-McClarenDesign's-
Very Serious SLS AMG Review of the Car of the Week N Stuff
"Formula One is just another job, but treated properly it can also be terrific fun, and as the teams sump up about 99.9 percent of the costs, it's a wonderfully cheap way to see the world too!" -Steve Matchett
Week 19: 1967 Toyota 2000GT
You might remember that in
our last review, we found ourselves in Japan, at the famous Suzuka Circuit. We were testing the 1967 Prince Skyline, and falling in love with my wife again. Well, I was falling in love with my wife. If you were, we're going to have serious problems, and not of the
Very Serious SLS AMG kind, either.
Despite the exotic locations and iconic cars that you've come to love, we're still under the restrictions of a budget. Repairs and restorations aren't cheap, and neither are hotel accommodations, travel expenses, insurance, legal fees, bribes, recreational drugs, hookers, more insurance, lawyers or traffic violations. These expenses add up very quickly. By the time we'd completed
our third review, we'd already surpassed the annual Gross Domestic Product of several nations.
So rather than travel all the way back to our nice, comfy beds in our comfy homes, our producer and accountants have kept us here in Japan for another day, and have arranged what may be the most sought after drive in all of Japan. Although tired and ill from the effects of jet lag, I've been assured that the stay will be well worth the effort, and beyond rewarding.
Turns out our producer's credit card was declined when booking the trip home.
If the 1957 Chevy Bel Air sparked America's love affair with the car, then the 2000GT is Japan's equivalent. Who could blame them? Anyone without an automotive degree would easily mistake this car as a Ferrari or Corvette from far away. It's not surprising that the styling was inspired heavily by the Italians, because the Italians are like the world's BASF. They don't make things, they make everything better... a trend that Japan once held as well.
The finest suits are Italian, the finest shoes are Italian, and the same with motorcycles and cars. You might remember that the great Lamborghini designer Giorgetto Giugiaro from our
117 Coupe review, interestingly enough a 1968 model, worked in Japan for several manufacturers. Although he didn't pen this, the Italian influence on Japanese automotive culture had begun, and we are all much, much better off for it. Pity that only 351 were built, and that Yamaha isn't making cars today... unless you consider the LFA... which is also a Toyota.
According to Polyphony Digital via Translator-san:
Translator-san
Called Japan's first exotic or supercar by some, the Toyota 2000GT was certainly revolutionary as far as Japanese cars went. The smooth, flowing lines of the 2000GT were reminiscent of Ferraris of the day, and it was built on a backbone chassis, which was used extensively by Lotus at the time.
Underneath its long hood was a 2.0-liter DOHC inline-6, based on the top-of-the-line Crown power plant, which produced 148 HP. This engine was jointly developed by Yamaha. The famous motorcycle/musical instrument maker also provided the wood grain on the car's dashboard with materials it used for its world class pianos.
The car's suspension was also first rate, with double wishbones at both front and rear. But the Toyota 2000GT was not all about beauty. this highly tuned machine was able to win several times on the Fuji Speedway and Suzuka circuit, even establishing the international speed record on the Yatabe test course going as fast as 137 mph. Two special convertibles versions were produced for the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice," giving the Toyota sports car worldwide appeal.
Sales of such a high-end sports car were not stellar, especially one with a price tag of 2,380,000 yen, which was twice as expensive as the luxury model Crown, and Toyota was faced with the hard reality of ceasing the car's production after making only 300 cars.
Ah, yes, James Bond. During filming, it became quite clear that Sean Connery's head wouldn't quite fit in such a cramped car. They toyed around with the notion cutting out squares in the roof to make a targa top but that looked silly, so they cut the rest off completely. Since it's essentially a film prop, it's not even actually a convertible. There's no top that raises, just a cover to give the impression of one beneath.
I actually appreciate the lack of a convertible or targa option. Slicing away the roof sacrifices structural rigidity, and this car is absolutely begging to be thrown around the track. Despite its low power, we've known Toyota to make cars tailored specifically to make the driver a hero. Having Bond sign on certainly adds a bit of street cred, doesn't it?
But if I'm honest, there's something bothering me about this review... something not quite right. Over the past few reviews, we've had plenty of examples from the sixties, so the suspension shouldn't be an issue. We've dealt with plenty of 6 cylinder engines, so that should be...
...waitaminute...
19
67 Mercury Cougar.. 19
67 Prince Skyline... 19
67 Toyota 2000GT...
(expletive).
No one will ever accuse me of being a religious man, but even I've learned to avoid certain signs, and I'd refused to go any further with testing until we could get
Father Bishop here to ensure the car was safe. I may drive like a bat out of hell, but that certainly doesn't mean I'll be ringing my travel agent up for reservations anytime soon. Despite the expense, we arranged to have the good Father flown that day, and he'd even agreed to carry out our testing.
We weren't able to source a Toyota rep for our testing, nor any factory support. Apparently racing uses up an awful lot of resources, and endurance racing had
taken its toll on what little they had left. Fortunately, we were able to source the aid of a local mechanic by the name of Ken. While we were waiting on the good father, he'd ensure our car was free from any lingering mechanical demons.
