Rare left-hand drive 1967 Toyota 2000GT at RM Sotheby’s Elkhart auction

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 26.02.2020

Japan’s watershed collectible, could be yours for No Reserve

Up until recent fanfare surrounding Datsun’s humble 240Z sports car, there has long been just one car from Japan that would send a dull roar through the world’s most esteemed auction houses; the Toyota 2000GT.

A fantastically restored example will go under the hammer with No Reserve, at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Elkhart auction in May.

The 2000GT remains a watershed moment for global high-end auctions as the first Japanese car sold for over a million dollars, when a yellow example sold at RM Sothebys in 2013 for AU$1.75 million.

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Hagerty noted at the time that the ceiling-shattering sale was more than double any previous record-price fetched for any Asian-manufactured car.

Developed by Yamaha, the 2000GT was very nearly branded a Nissan; before Toyota ultimately bought the rights to the car.

It’s seen as Japan’s answer to the E-type: just as fast with half the engine, and arguably every bit as gorgeous, with lines penned by Albrecht Goertz.

Just 337 examples were built (351 if you include pre-production prototypes), and only 62 were produced in left-hand drive configuration.

Under the beautiful skin, sits a Yamaha-designed 2.0lt inline-six with dual-overhead cams and three twin-choke side-draft carburettors.  The high-revving powerplant sent 111kW to the rears via a fully-synchromesh five-speed manual with the car cornered by disc brakes and independent suspension.

This 1967 model presents in its unusual and original hue of Solar Red and was cared for by its original owner (and famed American racer) Otto Linton, before being pain-stakingly restored by US specialist Maine Line Exotics.

We’re curious to see how it does, with No Reserve to reach and amidst a slowing top-end classic market.

The car was last on sale on the online auction site Bring-A-Trailer back in 2018, and reached high-bid of AU$834,000 before ultimately failing to reach reserve.

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