Toyota 2000GT, Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Toyota 2000GT?

The Toyota 2000GT is a two-seat grand touring coupe produced from 1967 to 1970 in a collaboration between Toyota and Yamaha Motor Company. Only 351 units were built, making it one of the rarest and most valuable Japanese cars ever produced. It is widely considered Japan’s first supercar.

The 2000GT featured a 2.0-litre Yamaha-built DOHC inline-six engine producing 110 kW, a five-speed manual gearbox, fully independent suspension, disc brakes on all four wheels, and a hand-built body combining steel, aluminium, and fibreglass. It was priced comparably to European grand tourers from Jaguar and Porsche.

How many Toyota 2000GTs were made?

351 units, produced between 1967 and 1970 at Yamaha’s Iwata factory in Japan. Every car was largely hand-assembled, which is why the production numbers are so low, this was never intended as a mass-production vehicle.

Of those 351, a small number were fitted with the larger 2.3-litre engine for the US market (believed to be nine units). Two unique open-top versions were created for the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice.”

Survival rates are high given the car’s value, the vast majority of the 351 are believed to still exist, though some are in various states of restoration or disassembly.

How much is a Toyota 2000GT worth?

In 2026, values range from approximately $500,000 AUD for a restoration project to over $2,000,000 AUD for a concours-quality, matching-numbers example with exceptional provenance. The most desirable examples, early production cars with continuous ownership history and original documentation, can exceed $2,500,000 AUD.

The 2000GT was the first Japanese car to sell for over $1 million USD at auction (2013), and values have continued to appreciate. However, the market is extremely thin, with only 351 cars and very few changing hands in any given year, individual auction results can create significant price movements.

Right-hand-drive examples are exceptionally rare (only a small number were produced for export markets) and would command a premium in the Australian market.

Who built the engine?

Yamaha Motor Company designed and built the 3M engine. They took Toyota’s existing 2M pushrod inline-six block and designed a completely new aluminium cylinder head with twin overhead camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers, and shim-over-bucket valve adjustment. Yamaha also specified the dry-sump lubrication system and the triple Mikuni-Solex carburettors.

This collaboration established a partnership between Toyota and Yamaha that continues to this day. Yamaha has subsequently engineered engines for the Toyota 4A-GE (AE86), 2ZZ-GE (Celica/Lotus), and the Lexus LFA’s V10, among others. The 2000GT was the beginning of that relationship.

Is the Toyota 2000GT related to the Supra?

Not directly in engineering terms, but spiritually, yes. The 2000GT established the template for Toyota’s inline-six grand tourer, a long-bonneted, rear-wheel-drive coupe with a focus on refinement and performance. The Celica Supra (A40, 1978) and subsequent Supra generations (A60, A70, A80, A90) all follow this formula.

Toyota has explicitly acknowledged the 2000GT as the Supra’s spiritual ancestor. The 2000GT proved that Toyota could build a world-class GT car, and every Supra since has carried that legacy forward.

Was the 2000GT really in a James Bond film?

Yes. Two specially modified 2000GTs appeared in “You Only Live Twice” (1967), driven by Akiko Wakabayashi’s character alongside Sean Connery’s James Bond. Because Connery was too tall to fit in the standard coupe with the hardtop roof, Toyota and Yamaha created unique open-top (roadster) versions specifically for the film.

These two Bond cars are the only open-top 2000GTs ever produced. One is believed to be in Toyota’s museum collection, and the other’s current location is the subject of much speculation among collectors.

The Bond appearance gave the 2000GT invaluable global publicity and cemented its status as an international icon rather than a domestic curiosity.

Can you drive a 2000GT as a regular car?

Technically, yes. The 2000GT was designed as a usable grand tourer, not a race car. It has a comfortable (if compact) interior, acceptable visibility, reasonable luggage space, and a smooth, tractable engine. Cars have been driven on the Tour Auto, Mille Miglia, and other long-distance rally events.

Practically, no, not in 2026. The car’s value means that every kilometre driven, every stone chip, every parking ding, and every mechanical stress is a financial event. Most 2000GTs live in climate-controlled storage and emerge only for concours events, curated tours, or occasional demonstration drives.

If you genuinely want to drive a 2000GT regularly, you need to accept that the car will depreciate from concours condition to driver condition, budget for accelerated maintenance, and have the temperament to park a million-dollar car in public. Some owners do this, and they report that the driving experience is genuinely rewarding, the chassis is balanced, the engine is sweet, and the car feels far more modern than its age suggests.

