'Japan's First Supercar' Gets New Life as Toyota Restarts 2000GT Parts Production

Scarcely two decades after Japanese industry was ravaged by the loss of World War II, the Toyota 2000GT helped put the country's automakers on the map. It set three world records for speed and endurance, appeared as a Bond car in You Only Live Twice, and in the Twenteens, became the first Japanese-built car to fetch over $1 million at auction, cementing its place as an icon of early Japanese motoring. Now, 50 years after its discontinuation, Toyota will reestablish support for the 2000GT by reproducing crucial parts for its original halo car, under its GR Heritage Parts program.

Launched earlier this year to supply owners of third- and fourth-generation Supras with new-old parts, GR Heritage Parts will soon sell a selection of driveline components for the long-unsupported 2000GT. Practically every piece required to rebuild a 2000GT's transmission or differential, from gears to snap rings, gaskets, and even special bolts will soon be available through Toyota dealerships worldwide. To prevent scalping of these limited-availability, special-order parts, Toyota will only sell these components to current 2000GT owners, which will only be able to purchase them in limited quantities—again, to prevent selfish financial speculators from skimming off the top.

Toyota says it's currently in talks with suppliers to have the parts made, and that it will offer updates through the GR Heritage Parts website starting August 1. Even then, site traffic from owners of the remaining 2000GTs—of which just 351 were built—will be dwarfed by the number of visits from Toyota's more mass-produced sports cars, such as the Celica and MR2, which have yet to receive any parts support.

Toyota can, of course, make far more money from deep-pocketed owners of 2000GTs than from the owners cars that share parts with the Corolla and Camry, but Toyota could surely stand to throw its other loyalists a bone. Lord knows Toyota could make a killing just by bringing back the E153 transaxle from the MR2 Turbo alone—never mind those T-top shades that everyone seems to break or lose.

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