Posted 29 August 2010 - 09:19 PM
Stromberg, I noticed yesterday that there was something missing, but as I don't think I posted the whole of what I wrote, was unsure as to what, anyway, here's the full Toyota part of my Bond Museum/Cars of The Stars article:
"During 1995, Peter Nelson informed me that a future addition for the Cars of The Stars Museum was to be a replica of the Toyota 2000 GT as used in You Only Live Twice.
As Peter was unable to acquire the original ‘Bond’ Toyota (still owned by Toyota themselves) he decided to do the same as was done for the film (because of Sean Connery’s height) – he bought a pre-production hard-top 2000 GT (Toyota never did produce a soft-top) and had the roof removed and a dummy folded “rag-top” fitted. A Sony tv/video link etc. is to be fitted at a later date.
Happily, although the Toyota will be a replica, it will contain the original rear tv/video console as used in the film. Although the popular 60s Corgi model (recently re-released) and the Airfix kit depicted the vehicle as having missile launchers (four on the Corgi and one on the Airfix), the original was never fitted with these, and neither will the replica. The CoTS Toyota’s first public showing was as part of the “World of James Bond 007” exhibit at the Paris Motor Show in (October) 1996, where it appeared that only the tv/video equipment still had to be fitted – by mid 1999 the tv/video equipment had been installed, although (for security reasons) not a permanent fixture. This car is now displayed in The Bond Museum.
As mentioned above, Toyota still own the original(?) ‘Bond’ 2000 GT, which resides in their own museum in Japan, although (according to my research) the TV/video equipment is not included, and may never have been fitted. Also according to my research, it would appear that a second 2000 GT was converted, possibly as a back-up vehicle (although it may have just been a test vehicle). It would also appear that one of these vehicles was scrapped in 1970, but their colours – one listed as blue, the other as silver/grey (whatever happened to the white one?) – make it more difficult to determine which one. For the close-up studio shots (and where the TV/video equipment is within camera-shot) it would appear that yet a third vehicle (or mock up) was used, although not a 2000 GT – as (if you check the video/dvd) the windscreen is raked at a different (more upright) angle (including a central stanchion), also in some shots the mirror and mount are different. By the way, you probably know that the 2000 GT index (registration) number was 20.00 – but did you happen to notice the number of the Toyota Crown that was “dropped in the ocean”? – 20.07
One slight hiccup in the film, is that in one sequence it appears that Sean Connery is driving the car, not so – the car was supposedly “driven” by his Japanese aide, Aki (played by Akiko Wakabayashi). When they arrive at Dikko Henderson’s, a negative reversal makes it appear that Connery is in the driving seat (nearest to the building), however, after arriving and walking towards the camera (having passed through glass doors), the Toyota can be seen facing left, with the passenger door to the building/camera.
Whenever an Aston Martin is mentioned in the press, it is invariably coupled with James Bond – this craze seems to have carried over to the 2000 GT. In May 1995 at a Brooks sale of “Sports, Competition and Touring Cars” Lot 205 was listed as a Toyota 2000 GT, supposedly having appeared in You Only Live Twice being driven by Sean Connery. The problem was that the vehicle (index number 9FXD) was a silver hard-top – another error in their catalogue was that they mentioned missiles being fitted to the car. Because of these contradictions I set about trying to find something like the truth (that sounds like the title of a play made into a film, before the title was changed). I approached the auctioneers to enquire about their source of information and inform them of my doubts. According to Mr Robert Brooks himself, their information was that the vehicle had been a stand-by for the one used in the film (unlikely with a hard-top). Someone else suggested that Syd Cain (production designer on a number of Bond movies, hence the connection) was a previous owner. Talking to Syd Cain, he informed me that Toyota had sent two pre-production hard top 2000 GTs to Eon for publicity purposes, a red left-hand and a white right-hand drive car. After time with Eon (I don’t think they were ever seriously considered for stand bys), both vehicles were disposed of, Syd Cain acquiring the white one (paying the import tax and duty) for £1,000 – he had actually unwrapped the car from the polythene wrapping used for delivery from Japan by sea. Syd had it registered (as 9FXD) for use on our roads and kept the car for a number of years, during which time he was booked a number of times (by the Police) for speeding, once at over 140 mph! After selling the car, one of the subsequent owners (one of those being Lesley Hornby, better known as Twiggy) gave the car its top coat of silver paint. It was sold at the auction, on 24th May 1995 for £35,786!
During my research into this vehicle, I was somewhat surprised that, whereas books on Aston Martin, BSA and Lotus invariably give 007 a mention (sometimes even devoting a whole chapter to the ‘Bond’ connection) Toyota, in their own book – “Toyota – A History of the First 50 Years” (published 1980), give the 2000 GT just a seven line paragraph (from over 500 pages) – which contains no mention whatsoever of either the work put into the ‘Bond’ car, or even its role in You Only Live Twice – strange!"
marktmurphy - from what I can remember, they were mostly stand-ins at the Paris Motor show, although there were a few originals.
