2. Toyota 2000 GT
This car was introduced in 1967 and turned the eyes of the car world to a small company from war-torn Japan. All car magazines of the period praised the ride and driving dynamics and despite having only 150 HP from high revving 2.0-liter six-cylinder, the 2000 GT had decent performance and almost racecar-like handling. In the late `60s, this car was entered in the SCCA championship where it enjoyed much success.
Unfortunately, due to the high price and poor brand recognition, the numbers of 2000 GTs sold are very low – exactly 351 cars until 1970. It didn’t even help that it was featured in a James Bond film. But, we couldn’t call it a failure. The 2000 GT did exactly what it was supposed to do, it showed the world that the Japanese car industry is the next big thing in the car world and that they are capable of producing fantastic sports cars.