Publication: Auto Sport
Format: Road Impression (original article includes Mazda Cosmo Sport impression, posted separately)
Date: Spring 1966
Author: Robert Dunham

Robert Dunham’s Test Run: Toyota 2000GT

The Toyota 2000GT will be making an appearance at the Japanese Grand Prix in May. In line with this ambition, it left an impression on me as Japan’s first full-scale sports car.

A few weeks after the 1965 Tokyo Auto Show, I had the opportunity to interview Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Taizo Ishida. During the interview, I received an informal invitation to visit the Toyota factory. The purpose, of course, was to test drive the Toyota 2000GT that was on display at the show. Two weeks later, I traveled to Toyota City with a reporter from the Asahi Evening News.

Publication: Auto Sport
Format: Road Impressions
Date: July 1967
Author: Yukio Fukuzawa, Yoshio Otsubo, Auto Sport Editorial Staff (uncredited)

A Fusion of Glamor and Ferocity

A gorgeous GT car on the highway, a fearsome competition machine on the circuit. These were the impressions that factory team drivers Yukio Fukuzawa and Yoshio Otsubo felt when they test-drove the recently released Toyota 2000GT.

A Taste of the World’s Finest GT Cars (Yukio Fukuzawa)

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Impressions
Date: May 1967
Author: Kyoichi Yamaguchi

Operation TNT007

In early February, “Operation TNT007” began across the Pacific Ocean.

This was the first step in the full-scale introduction of the Toyota 2000GT to the United States, carried out as a special reporting mission by a well-known American automotive magazine. TNT is, of course, an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene, a high-performance explosive. And 007, needless to say, is the code name for the world-famous British secret agent, James Bond. In fact, TNT007 was the California license plate issued to the very first Toyota 2000GT registered in the United States.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: August 1967
Authors (Roundtable): Jiro Kono, Osamu Hirao, Kenji Higuchi, Akio Miyamoto, Yasuhei Oguchi, Taizo Tateishi, Kenzaburo Ishikawa, Toshihide Hirata, Riichi Toyoda, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

A GT Car Bringing Together The Best of Toyota’s Technology

Magazine: To begin, could you tell us about the aims behind the development of the Toyota 2000GT, and give us an overview?

Kono: Perhaps I should start by explaining why Toyota decided to build a car like this in the first place. In 1963, the first Japanese Grand Prix was held, followed by the second the following year, along with a number of other races domestically. In all cases, the field was dominated by boxy sedan-type cars. Seeing this, there was a growing feeling within the company that we should create something more like a true sports car, and use it as a kind of spearhead for Toyota’s lineup.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Dynamic Test Drive
Date: February 1970
Authors: Shintaro Taki, Rena Takahashi, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

1,200km of Hard Driving: A Luxury Car With An Unclear Design Philosophy

Please allow me a moment to talk about something personal: about human charm. I apologize for starting off by talking about something that seems unrelated to cars, but when I talk about the Toyota 2000GT (with Toyoglide), I find I can’t avoid it.