- 36,283
- Addison,Texas
- GTP_RACECAR
Coming off a win in the 1967 Fuji 24 Hour Race and looking to bolster sales in the US, Toyota would enter in the SCCA championship and do so after striking a deal with Carroll Shelby, fresh from his Ford Contract, to develop the 2000 GT for competition in the C-Production class. The superb handling was further enhanced thanks to custom made 15×7 magnesium wheels with special low profile racing tires, and very low suspension (the wheels and tires alone bringing the ride height down by 2.5inches). The biggest challenge was the Yamaha-designed head was not easy to modify for more compression, coupled with the C/Prod rules stipulating that the car would have to use triple Mikuni carbs, rather than the more powerful Webers. The racing cars rolled onto the grid for the 1968 season with 200hp and with reliability issues sorted. The Shelby prepared Toyotas brought the fight to the class leading Porsche 911s run by many big time Socal teams, especially the renown Vasek Polak Racing team. The races were close and hard, with lots of paint-swapping. The team racked up four wins, eight 2nd place finishes, and six 3rd place finishes, giving the Toyota's of Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan in 3rd and 4th respectively in the championship behind the Porsche 911s 1st and 2nd in what would be the one and only racing season for the 2000GT in the US. This would add another historical racing car to GT.
Engine: Yamaha 2.0L Naturally Aspirated Straight 6
Horsepower: 200
Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
Weight: ----
Drivetrain: RWD
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