Toyota 1967 2000 GT sports car sold for record $2.5 million | Fox News

2022-03-15 03:59:50 By : Ms. Doris -- Print Sunny

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The 2022 Toyota GR 86 is the third generation of a surprising sports car survivor. Fox News Autos Editor Gary Gastelu takes it to the track to find out why.

Many collectors agree that the sleek Toyota 2000 GT looks like a million bucks, but now there's one worth $2,535,000.

That's the price that was paid for a 1967 example of the classic sports car at the Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction, which makes it the most valuable Japanese car ever sold.

Toyota produced just 351 of the Jaguar E-Type-inspired cars from 1967 through 1970, with a single roadster built for the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice."

Mie Hama co-starred with Sean Connery in the film "You Only Live Twice," which featured the only Toyota 2000 GT ever built by the factory. (PA Images via Getty Images)

A 2000 GT was also the first Japanese car sold for over $1 million in 2013, but the record-setter is a particularly special one.

It is the first to carry a serialized number and is one of three that were modified by Carroll Shelby for use in SCCA C-Production class racing.

Changes to the car, which is powered by a 2.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine engineered by Yamaha, include a racing oil pan, differential cooling, megaphone exhausts, Girling brake calipers, Koni shocks, differential cooling and a switch from a rosewood to aluminum panel in the dashboard. Racing wheels, safety equipment and a gated shifter were also added.

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The car had been owned by the seller since 1980 and the identity of its buyer has not yet been revealed.

Gary Gastelu is FoxNews.com's Automotive Editor covering the car industry and racing @foxnewsautos

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.