Few people know about Toyota’s first sportscar; it was very small, was very light, had a two-cylinder engine, bubbly looks and thanks to it, you can now drive a GT 86. It’s the Toyota Sports 800 and this is its story.
It all happened at the 1962 Tokyo Auto Show when Toyota pulled the wraps off their first sportscar concept, namely the Publica Sports. An interesting aircraft-inspired small two-seater with a space age sliding canopy and a 28 hp engine coming from the Toyota Publica 700.
In 1965, the concept became reality as the Toyota Sports 800. It ditched the complicated canopy, but it still featured aircraft cues here and there, such as the plexiglass headlight covers to make the front end as aerodynamic as possible, lightweight aluminum construction, airplane hard-shelled seats, simple switches and an overall fun factor.
The engine got bored from 700 to 800cc and doubled its power to 45 hp. Not much but the whole car had a 580 kg (1,279 lb) curb weight. To make yourself an idea, the 2015 smart fortwo is 300 kg (661 lbs) heavier than the Sports 800, and is powered by a 71 hp standard engine.
Combine these with its aluminum targa top (yes, that happened before Porsche put one on their 911 in 1967) and you can picture yourself how much the Japanese appreciated the little two-seater.
Unfortunately, the Toyota Sports 800 got produced in only 3,131 units and about 300 were left hand drive. Overall, only about 10 percent of all the production is believed to have survived.
Shaping the future
Thanks to the little 800, Toyota had the balls to put out its most beautiful car of all time - the 2000GT coupe. It was influenced by the 800’s styling but the car was longer, had a proper interior, an inline-six engine and one of the most beautiful profile in the auto industry. The 2000GT is considered the first proper Japanese sportscar and it was made from 1967 to 1970 in a limited 351-unit run. Most consider it the most collectable car made in Japan at the that time.
The Toyota 2000GT then influenced upcoming models like the Celica, Supra and now the GT 86, and all these started with one simple two-cylinder oldschool kei car you’d be very lucky to own right now.
Mr. Scott Sylvester is one such lucky man who had the money and time to track down parts and fully restore his Sports 800. The man has a passion for small cars, with his collection including anything from a Bianchina to a BMW Isetta. However, he gets an extra spark in his eye when talking about his 800, as you’ll see in this beautifully documented video shot by Petrolicious.
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