Toyota paying homage to classic liveries at Goodwood
Toyota is paying tribute to some of the brand's most famous liveries at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed using vinyl wraps and decals that are more than enough to inspire a trip down memory lane.
A fleet of six Toyota GT86s—the European twin of our Scion FR-S here in North America—will debut at Goodwood decked out in some classic schemes that hark back to some of the automaker's motorsport glory days.
The cars debuting at Goodwood are:
Yatabe Speed Trial Toyota 2000GT (yellow with green hood): This 2000GT set multiple new world and international speed and endurance records during a 72-hour run at the Yatabe High Speed Testing Course in Japan in 1966. It demonstrated Toyota’s commitment to engineering a sports car with world class potential.
Shelby Toyota 2000GT (white with blue hood): Racing legend Carroll Shelby masterminded Toyota’s racing program for the 2000GT in the United States. The intention was to demonstrate the car’s potential when pitted on track against established American and European competition. Drivers Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan duly claimed a number of victories during the 1968 season.
Ove Andersson's Toyota Celica 1600GT (red with black hood): Andersson's entry in world rallying with the first generation Celica paved the way for the founding of Toyota Team Europe—and ultimately today’s Toyota Motorsport. The liveried GT86 celebrates the car he entered in the 1972 Daily Mirror RAC Rally, with official manufacturer support from Toyota. His class win and ninth place overall finish were an early sign of the great things the partnership would deliver.
IMSA GTU Toyota Celica (red and yellow stripes): The Celica was the first Toyota to race in North America under the Toyota Racing Developments (TRD) banner, competing in the IMSA GT series. The IMSA GTU car prospered with Dan Gurney’s All-America Racing Team between 1983 and 1985.
Castrol Toyota Celica GT-Four (red and green Castrol livery): This Group A Toyota made its World Rally Championship debut in 1994 and went on to claim seven podium finishes in seven events entered during the 1995 season, including victory for Didier Auriol in the Tour de Corse.
Esso Ultron Tiger Toyota Supra (tiger stripe effect): The Supra was a longstanding entry in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, competing from 1995 through to 2006. In fact, its competition life went on beyond the end of production of the road-going Supra. The Esso Ultron Tiger car was one of the most distinctive-looking to take to the grid.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place June 25-28 at Goodwood House in West Sussex, England.