Whenever someone talks about the Japanese automobile industry at Toyota Irvine Ca, Toyota is a brand on everyone’s lips since it has an extraordinary range of vehicles. Although they are many Toyota models that go under the radar, the car brand’s interpretation of driving enthusiasts’ sports cars further highlights why the automaker is greatly valued.
Toyota has given us the most extraordinary sports cars of all time that have gone beyond dominating just the Japanese domestic car market. Because there is a lot to appreciate about Toyota sports cars, the people at Irvine car dealerships look into some of the things that everyone seems to have forgotten about them.
In 1962, Introduced The First Sports Car
Despite the fact, Toyota started its enterprise in the 1920s, the brand waited until the 1960s to launch its first production sports car. The Toyota Sports 800 first debuted at the 1962 Tokyo Motor Show. Even though its small measurements and twiggy look, the Sports 800 was so successful that it changed the sports car scene.
Fondly named the Toyota 8 or Yota-Hachi, the Sports 800 swiftly gained acclaim within the domestic motorsports because of its beyond-belief aerodynamic tweaks, fuel efficiency, and reliability. The sports car’s light weight allowed its courageous 44 horsepower air-cooled, horizontally-opposed 790cc boxer-twin engine to clear 1/4 mile in 18.4 seconds.
The Toyota 2000GT Was In A James Bond Classic
It’s very common for Toyota dealer car enthusiasts to assume that the 2000 GT was Toyota’s first sportscar. Naturally, the sports car took the world by the storm outside of the domestic market than its predecessor. The Toyota 2000GT made a name for itself after its screen appearance in a 1967 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.
Over fifty years after its reveal, the Toyota 2000GT is still immediately recognizable because of its curvaceous ‘Coke bottle’ styling, pop-up headlamps, long, sweeping bonnet, and large plexiglass-covered driving lamps. Plus, this beautiful sports car made history as the fastest Toyota at the time, establishing many speed records because of its world-class 150 horsepower 2-liter inline-six engine.
Toyota Sports Cars Took Over World Rally Championships
When 1985 arrived, Toyota was prepared to make a great change from rear-wheel-drive to front-wheel-drive configuration. The new configuration signified Toyota was ready to place a critical attack on the World rally Championship title. Especially, the 1986 Toyota Celica GT-Four sports car showcased the most powerful two-liter engine in Japan.
In 1992, Toyota was the first Japanese carmaker to grab a drivers’ title, and the success was later followed by consecutive WRC drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in 1993 and 1994. After the Celica, other car models to gain WRC titles include the Toyota Corolla WRC in 1999 and the Toyota Yaris WRC in 2018. In the present 2021 WRC season, the Toyota Yaris WRC is in a position to grab another title.
The Toyota AE86 Was A Charm In Drifting
The Toyota Corolla is the most recognized family vehicle in the Toyota lineup, but it is also the world’s best-selling car. You are probably saying to yourself, but is the Corolla actually a sportscar? Remarkably, as humble and out of place it might look, the Corolla contains some of the most adored sporty Toyotas.
In the 1980s, the Corolla AE86, or Hachi-Roku, became an image with a serious rally, race, and drifting professionals. The Corolla Levin was everything the driver wanted. The Toyota AE86 is such a legend since the “Drift King” Keiichi Tsuchiya recorded the first-ever drifting video behind the wheel of a Levin.
The MR2 Was Japan’s First Mass-Produced Mid-Engine Car
The Sports 800 had set the standards high for its successors, and the 1984 MR2 model went above and beyond these standards. The first generation MR2 was full of enjoyment in a practical and compact body style. The sports car’s athletic and agile handling went well with its responsive engine to perform almost as good as the Supra and Celica models.
The MR2 made its mark in history books as Japan’s first mass-produced mid-engine vehicle. This engineering formula made the MR2 an immediate hit in the domestic market, amassing widespread praise in the media. This little sports car was so successful that Toyota got the 1984-85 Japanese Car of the Year.
Toyota Supra – A Memorable Japanese Classic
Without a doubt, one of the most famous Toyota sports cars, the Supra, is a continuous symbol of just how excellent Japanese cars can be. Even though some facts about the Supra are still unknown to most of us, this classic Toyota car fits like a glove in 1980s culture and design with an elegant manner and a smooth six-cylinder engine.
Also, the Supra earned legendary status among Toyota fans for its accomplishments in many motorsports championships, both domestic and international. The model’s adaptability to adjust to various tuning and aftermarket parts was even more profound. Due to its past popularity, the Supra made a comeback in 2019 after a seventeen-year hiatus.
Toyota’s Exciting Lexus Program
When Toyota announced it would make a premium sedan, no one ever thought it would be as luxurious as the Lexus. A the moment, the Lexus brand covers sedans, coupes, convertibles, hybrids, and SUV models in over 70 countries globally. The division has multiplied in size so much that it now ranks among the ten largest Japanese brands worldwide in market value.
As a result of the Lexus program, Toyota has highlighted particular development standards that target ride quality, aerodynamics, and interior ergonomics. Also, Lexus’ sports are subjected to various quality control standards, paint quality requirements, and rigorous body panel fits relative to Toyota models.