Are parts available?

Limited, but improving. The key sources are:

NOS (New Old Stock): Original Toyota/Yamaha parts occasionally surface from old dealer stock, particularly in Japan. These are expensive and becoming rarer every year.

Toyota GR Heritage Parts: Toyota has intermittently produced limited runs of critical parts for the 2000GT through its GR Heritage Parts programme. These include engine gaskets, brake components, and some body parts. Availability is unpredictable, when parts are released, they sell out quickly.

Specialist suppliers: A small number of dedicated 2000GT specialists worldwide produce reproduction parts, gaskets, rubber seals, carburettor rebuild kits, electrical components, and some trim items.

Other 2000GT owners: The community of 2000GT owners is small, tight-knit, and generally cooperative. The Toyota 2000GT Registry facilitates communication between owners, and parts are sometimes shared or traded within the community.

The bottom line: you will never be stranded for lack of parts, but sourcing some items requires patience, contacts, and significant expenditure.

What makes the 2000GT so valuable?

Several factors converge:

Rarity: 351 units is tiny by any standard. Compare to the Jaguar E-Type (over 72,000 produced) or the Porsche 911 (hundreds of thousands). The 2000GT is genuinely rare.

Historical significance: It was the car that changed the world’s perception of Japanese automotive engineering. That historical importance gives it a significance that transcends its mechanical specification.

Beauty: The 2000GT is, by any measure, one of the most beautiful cars ever designed. It consistently places in lists of the most beautiful cars of all time, and its proportions and detailing hold up against the best European designs of the 1960s.

Condition of survivors: Because the car was recognised as special from an early date, most examples have been carefully preserved. There are very few rough, barn-find 2000GTs, most are in excellent restored or preserved condition, which supports high values.

Cross-cultural appeal: The 2000GT appeals to both Japanese car collectors and European/American collectors. It’s a Japanese car that competes in the same aesthetic and engineering league as Jaguar, Porsche, and Ferrari. This broad appeal drives demand from a global collector base.

Is the 2000GT a good investment?

Historically, yes, the 2000GT has appreciated consistently since the 1990s, with acceleration in values from the 2010s onwards. However, collector car values are never guaranteed, and the 2000GT market is so thin that it’s difficult to establish reliable price trends.

The practical considerations of ownership, specialist storage, specialist maintenance, specialist insurance, eat into returns. A 2000GT sitting in climate-controlled storage for ten years will incur $60,000-180,000 AUD in storage, maintenance, and insurance costs alone.

Buy it because you love it and because you understand its historical importance. If it appreciates, that’s a bonus. If you’re purely seeking financial returns, there are more liquid and predictable investments.

How does the 2000GT compare to European sports cars of the same era?

The 2000GT’s natural competitors were the Jaguar E-Type, Porsche 911, Lotus Elan, and arguably the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale. Contemporary road tests placed the 2000GT’s performance and refinement in the same class as these European machines.

Versus the Jaguar E-Type: The E-Type had more power (from its 4.2-litre six) and more presence. The 2000GT had a more sophisticated chassis and arguably better build quality. The E-Type was cheaper and more widely available.

Versus the Porsche 911: The 911 had the benefit of a rear-engine layout that provided exceptional traction and a unique driving character. The 2000GT was more conventional in layout but more refined in finish. The 911 became a dynasty; the 2000GT remained a one-off.

Versus the Lotus Elan: The Elan was lighter and arguably more agile. The 2000GT was more of a grand tourer, more refined, more comfortable, and better equipped. Both used DOHC engines; both had exquisite handling.

The 2000GT held its own against the best Europe could offer in 1967. That was exactly the point.

Are there any 2000GTs in Australia?

A small number, believed to be fewer than five, are in private Australian collections. These are rarely seen in public, though they occasionally appear at Motorclassica in Melbourne and at invitation-only concours events.

Any 2000GT in Australia would have been privately imported. The car was not officially sold in Australia through Toyota dealerships. Australian examples are typically Japanese-market cars imported by collectors, or occasionally US-market cars brought over with their owners.

If you’re serious about acquiring a 2000GT in Australia, engage a specialist broker with connections to the Japanese and American collector car markets. The car you want is most likely currently in Japan or the United States.