Toyota 2000GT

Background
Much of the work was done by Yamaha, who in addition to their wide product range of the time also did much work for other Japanese manufacturers. The German-American designer Albrecht Goertz, a protegé of Raymond Loewy, had gone to Yamaha in Japan in the early 1960s to develop a two-seater sports car for Nissan. A prototype was built, but Nissan decided eventually not to pursue the project. Yamaha also worked for Toyota, then perceived as the most conservative of the Japanese auto makers. Wishing to improve their image, Toyota accepted the proposal instead.

Styling
Many attribute the Jaguar E-Type as an influence on the Goertz lines, but the design is widely considered a classic in its own right. The smoothly flowing bodywork was executed in aluminum, and featured pop-up headlights as well as large driving lamps in fixed locations either side of the grille, with plexiglas covers over them. The design scarcely featured bumpers at all, and the plexiglas driving lamp covers in particular are rather easily damaged. The car was extremely low, just 45.7 in (116 cm) at the roof. Infact, for the Bond movie You Only Live Twice, the car was deliberatley made into a convertible as Sean Connery was too large to sit behind the wheel. In 1969, the front of the car was modified slightly, making the driving lamps smaller and changing the shape of the turn signals. The rear turn signals were enlarged at the same time, and some alterations were made inside to modernise the interior. The last few vehicles were fitted with air conditioning and had automatic transmission as an option. These cars had an additional scoop fitted underneath the grille to supply air to the A/C unit.

Production
An absolutely minuscule 337 of the 2000GT were built, figures as low as specialist Italian supercar construction. All were actually built by Yamaha; it took two years for production vehicles to emerge. In America, the 2000GT sold for about $6,800, much more than contemporary Porsches and Jaguars. It is believed that no profit was made on the cars despite their high price; they were more concept cars and a demonstration of ability than a true production vehicle. About 60 cars reached North America and the others were similarly thinly spread worldwide.