When Shelby raced Toyotas. Keen to raise its NA profile, Toyota commissioned Carroll Shelby to build three cars. With a $500,000 budget-enough to run an F1 team then-the 2000GTs ran one SCCA C-Production season in 1968. It wasn’t fruitful; the team finished 4th overall, behind Porsche and Triumph.
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.