You Only Live Twice

Toyota 2000GT by Shin Yoshikawa

The wave of English pop-culture experts hit an all time high in the 60's. ... But while Agent 007 has become one of the world's best-known moive characters, the second most famous actor in early Bond films was a car - ...The Aston-Martin DB5...

Long before the Bond role was being sold to the highest bidder, however, film producer Albert R. Broccoli found himself in a vehicular quandry ... (You only live twice) was to be filmed in part in Japan, (and) called for an exotic, spy worthy car of Japanese extraction - something that up unitil very recetnly hadn't even existed. ...Shown a styling image of the brand new Toyota 2000GT (the car had not yestyet eventeredentered production) he recognized it as the perfrect machine for the job.

For closeups, one car's dashboard was modified to inlcude flashy new Sony communications gear.
The magnesium wheels of the production model weren't ready yet (so) the Bond cars would wear the wire wheels already being used by the other 2000GT prototypes.
Since the script required an open car, the first order of buiness was removing the GT's top. In May of '66, full roadster conversions began at Toyota's Toyopet Service Center facility... Amazingly, Toyota finished the conversion of both cars in just two weeks.	The windshield itself would be acrylic and totally removeable.... for close-ups. The side windows, frames and regulators were removed, a faux rear tonneau cover was created, and a rear hatch area was replaced with a new horizontal trunk.

(One) car was (eventually) returned to Japan, where it was given a full restoration and put on display at the Toyota Automobile Museum in Aichi, Japan.

The other car resides at the Bond Museum in Keswick. This was Toyota's first foray into the sports car market.

For a superb site with extra cool images, please go to http://www.2000gt.net/007/Bond1.php