Toyota 2000GT and Lamborghini Countach QV for Mecum Monterey

By: Andy Enright

Date: 25.07.2016

Toyota 2000GT

Toyota 2000GT

Toyota 2000GT

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV

Toyota 2000GT

Toyota 2000GT

Toyota 2000GT

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV

Toyota 2000GT and Lamborghini Countach QV to be auctioned by Mecum at Monterey

HOT ON THE BLOCK: Scalpel or Sledgehammer?

Japan and Italy tend to mix like oil and water; cultures that rarely mesh. Who remembers the time Alfa Romeo and Nissan jumped into bed with one another? We expected sexy Italian styling and metronomic Japanese reliability, but we ended up with the Alfa Romeo Arna, a ghastly lash-up with the styling of a Nissan Cherry and the flaky running gear from an Alfasud.

If you really want to get a bit lost in translation between Italy and Japan today, you need to look no further than the auction sheet for Mecum’s event at Monterey next month. Up for sale are two examples of the finest sports cars to hail from either nation. From the orient comes the Toyota 2000 GT, in this case a 1967 example, one of just 351 cars built between 1967 and 1970. It’s undoubtedly a show-stopper, with hand-built panels and Yamaha-developed two-litre six-cylinder engine. That little six was undeniably exotic, with an alloy Hemi head, forged pistons and triple 40phh two-barrel side-draught carburettors. Mecum reckons it’ll go for somewhere between USD$750,000 and $900,000.

Somewhat amazingly, the other car we look at here, the Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV is cheaper, with an estimate of $550-$650k. Twice the cylinder count, more than twice the power and a presence that still turns heads over four decades since the car first appeared on a show stand. Although the early LP400 models attract the most serious money, the LP5000 QV is usually thought of as the Countach in its swaggering pomp, before it descended into the white jumpsuit Vegas era of the Anniversary model. Only 610 QVs were built and this one’s been in the same hands since 1988 and shows less than 20,000km on the odometer.

So where would you put your money? The subtle Toyota or the outrageous Lambo? It’s a little hard to compute that the 2000GT could easily fetch more when the hammer falls on 20^th August, but as the Japanese say - Juu-nin to-iro – different strokes for different folks. 

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