Toyota is one of, if not the largest car company in the world. Their sedan, the Toyota Corolla, is one of the most produced cars of all time. They have numerous bouts in racing competitions, and fanboys hail their reliability and sturdiness. They have produced cars that have their own cult following in the car enthusiasts world. But how exactly did they get there?
Toyota first started off as a company that produce manufacturing goods, and eventually branched off from this to create Toyota Automobiles in 1937, which is the brand we see today. They produced their first engine, the A engine, and created the Toyota AA, their first passenger car.
They then started to gain traction at the release of their first sports car, the Toyota Sports 800, or Yota-Hachi (ヨタハチ) as called by the Japanese. It was a small 2-door car that was powered by an 800cc 2-cylinder boxer engine that was well liked by its owners.
Things really kicked off with the introduction of the GT2000, produced from 1967-1970. It is seen as Japan's first competitors in GT with Europe, being on par with their performance standards. It is still regarded as one of the greatest cars ever built, with second-hand ones costing up to $2,000,000 in resale value.
It was also around this time Toyota released its most famous sedan and the most sold car of all time, the Corolla, which is still being produced until today across 11 generations.
In the 90's Toyota dominated the sports division of cars with the Corolla coupe, the nimble mid-engined MR2, the rally king AWD Celica, and the now legendary GT coupe Supra.
Keeping things environmentally friendly, they released the Toyota Prius, which is the most sold hybrid car of all time.
In the contemporary time, Toyota continues to uphold its legacy of reliability with it various assortment of trucks, crossovers, SUVs, and sedans across it various sub-brands.
The legends of the 90's sports cars lives on in the Toyota 86, released in 2012.
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