Description
Ultra rare left-hand Toyota Sports 800, 1 out of only 300 units produced, from which probably only about 30 currently in existence.
Originally delivered to the American airbase of Lajes, in the Azores, it has always been in Portugal, it was professionally repainted in 2018 (documented) and has always been well maintained.
Collectors item in excellent condition.
The Toyota Sports 800 is Toyota's first production sports car.
The prototype for the Sports 800, called the Publica Sports, debuted at the 1962 Tokyo Auto Show, featuring a space age sliding canopy and the 29 PS powertrain of the Publica 700, a Japanese market economy car.
The Sports 800 went into production in 1965, with chassis code UP15 and an increase in engine displacement from 700 cc to 800 cc, as well as dual carburetors, which increased power from 29 to 45 PS, sufficient to power the light car up to speeds of 160 km/ h. This was one of the first times that a targa-style roof had been installed in a production car. The body design by stylist Shozo Sato was among the most aerodynamic of that era.
With a total production of only 3. 131 cars, only 300 were left hand drive, built primarily for the Okinawa market (that had been American occupied and drove on the right side of the road instead of the left like the rest of Japan). Around 40 of those LHD cars were used by Toyota to "test drive" in the US, but the American dealerships decided the 800 would not sell well in the US and made a decision not to import or sell the cars in the US market, but Toyota let those dealers keep the cars instead of having them shipped back to Japan.
The Toyota Sports 800 is affectionately called the "Yota-Hachi" (????), which is a Japanese short form for "Toyota 8". In Japan, the vehicle was exclusive to Toyota Japan retail sales channel called Toyota Publica Store alongside the Publica
All the information provided does not dispense its confirmation, nor can it be considered binding.
Price: 94. 990 €
