Toyota 2000GT With 2JZ Engine Sounds Amazing

Timeless good looks, modern guts.

Produced between 1967 and 1970, the Toyota 2000GT was considered Japan's first "supercar," cradling a silky-smooth 2.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, four-wheel independent suspension, and of course, jaw-dropping good looks. Only 351 examples were ever produced, and well-preserved originals can sell for well over a million dollars at auction. If that's a bit over budget, or you just want to drive one on the street without sweating bullets, one Japanese shop is building this impressive Toyota 2000GT replica with modernized guts and a 2JZ powerplant.

Offered by Rocky Auto, located in the city of Okazaki in central Japan, this gorgeous Toyota 2000GT replica is dubbed the 3000GT, and it combines all the old-school beauty of the original with contemporary underpinnings and technology.

The Rocky Auto 3000GT project is supervised by Hiroshi Hosoya, a former Toyota racing driver who also had a hand in developing the original Toyota 2000GT. To make sure the thing looked right, Rocky Auto used lasers to digitally scan the bodywork of the original, making for a perfect recreation with regard to styling. Rocky Auto says it'll even make a roofless version, as was featured in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice.

Under that head-turning body is a new chassis, new suspension, and all the amenities expected of a modern vehicle, including power steering and air conditioning. Providing the motivation is the Toyota 3.0-liter 2JZ engine. While Rocky Auto offers the naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE as standard, the turbocharged 2JZ-GTE is also available as an upgrade, as is a manual transmission over the standard automatic four-speed. We think you know which combo we'd choose.

Pricing starts around $200,000, which is a lot, but definitely less than the seven-figures required to get into an original. You can bet the new one will drive better, as well. Sounds like a win-win.