1967 Toyota 2000GT Is The Original Japanese Halo Car And I Want It So Badly

The Toyota 2000GT is not only one of the most iconic models offered by the Japanese automaker, it’s also one of the rarest performance classics that ever came out of the Land of the Rising Sun.

This particular example is one of the just 62 left-hand drive examples that reached the United States, originally owned by famed racer and collector Otto Linton for more than three decades. Toyota built just 351 2000GTs in total between 1967 and 1970.

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This 1967 Toyota 2000GT was restored by Maine Line Exotics in its original Solar Red back in 2006 and is presented in an immaculate condition as it’s heading to RM Sotheby’s Elkhart Collection auction on May 1.

Power comes from a 2.0-liter straight-six engine with a Yamaha twin-cam cylinder head, producing 150 HP and paired to a five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip rear differential. The 2000GT was also the first Japanese car with four disc brakes and featured coilover suspension, a first for Toyota.

The interior features a rosewood-veneer dash created by Yamaha’s piano division, a mahogany steering wheel and gear knob and black leather seats.

The Toyota 2000GT was criticized at the time of being too expensive. The Japanese car maker’s halo car was in fact more expensive than other sports cars of the era, including the Porsche 911 and the Jaguar E-Type, which clearly played a part during the inspiration of the 2000GT’s design process.

Nevertheless, this is one of the rarest, most collectible sports cars of the 1960s, and as such it’s estimated to fetch between $700,000 and $850,000 once it crosses the auction block.