TOYOTA
800
The Toyota Sports 800 was a derivative of the Toyota Publica
that was first shown as a concept in 1962. It entered production in 1965 and
competed mainly against the Honda S800.
Unlike the Honda S800 which was powered by an Inline-4 engine,
however, it was powered by a Flat-twin "boxer" engine. Its styling
may have been inspired by contemporary Italian designs by the the likes of
Bertone and Pininfarina.
The front fascia may be confused with that of the Toyota
2000GT due to the similar headlight design.
Between 1965 and 1969 approximately 3,100 units were built.
Only about 10% of those vehicles are known to have survived.
The Toyota Sports 800 is 2-cylinder-4-cycle experimental
sports coupe that features an all synchromesh 4-speed transmission, bucket
seats and a hard top that can be unscrewed and put into the trunk to change the
car into a convertible.
The vehicle was powered by an air-cooled 790 cc horizontally
opposed two cylinder boxer engine. The 0.8 liter 2U engine (45 bhp @ 5400) was
produced from 1965 through 1969.
The
sleek new Toyota has a speed potential of 100 mph and its gasoline mileage is
reported to be 45 mpg.
