Rare Toyota 2000GT Gets Sunlight Electricity

In the world of collector and dream cars, the Toyota 2000GT ranks high on my list. With pure 60’s GT line, a je ne sais quoi hint of Japanese cues in the headlights, the car is stunning, even by today’s criteria. It was also Toyota’s first attempt at a true super car. Toyota wanted to showcase it could build an eye catching super car. Last year one reached an astonishing $650,000, so converting one to electicity makes you ponder.

Step Back In Time. Toyota back in the 60’s was seen as a scooter and cheap small carmaker. It faced a daunting task to import its cars in the US where huge powerful cars roamed the streets. While the Toyopet was a good car, it was very modestly powered and certainly no match for US roads. It wasn’t until 1966 that the Corona changed all of this. Still, the manufacturer needed something that would stand out… and the 2000GT did just that with only 337 made. You might remember that car in the immortalized James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice.

Desecration Or Signs Of Time? It’s always hard to see an icon of yesteryear go under the scalpel and change its fundamentals. On January 2012, the Toyota Automobile Association launched the intriguing Crazy Car Project, aimed to rekindle the excitement of new alternative drive systems. They chose a unique car to do this.

Technically Speaking. The aim was to make a solar powered electric car, EV that could reach 125 mph. This was done thanks to the help of a reshaping slightly its body in order to make it more aerodynamic. Sporting a 120kW electric motor powered by a hefty 600V/35 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, recharging the car under sunlight takes a modest 2 weeks. But you guessed it, the point is to drive fast on direct sunlight. The battery pack system was specifically designed for this. The interior also uses a “luxury” touch with the use of bio-material Alcanntara.

For Your Information. Toyota holds a hardly known prize, that of beating Porsche with the first production Targa Top in 1965, if memory serves with a Toyota Sports 800. And if this article churned your stomach, the Crazy Car Project swears the original 2000GT was found in a desperate state, un-drivable and uncared for. There is a second life for collector cars as this Toyota 200GT has shown us.