr Osato it was the moment for Aki to call for back-up… and this took the form of a Kawasaki helicopter trailing a huge magnet. It latched onto the Toyota Crown driven by the baddies, lifted it off the highway and finally dropped the sedan from a great height into the waters of Tokyo Bay.
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- Priced at seven thousand Dollars in the United States… the most important foreign market… it cost as much as a Porsche 911 and more than an E-Type Jaguar. Another hindrance was the fact that the complex technology on board the Nipponese coupé demanded expensive maintenance.
Sports car summitry
The appearance of the 2000 GT on movie screens worldwide was a huge image boost for the marque Toyota, even if the roadster version never saw series production. But the coupé was quickly elevated to the sports car summit of Japanese automobile construction. While the Toyota ‘Sports 800’ had been a weakling with its Targa roof and just 49 horsepower the 2000 GT was something else entirely. It embodied the advanced technology of the time… central tubular frame, individual wheel suspension all round, disc brakes, a locking differential on the back axle and modern rack-and-pinion steering. The 4.17 metres long sports car with its very long bonnet weighed little more than 1,100 kilos. The 150 horsepower came from a straight six with two-litre engine capacity and twin camshafts. The Japanese spared no expense, neither for technology nor for the interior of the 2000 GT. There were leather covered seats, rosewood appliqué on the dashboard and an axially adjustable steering wheel. All though two occupants could be accommodated in comfort there was little room for their baggage with the boot under the big glass tailgate being far from capacious.
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- With its five-speed gearbox the 2000 GT was able to speed to a maximum of 215 kilometres an hour and took just ten seconds for the sprint to a hundred.
Costly craftsmanship
Depending on the gearing ratio imposed, the 2000 GT with its five-speed gearbox was able to speed to a maximum of 215 kilometres an hour and took just ten seconds for the sprint to a hundred. For racing there were tuned coupé versions capable of 250 kilometres an hour. The Toyota 2000 GT model was built by hand at Yamaha but it did not achieve the hoped for export success. Priced at seven thousand Dollars in the United States… the most important foreign market… it cost as much as a Porsche 911 and more than an E-Type Jaguar. Another hindrance was the fact that the complex technology on board the Nipponese coupé demanded expensive maintenance. In al,l only 351 vehicles found buyers. Nevertheless the 2000 GT had hit its true target which was to prove that Toyota were able to build sports cars. This helped to create acceptance for the Celica which came onto the market a year later. And, of course, it won its place in popular culture… no car ever driven by James Bond can ever be completely forgotten.
