In this week’s video, a classic Toyota 2000GT gets the leccy treatment
By Gavin Conway on January 17, 2012 12:18 PM
Are there cars out there so special, rare and unique that they should never be subjected to electrification? Well, we do know that Jaguar E-Types, Porsche 356s and even Chevrolet Corvettes have had their petrol burners hoiked out in favour of battery power. But these models aren’t exactly thin on the ground.
Which is not something you could ever say about the legendary Toyota 2000GT. Quite possibly the most beautiful Japanese sports car of all time, star of the 1967 Bond movie ‘You Only Live Twice’ and built in tiny numbers between 1967 and 1970, the 2000GT is a minor deity in car-guy world.
So we have to admit (as car guys) that when we came across the 2000GT Solar EV, eyebrows did twitch. For here is a Toyota 2000GT – one of only 337 made – that has surrendered its straight-six petrol power for a lithium-ion battery pack. The bonnet and rear window also feature photovoltaic cells – that’s the ‘solar’ bit. It’ll do just over 124mph.
It’s the result of an outfit that calls itself – without irony, apparently – Japan’s Crazy Car Project. And here’s the reassuring bit; quite apart from being a random collection of nutjobs, Japan’s Crazy Car Project is run by Toyota engineers. And there’s a lovely sense of a completed circle about this project. In the late 1960s, Toyota was viewed as being a worthy-but-dull maker of conservative cars and the 2000GT was an attempt to inject excitement and proper driving thrills into the brand.
It worked, and forty-some years on, this electrified 2000GT is at it again, injecting genuine car-guy excitement into the sometimes dull-but-worthy world of EVs. Check out the video to see for yourself.