Performance as Purchased: December 24, 2010, Pegasus White (
White)
Displacement: 1,988 cc
Max. Power:
146 hp @ 7,000 rpm
Max. Torque:
123 ft-lbs. @ 5,000 rpm
Drivetrain: FR
Length: 4,175 mm Height: 1,160 mm Weight: 1120 kg
Tires: Comfort (Soft)
Performance Points:
366
Mileage: 16,104.8 mi.
The next morning, after we'd picked up our priest from the airport, we met with Ken at our test track to find out exactly how much damage 16,000 miles had done. The good news: the engine was fine, and we had an extra
15 ponies,
13 ft-lb. of the twisty stuff, and
13 more Performance Points... which Ken tells me will lower our insurance rates. The bad news: 211,500
Cr. worth of body work. Simply sitting in our garage unprotected had cause some rather expensive damage, and that's damage our wallet simply can't afford to take.
For those keeping score at home, other notable data includes: Max. hp: 161 hp, Max. Torque: 136 ft-lb., Max. Performance Points: 379 PP
On a wing and literally a prayer, Father Bishop climbed aboard the 2000GT, prepared to exorcise the demons on the track. With the Bible in the glove box, and St. Jude around the rear view mirror, our kamikaze Catholic was off in a flash, nailing the quarter mile in only
0:16.990, and a 60 mph time of
0:08.996. Even though there wasn't the earth-shattering kaboom you'd get from a Ferrari, there was sufficient squealing from the tires for us to feel comfortable with the Father's talents.
In fits of rage, clouds of anger, and screams of pain, the demons were gone.
For those keeping score at home, other notable data includes: 0-1 mi.: 0:40.760, 0-100 mph: 0:21.443, Max. G-Force: 0.52G, Top Speed: 136.4 mph
Confident that whatever was before is now no more, we transported our lovely Toyota to the Tsukuba circuit for a quick few laps. Behind the wheel, I'm instantly appreciative that the car is rear-wheel drive. It'd be such a shame to waste such a beautiful design on a front-wheel drive design. Despite the dodgy tires, the car still felt very responsive, and communicative.
When you're in tune with a car, you begin to develop a dialog and lexicon very specific to you both. Every subtlety and nuance recorded for future repair, adjustment, or even just plain appreciation. Sure, the plexiglass fog lenses may be easily broken, but that's just another excuse to spend more time with the car. Ken tried to fix the fog lights, but a lack of available parts prevented the car from being 100% perfect.
In an American sports comedy, actor and legend
Rip Torn is quoted as saying "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." When I began pushing the 2000GT to its limits, she began to take on eerily similar traits to one
Shelby Cobra, albeit with much less power. Upon investigation, its no shock that Shelby raced a few in the latter part of the 1960s, with one recently
for sale. I began to think of this car as the Microsoft Cobra Simulator, and sure enough my times began to plummet.
Diet Cobra.
I'm not the least surprised that this car continues to inspire designers. In fact, as an enthusiast, I demand it, and you should too.
You don't need 1,000 bhp to arrive like a rockstar, what you need is taste. Any idiot can go out and buy an Italian suit off the rack, but not every idiot can have one tailor made on the streets of Maranello. The 2000GT exudes class and sophistication, taste, and elegance without reducing itself to the "look at me, look at me" debauchery of today's
upper class white trash.
Instead, why not arrive gently, slowly, and with the woman every man would stab each other for. If push comes to shove, you can have confidence that she'll let you in on whatever clever scheme she's cooked up, and somehow you'll appear as the knight in shining armor. Pegasus indeed! Just try not to stare when she begins to wiggle her rear, and for god's sake, pick your chin up off the floor and stop looking like an idiot.
If you have to drive, you should demand this sort of reward from the car you choose. When you pull into your driveway at the end of a hard days work, you should feel as though you've slayed a dragon, won the world championship, cured cancer
and AIDS
and baldness, and have had sexual relations with a lingerie model.
Isn't that what you deserve?
Week 1: 2001 Alfa Romeo Spider 3.0i V6 24V
Week 2: 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto
Week 3: 2000 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (S. Shigeno Ver.)
Week 4: 2007 Audi TT Coupe 3.2 Quattro
Week 5: 1983 Nissan Silvia 240RS (S110) and 1985 Nissan 240RS Rally Car
Week 6: 1973 BMW 2002 Turbo
Week 7: 2004 DMC DeLorean S2
Week 8: 1971 Nissan Fairlady 240ZG (HS30) and 1971 Nissan 240ZG (HS30)
Week 9: 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Rally Car
Week 10: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5- 16 Evolution II and 1992 AMG Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5- 16 Evolution II Touring Car
Week 11: 1999 Lotus Motor Sport Elise and 1996 Lotus Elise and 1998 Lotus Elise Sport 190
Week 12: 2001 Audi RS4
Week 13: 1968 Isuzu 117 Coupe
Week 14: 1969 Camaro Z28 and 1969 Camaro Z28 RM and 1969 Camaro SS
Week 15: The Shelby Cars
Week 16: 1979 Honda Civic 1500 3door CX
Week 17: 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7
Week 18: 1967 Prince Skyline 2000GT-B
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Ed. Note- Thank you, Polyphony Digital and Scion, for the FR-S. I love it!
and my poor, tired, old Eunos J is getting dusty in the back of the garage. Bring on more seasonals...and the next COTW!
