Gooding & Company is auctioning a 1967 Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT, estimated to sell for between $2.75 and $3.5 million USD.
Praised as “one of the most significant Japanese cars ever built” by the auctioneer, this chassis number MF10-10001 vintage racecar was the first serial-numbered Toyota 2000 GT ever produced and one of three 2000 GTs prepped by American vehicle manufacturer Shelby for SCCA C-Production Racing, Toyota’s first venture into US motorsports.
The Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT was born in the mid-1960s from Toyota’s goals of competing with the dominant European sports cars and GT cars of the time. Toyota partnered with Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha for the six-cylinder 210 BHP engine, and its in-house team designed an eyecatching 2,500-pound chassis with an extremely low center of gravity with neutral weight balance. The Shelby team made additional performance optimizations such as Halibrand magnesium wheels, Goodyear racing tires, and a Ferrari-style gated shifter
While unable to take home the title, the Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT ended the 1968 SCAA National Championship standings 4th in overall standings, successfully demonstrating the car and automaker’s potential. Driver Dave Jordan praised the Toyota’s performance stating, “It was a terrific car…The handling was phenomenal. Great brakes, very stiff. The only thing that was lacking was by mid-season we couldn’t match the horsepower that Porsche was developing.” Beyond performance and accolades, the car boasts a beautiful curvaceous aesthetic and fine details, with many of the car’s design cues remaining influential to this day.
The Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT is now on sale to the public for the first time ever, listed as Lot 42 of the Amelia Island Auction. The car’s full story can be found here.
Elsewhere in automotive news, DeLorean Motor Company teases a new electric vehicle.
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