Japan has a strong history of producing great sports cars. The Toyota Supra, Nissan Z car, Subaru WRX STI, Mitsubishi Evo, Nissan GT-R, Acura NSX, and Mazda RX-7 all spring to mind, with many of these spanning generations of vehicles that punched well above their weight, were affordable to buy, and reliable to own. The same could not be said of the Italian exotica they outperformed back in the day. But the Toyota 2000GT is arguably the forefather of all this greatness. Launched in 1965, the 2000GT turned 55 years old last year. Often referred to as the Japanese E-Type, it was a partnership between Toyota and Yamaha that produced one of Japan's earliest high-end sports cars. Just 351 examples were made, including a convertible version for Sean Connery's James Bond in You Only Live Twice, but each and every one of them was gorgeous to look at and even better to drive. Now, one has come up for sale.
Listed on Bring A Trailer, this no-reserve 1968 2000GT is just one of 109 export models built in left-hand-drive configuration. It allegedly spent much of its life in a Japanese museum before it was brought stateside in 2013.
This particular example features white paintwork over a black vinyl interior and looks to be in exceptional condition. With approximately 12,000 miles on the clock since new, that should serve as no surprise.
Under the hood, it has the original 1,988cc inline-six with triple Mikuni-Solex carbs. This was the same 3M engine features in the Toyota Crown of the same era, but Yamaha worked some magic on the motor to produce 148 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque accompanied by a magnificent noise. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox with a top speed of 135 mph.
The 2000GT was a technological marvel, featuring Japanese-first power-assisted disc brakes at each corner, while a rear limited-slip diff aided handling capabilities. Coil springs and double wishbone suspension both in front and at the rear were advanced tech for the era, and it was the first-ever Toyota model to feature rack and pinion steering. Adding to the cool factor, 15-inch magnesium alloy wheels are finished in black.
The car has been well-maintained, with items like spark plugs, the distributor cap, and the ignition coil all being replaced in the last few years, while the carbs and timing have been adjusted to keep the car in running condition.
The current bid stands at $652,000 at the time of this writing, but with bidding closing in a day, we expect a furious bidding war. We've previously seen another LHD example sell for $900,000, so don't be surprised if this one hits $1 million.