First Steps, First Success

It was some years after these modest first steps in competition that Toyota embraced motor sport more fully. In 1963 the newly-opened Suzuka Circuit hosted the first Japanese Grand Prix, a race not for single-seater formula cars, as in Europe, but for sports saloons. Toyota Crown, Corona and Publica models were entered by private teams, but Toyota provided active support, recognising early on that racing was a good arena for showing off its engineering prowess. Its efforts proved successful straight away, with Toyota cars dominating all three classes in the event, most notably with the Publica filling the top seven places and the Corona the top three in their respective classes.

At this stage, competition cars were not being fully race-engineered and Toyota was still two years away from launching its first fully race-tuned contender, the 2000GT.

Toyota was quick to capitalise on its debut grand prix success with an advertising campaign, provoking an even fiercer competition for track success with its rival Japanese manufacturers which continued through to 1969. Although open-wheel formula racing started in Japan in 1964, racing was dominated by cars from overseas; domestic car makers, bar Honda, showed no interest in becoming involved.