u/DerHeckschleuderer

Not yet the force it is today, Toyota USA wanted to enhance its image and visibility in the important North American market and chose to enter domestic car racing for the 1968 season with their recently introduced 2000GT coupé. On home soil in Japan, the 2000GT had already scored some notable results: victory in the Suzuka 1,000km and the 24 Hours of Fuji in 1966, winning the Fuji 1,000km in 1967 and setting thirteen FIA world records for speed and endurance.

Offered a substantial US $500,000 budget, which would have been enough to run an F1 team in those days, and three 2000GT coupés shipped to Texas from Japan, Shelby signed an agreement with the Vice President of Toyota USA, Shoji Hattori, and set to work.

In testing at the Riverside and Willow Springs circuits, the handling of the 2000GT was deemed excellent by drivers Ronnie Bucknum, Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan, and was further improved by fitting custom made magnesium alloy wheels and special low profile tires that together lowered the ride height by about 2 inches.

The Yamaha-designed engine, however, presented Shelby with a few headaches: he needed more power, but increasing the compression ratio in search of more horsepower resulted in several blown powerplants. In addition, the three Weber carburettors Shelby initially replaced the original Mikuni’s with, resulting in a healthy power increase, were not allowed under SCCA C/P rules so had to be removed. Nevertheless, when Shelby had completed his upgrades, his fettled 2000GTs delivered 200bhp, the early reliability issues were solved and the cars were ready for the 1968 season.

The car to beat in the SCCA C/P class was the Porsche 911, while the Triumph TR250 was also a force to be reckoned with. Over the entire season, the 2000GTs usually had the better of most TR250s but when the dust settled at the end of 1968, Porsche occupied first and second place in the standings, with Toyota in fourth. Still, this was a respectable showing for what was the 2000GT’s competition debut in the USA and Shelby already had some ideas on how to improve the car for the next racing season.

Driver Dave Jordan had enjoyed piloting the 2000GT: “The handling was phenomenal. Great brakes, very stiff.“ To his great disappointment, however, Toyota of America informed Shelby that they would not continue to compete in SCCA or any other racing series with the 2000GT.

The reason was simple economics: to date, Toyota had sold just 62 2000GTs in the USA. At a price of over $7,000 it faced stiff competition in the form of -again- the Porsche 911 and the Jaguar E-Type, which were both were between $1,500 and $2,000 cheaper, and the Corvette, which was almost $3,000 less. Hence, the Japanese manufacturer elected to focus instead on the mainstream and economy passenger car market. In that context, the commercial benefit of racing the 2000GT was thus perceived as virtually zero.

Their racing careers terminated with immediate effect, the three 2000GTs were retired.

With a power-to-weight ratio of under 4 kg per horsepower, over 1.5 kg/PS better than its rivals, the idea was clear: Porsche had a shot at dominating GT racing again, just like the 356 Carrera a decade earlier. But the 911’s motorsport career started cautiously. After a works outing at the 1965 Rallye Monte Carlo, racing efforts were largely left to privateers, most notably Eberhard Mahle, whose hill climb success helped spark the vision of a true racing 911.

By October 1966, the first lightweight prototype was ready. Tested on the new skid pad in Weissach and at Hockenheimring, the results spoke volumes. A lap time of 2:17.5 minutes put the 911 R under 10 seconds shy of the outright benchmark set by the Porsche 906 Carrera 6—a full-blown Group 4 prototype. For a GT-based machine, that was nothing short of remarkable.

Key to those numbers wasn’t just the obsessive weight-saving, but the engine itself. The 911 R was powered by a flat-six closely related to the unit used in the 906, featuring twin ignition, titanium connecting rods, and large triple carburetors. This Type 901/22 engine produced 210hp at 8,000 rpm, launching the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6s and covering the standing kilometer in just 22.3s - two seconds quicker than the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS and a full 6.5s ahead of the Alfa Romeo GTA.

In 1967, four initial prototypes were built, each stripped to the absolute essentials. Body panels including hood, fenders, doors, and bumpers were crafted from fiberglass. Thin 4 mm glass was used for the windshield, while the remaining windows were made from 2 mm plexiglass. Inside, anything deemed unnecessary was removed: two of the five gauges, the ashtray, cigarette lighter, even the passenger sun visor. The side windows? Operated by simple leather straps instead of conventional mechanisms.

Despite its promise, Porsche remained cautious. At 45,000 DM - nearly double a 911 S - and amid a mid-60s economic slowdown, homologation (500 units) was unrealistic. In May 1967, Porsche made the call: just 19 cars would be built. Fifteen for private customers, four retained for factory racing efforts.

Without homologation, the 911 R was pushed into the niche 2-liter GT Prototype (GTP) class. It debuted at the 1967 Circuito del Mugello, where Vic Elford and Gijs van Lennep finished third overall -behind two Porsche 910s, but ahead of the entire Alfa field and even a Ford GT40 Mk III.

Success followed across circuits and rally stages: overall victory at the 1967 Marathon de la Route with Hans Herrmann, Vic Elford, and Jochen Neerpasch; class win for Gerhard Mitter at the Schwäbische Alb hillclimb; Vic Elford winning the Rallye Coupe des Alpes; another Mugello podium in 1968; and in 1969, Gérard Larrousse taking wins at the Rallye Neige et Glace, Tour de Corse, and most importantly, the Tour de France Automobile.

One of the most remarkable chapters came in late 1967, during a record attempt at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Swiss drivers Jo Siffert, Dieter Spoerry, Rico Steinemann, and Charles Vögele initially planned to use a 906, but switched to the 911 R when the car proved unsuitable for high-speed banking. The replacement car wasn’t exactly fresh - it was driven from Zuffenhausen to Monza under its own power, and its engine had already logged 100 hours on the test bench. With only a revised gear ratio as preparation, the attempt began in November 1967 and ran for three days and three nights. After 20,000 kilometers flat-out, the 911 R had shattered five world records and set 14 international class records—all at average speeds exceeding 200 km/h.