Photo: Brad Builds
Supra, 86, Celica - these cars are so famous that Toyota wouldn't be the same without them. Yet they can probably all trace their heritage to one car, the 2000GT.
Its existence is proof that Toyota wasn't a Japanese copycat brand and could even keep up with the most amazing 1960s grand turismo designs, such as the Jaguar E-Pace.
There's plenty of modified Jaguars out there, like Chip Foose's chopped E-Type speedster from last year's SEMA Show. So why can't you find any custom 200GTs?
For starters, it's pretty expensive, costing in the millions. Also, there's the small problem of only 351 ever being made, not all of which survive to this day. And since it's super-tiny, nobody is interested in making replicas either.
That's why you'll find literally zero custom examples out there. This isn't real either; it's the latest art piece from 3D model expert Brad Builds. He says the 2000GT has long been a favorite of his, but this is the first time he's ever been satisfied with the outcome.
His take on the car will seem disrespectful to some, but art is always provocative. The 2000GT sports massive fender flairs in a contrasting black shade, a chin spoiler wrapping around its little face and 1221 retro wheels with a hellaflush stance.
Most people agree that this is Japan's first supercar. It was actually built for Toyota by Yamaha. Like the Lexus LFA, it was also overpriced, about twice the cost of an E-Type. It's got a much smaller engine, though, a 2-liter inline-6 from the Crown sedan of the time.
The 2000GT has two sets of headlights. The ones you can see are the normal ones, and above those, you have a set of pop-up ones which when closed give this car its trademark look. They were needed because of U.S. regulations dictating the height of the headlights, which the normal ones didn't meet.
There's plenty of modified Jaguars out there, like Chip Foose's chopped E-Type speedster from last year's SEMA Show. So why can't you find any custom 200GTs?
For starters, it's pretty expensive, costing in the millions. Also, there's the small problem of only 351 ever being made, not all of which survive to this day. And since it's super-tiny, nobody is interested in making replicas either.
That's why you'll find literally zero custom examples out there. This isn't real either; it's the latest art piece from 3D model expert Brad Builds. He says the 2000GT has long been a favorite of his, but this is the first time he's ever been satisfied with the outcome.
His take on the car will seem disrespectful to some, but art is always provocative. The 2000GT sports massive fender flairs in a contrasting black shade, a chin spoiler wrapping around its little face and 1221 retro wheels with a hellaflush stance.
Most people agree that this is Japan's first supercar. It was actually built for Toyota by Yamaha. Like the Lexus LFA, it was also overpriced, about twice the cost of an E-Type. It's got a much smaller engine, though, a 2-liter inline-6 from the Crown sedan of the time.
The 2000GT has two sets of headlights. The ones you can see are the normal ones, and above those, you have a set of pop-up ones which when closed give this car its trademark look. They were needed because of U.S. regulations dictating the height of the headlights, which the normal ones didn't meet.
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