This Toyota 2000GT Is Looking To Fetch RM4 Million At Pebble Beach

This won’t be cheap. What you’re looking at here is a Toyota 2000GT, one of the most coveted collectible Japanese cars in the world and also the country’s first supercar. Scheduled to go up for auction at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, this original, left-hand drive example finished in red is looking to fetch an estimated $800,000 to $1,000,000 (RM3,198,160 to RM3,997,700) with Gooding and Company handling the auction.

The Toyota 2000GT is a front-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat, hardtop coupé grand tourer designed by Toyota in collaboration with Yamaha. Featuring an aluminium body designed with inspiration from the Jaguar E-Type and Lotus Elan, the 2000GT first broke cover at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show and created quite a sensation, elevating Toyota’s status as a carmaker, so much so that the sports car even became the feature car in the 1967 James Bond flick You Only Live Twice where an open-top version was made specially for the movie.

Under the hood, the 2000GT is powered by a 2.0-litre DOHC inline six-cylinder engine featuring three two-barrel Solex 40 PHH carburetors. The engine developed 150hp and was mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. A first for a Japanese car, the 2000GT came with a limited slip differential and all-round power-assisted disc brake as standard. It also featured four-wheel independent coil-spring suspension.

After stunning the world with its looks and technical specifications, the Toyota 2000GT then took to the race tracks, winning the Fuji 24-Hour Race in 1967. Even Carroll Shelby entered a pair of 2000GTs to compete in the CP category of the 1968 SCCA production car races.

With such a rich heritage, it’s no wonder the 2000GT is highly sought after. This one here has been in the hands of three collectors before being acquired by someone who restored the car extensively to its immaculate condition. The buyer of the car will receive a comprehensive documentation of the car along with its matching chassis-engine number credentials.

If you’re wondering just how rare a Toyota 2000GT is, there are only 351 ever produced.