First-Ever Toyota 2000GT Becomes Most Expensive Japanese Car Of All Time

Mar. 07, 2022 6:07 AM ET by Karl Furlong Auctions / Comments

It sold for more than a brand-new Ferrari Daytona SP3.

About a month ago, we salivated over an exceptionally special example of the Toyota 2000GT. This 1967 model is not only the first serial-numbered 2000GT but is also one of three to be prepared by Shelby for SCCA C-production racing. We said at the time that this particular 2000GT had all the ingredients to break records when it went up for auction, and that's exactly what happened. Although it sold for less than the estimate of between $2.75 and $3.5 million, the final sale price of $2,535,000 was still enough to make this the most expensive Japanese car ever to be sold at auction, according to information from NewsAtlas.

This 2000GT's sale price exceeds the previous best of $2.1 million for a charity sale of a 2020 Toyota Supra and the $2 million for a 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible, another charity sale. Both of those sales were listed by Barrett-Jackson, but Gooding & Company now has the honor of having listed the most expensive Japanese car ever. Of the top ten most expensive sales, six of them were for 2000GT models, underlining what an iconic vehicle Toyota's sports car is. This 2000GT sold for more than twice the price of the first 2022 Acura NSX Type S.

Introduced in the 1960s to boost the Japanese marque's profile, the original 2000GT had a 2.0-liter twin-cam six-cylinder engine engineered in partnership with Yamaha. Producing 150 horsepower, the car weighed under 2,500 pounds and could hit 60 mph in about ten seconds.

However, this Toyota-Shelby 2000GT has an output of 210 hp. It comes with three weber twin-choke carburetors, a five-speed manual gearbox, a limited-slip differential, and front/rear independent suspension with coil springs.

Having been kept by Toyota Motor Corporation for promotional duties, chassis MF10-10001 received numerous upgrades by Shelby and Toyota engineers to prepare it for SCCA racing. Dual megaphone exhausts were fitted, as were adjustable KONI shocks, a differential cooler, and a Ferrari-style gated shifter inside. A complete body-off restoration to bring the car back to its historic white and metallic blue racing livery took place in the 1980s. It's no wonder this beautiful car sold for millions today and we hope it continues to be carefully preserved as an important chapter in Toyota's history.

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Karl Furlong

Senior Editor

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