Bobby Rahal is selling his 1967 Toyota 2000GT on Bring a Trailer

• The Toyota 2000GT is the ultimate Japanese collector’s car.
• A precursor to the Lexus LFA and the just-introduced GR GT, this car was a technological powerhouse when it was launched.
• This one has impeccable credentials and is currently owned by CART legend Bobby Rahal.

In terms of the Japanese collector car market, there’s the Toyota 2000GT, and then there’s everything else. It’s the no longer ultra made of JDM steel: rare, handmade, delicate and not really a Toyota. This festive red copy is currently available for purchase on Bring a Trailer (what, like Car and driveris part of Hearst Autos). It’s a 1967 right-hand drive 2000GT owned by Indy legend Bobby Rahal. And there’s still time to put it on your Santa wish list.

Toyota’s first sports car was the Sports 800, a toy-like small coupe with a horizontally opposed twin-cylinder engine, inspired by the Citroën 2CV. Interesting, sure, but not exactly a world beater. A 2000GT, on the other hand, can be parked next to a modern Jaguar E-Type and look like two society beauties cavorting at a swanky holiday party.

With the sale two years ago of one of the SCCA 2000GT race cars for $2.5 million, the 2000GT is definitely the iconic Toyota. The thing is, it wasn’t actually built by the company. Instead, it was developed and handcrafted in collaboration with Yamaha. This collaboration would influence all kinds of great Toyota products, from the cylinder head of the original MR2 to the sound the Lexus LFA makes when you hook that glorious V-10 to its redline at 9,000 rpm.

You can draw a direct line from the 2000GT to the just-announced GR GT, and for the 1960s, Toyota’s ancestral grand tourer was quite an advanced car. The suspension consists of wishbones on all four corners, and there are disc brakes all around, along with 15-inch magnesium wheels. The beautiful rack and pinion steering was a first for a Toyota product.

Then there’s that 2.0-liter inline-six with triple carburetor, which is so smooth it might as well be running on high-fat cream. The power is not huge, about 150 hp, but to bring up the E-Type again: a Jaguar Six growls while a 2000GT purrs.

Be warned, though: this is not a car for the lanky. If you are taller than 6 feet tall, you might want to schedule a haircut. The 2000GT is just 110cm high, and while legroom isn’t too restrictive, long-chested drivers simply won’t fit. When Sean Connery as James Bond drove into one You only live twice, Toyota had to build a number of convertible versions to accommodate its 6-foot frame.

This example was reportedly originally delivered in Mozambique, supposedly to the most interesting man in the world, and later found its way to Costa Rica via the US. It was thoroughly renovated more than ten years ago in Costa Rica and subsequently sold twice on Bring a trailer. Currently it is offered through a dealership owned by three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal.

There is a laundry list of modifications and mechanical work, much of it done by a British specialist, and this car has a recent trophy from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Toyota’s pinnacle would undoubtedly be something mass-produced in the millions, but when we’re talking hand-built Japanese craftsmanship, only the original Mazda Cosmo comes close.

This is the Japanese collector car to own, and it should have a price tag that reflects that. Whoever makes the highest bid can pick up this car the day after Christmas.

Dear Santa, we have been so good this year.

Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. He grew up on British cars, came of age in the golden age of Japanese sports compact performance, and started writing about cars and people in 2008. His special interest is in the intersection between man and machine, whether it concerns the racing career of Walter Cronkite or the half-century-long obsession of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to constantly buy Hot Wheels.