With manufacturers around the world starting to end production of their iconic internal-combustion-engined automobiles, it might be time to start thinking about one last snarling beast to take into the EV wilderness with you … and this car presents as a contender for several reasons.
Already globally known for his restorations and automotive creations, Yoshiya "Rocky" Watanabe began making 2000GT Replicas over a decade ago, but in recently committing to build 50 of his new 3000GT creations, he went to work on a new stronger chassis that retains the characteristics and geometry of the older car, but enabled him to run both a bigger motor and to do so with an open top version of the car. The frame is apparently very strong and a feature of the roadster.
The engine he chose is the 3.0 Liter 225 hp Supra 2J engine, a significant step up from the original 2000GT’s 150 hGTOp (111.9 kW @ 6600 rpm).
This car is hence both a re-creation of the original of 60 years ago and a modern sports car. Rocky digitized an actual car to get all the dimensions exact, collaborating all the way with the original designer of the car, Satoru Nozaki.
If you want more power than the 225 horses on offer, Rocky can give you exactly what you want, but with so much attention being made to maintain authenticity (right down to the paint texture), a 50% increase is probably as much power as you might ever require before you begin to stretch the spirit of the original car.
Bear in mind this car uses the same VVT-i DOHC 3.0 liter engine that was used in the Fourth Generation Toyota Supra (1993 to 2002), a car renowned for its muscular performance. The Supra weighed in at 1,510 kg - this car weighs 1,090 kg (2,500 lb).
The whole limited edition creation of 50 cars is a fascinating study in value and driving experience. Replica automobiles aren’t for everyone. They can be hard to sell, and have a poor record at auction with very few exceptions. Our guess is that you will always get your money back if you ever wanted to part with a car such as this, because it seems relatively affordable in comparison to similar re-creations.
Replica manufacturers exist at every level of the automotive industry, and it is understandable that iconic cars should get the same treatment. If, for example, you wanted to race the world’s most successful racing car (Bugatti Type 35), you’d probably go to Pursang in Argentina to get a perfect replica built the old way at a fraction ($250,000) of the cost of a real one ($750,000 to $5.0 million).
If you want a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider but don't have $10+ million spare, GTO Engineering will build you one for around $1.0 million ... or a very (but not fully) authentic 250 GTO replica for a similar price.
That makes Rocky's 3000GT variants seem particularly good value, because they present as a modern car that will withstand the rigors of daily driving just like any other Toyota, at the same time as offering all the modern conveniences that you miss when you go Trojan in a historic automobile.
Understanding the value proposition of the 3000GT requires a quick run through the back story.
The 2000GT was to be a hero car for Japan's global expansion. If it had worn a Ferrari badge, it could have sold for more, but it turned out to be a fortunate mis-step by Toyota.
Wishing to create a clear statement that it could produce supreme automotive quality, Toyota overcapitalized in every way in creating the superb car, then had to charge too much for it.
With a new sticker price of $7,150, the diminutive 2000cc sports car cost the equivalent of the average American annual wage in 1967.
That price made it 15% more expensive than the Jaguar E-Type or the Porsche 911 it was competing against for sales, at a time when both those marques came with a reputation for superb quality and performance. "Made in Japan" at that time still meant questionable quality, the bombing of Pearl Harbor was only 20 years prior, and in retrospect, it isn't surprising that just 62 cars were sold in America.
Most 2000GTs were built with right-hand-drive for the Japanese domestic market, but at the end of the day, just 351 units were produced in total, one of which was hastily decapitated when it was found that 6 ft 2 inch actor Sean Connery could not fit into the car.
The placement rights to be James Bond's movie car became a hot commodity following the juggernaut success of the Bond movie franchise in the early 1960s, and the gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5 that starred in Goldfinger (1964) became the most celebrated car in the world at that time. The same Aston Martin was used in the next movie, Thunderball (1965) with just a fleeting role but when the subsequent movie in the series was planned, You Only Live Twice (1967), the rights were sold to Toyota and the 2000GT was to be the hero's chariot.
Toyota had ponied up a lot of cash to get the 2000GT into the movie which was being filmed in Japan. When Connery couldn't be comfortably seated in the car for filming due to the low roof, the car quickly became a convertible. Toyota 2000GT devotees have been lamenting ever since that the convertible never saw production because it is a striking automobile. The emergence of Rocky's new 3000GT is a celebration of a production version of the car that seemingly everyone wanted, that was never produced.
These days, the low production numbers of the 2000GT have become somewhat of a blessing because you'd be hard pressed to find one for less than US$1.0 million. As Toyota fulfilled its global expansion plans, the relevance of the 2000GT has grown accordingly.
You might be surprised to know that the Toyota 2000GT has been Japan’s most expensive car for the majority of its existence.
When the Shelby Toyota 2000GT set the record price for the model, ($2,535,000 in 2022), the Toyota 2000GT regained its crown as the most expensive Japanese car sold at auction. Even now with the emergence of the Lexus LFA as a million dollar car at auction, the 2000GT still makes up the bulk of the top 10 most valuable Japanese cars ever sold.
It was the sale at auction of a 2000GT for $1.2 million that caused Rocky to begin the production of replicas to begin with.
Rocky started building replicas many years ago, using an updated 2000cc six cylinder engine to recreate the experience to perfection.
Rocky Auto’s convertible R3000GT is slightly more powerful than the original 2000GT’s 150 horsepower (111.9 kW @ 6600 rpm), as it uses the same engine you might remember from the Supra, delivering a meaty 225 horsepower.
He then followed up with a new model that is a replica of the convertible 2000GT. Indeed, Rocky has now made more replicas of the 2000GT than the original.
This is an important car at a compelling price. There are only 50 being built, with prices starting at US$152,000.
It's an absolute dead ringer for one of history's most iconic and exclusive automobiles, but with Toyota reliability meaning it can be a daily driver.
Now that's priceless.
You can visit the R3000GT web site here and download the R3000GT brochure here.
