Wind the calendar back to June 2007 and Toyota were in birthday mode. The location was Goodwood House and the 2007 Festival of Speed. Two anniversaries were being celebrated, 75 years had passed since Kiichiro Toyoda established the Automobile Department of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works Ltd. This was the company that would eventually grow into Toyota Motor Corporation whose existance we SpeedHunters are saluting this month. 50 years ago the company's first involvement in motorsport happened when a showroom spec Toyopet Crown finished the 19,000 kilometre Rally of Australia.  More significantly another company was set up back in 1957, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. and the first Toyopet Crowns were brought into North America.

During the 15 or so years that the Goodwood Festival of Speed has taken place it has become customary for a major display to be exhibited in front of Goodwood House. As Toyota were the guest of honour for 2007 it fell to them to come up with something impressive. So they commissioned artist/designer Gerry Judah to be dramatic….he sure was. Inspired by Japanese Tori gates he constructed a 40 metre high structure featuring some of the great Toyota racing cars of the past.  

He explained at the time  "The idea was to create something very Japanese but also with a feeing of engineering and technology. It will create the effect of a procession from the Festival towards Goodwood House, with a series of historic Toyota racing cars suspended from them. It is a complex piece of engineering, as all the different elements are interdependent".

Here a TF106 Formula One leads the pack through through the skies.

A look at each car in detail. The Formual One Toyota TF106 was a development of the successful  2005 car but instead of building on the solid 4th in the World Championship the team went backwards. Drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli struggled from day one and it was only when a revised "B" version appeared mid way throught the year that points were scored. A modest haul of 35 and 6th place was small reward for all the effort not to mention all the expenditure.

Happier memories follow with the Lola B02/00-Toyota that Christiano de Matta took to victory seven times along his run to the CART Drivers title in 2002. Four wins in a row during June and July, seven pole positions and leading 619 laps in the season cemented his position at the top table of motorsport.The domination of his Newman Hass Racing Lola propelled Christiano into Formula One for 2003 where he turned in a reasonable performance considering the modest abilities of the car.

The dream turned sour the following year and he left the team mid season returning the U.S.A. and Champ Car. In August 2006 he suffered a freak accident while testing at Elkhart Lake's Road America track, hitting a deer while flat out in his Lola. He sustained head injuries that were severe and left him in a critical condition for nearly two months. He went on to make a full recovery to the extent that he started racing again in 2008, taking part in the Grand-Am race at Laguna Seca with his old sparring partner and fellow CART Champion, Jimmy Vasser.

There is a sense of unfinished business when Le Mans and Toyota are put together in a sentence. There have been several high profile attempts to win the race outright but somehow the victory just evades Toyota but they will be back to finish the job one day. The last serious attempt was in 1998 and 1999 with the GT One TS020. There will be a piece on this project later in the month. The example hanging here in space was the pole winning car for 1999 trusted in the hands of Martin Brundle, Emmanuel Collard and Vincenzo Sospiri. After an accident during the night down the Mulsanne Straight when Brundle hit the barriers and destroyed the rear end, the car was retired.

Just behind the GT One was the TS010 that had attempted to win Le Mans in 1992 and 1993. This example is the third car for 1993 that had Geoff Lees, Jan Lammers and Juan Manuel Fangio ll on driving duties, they finished eigth overall. Once again there will be a more in depth look at this car later in the month.

Perhaps leaving the best till last there is Celica GT-Four ST165 similar to that in which Carlos Sainz took the Drivers' title in the 1990 World Rally Championship. Once again, more later on Toyota's fantastic rally history.

Of course head on was probably the most effective angle of view for the amazing sculpture. The cars appear to cascade off the roof of the house towards the hill climb course.

Back on the ground the display shows other Toyota heroes, here is the Toyota Celica Twin-Cam dominated the Group B era's roughest events. It was relatively simple compared with the supercars around at the time with an engine in front and rear wheel drive but this was ideal for events like the Safari Rally and the Ivory Coast Rally, taking three wins on each during the mid 80s. The Toyota brand values of durabilty and endurance was founded on these victories.

The most famous of them all, Celica GT Four ST 185, in the World Rally Championship, three drivers' titles and two manufacturers.

Here we have the first rally car from the company, 1957 Toyopet Crown. A standard car finished the Rally of Australia, 17,000 kilometres in 19 days. More on that story later.

Sportscars on the lawn. Back in 1969 the Toyota 7 Turbo was built with the intention of going to North America and running in the wild Can Am series.It never happened. Once again we will have a look at this project later in the month.

One that did make it to America, All American Racers' Toyota Eagle MKlll and was it successful? You bet, 21 wins from 27 starts makes it a contender for best sportscar ever raced. 

Already on the site in Antonio's article the Yatabe Toyota 2000GT resting in front of Lord March's house.

Back to the hill climb and the Toyota TF107 Grand Prix car. It is difficult to feel any emotion about modern Formula One cars………..a sure sign that I am past my sell by date?

The original Toyota 7.

From 1997 there is the Castrol TOMS Toyota Supra, winner of the All Japanese Grand Touring Championship, GT500 class.

And now for something completely different, from the lunacy known as the Pikes Peak "Race to the Sky" is the Toyota Tacoma Special. Fitted with the 2.1 litre turbo four pot developed for the Eagle sportscar, it had over 900 hp and the legendary Rod Millen behind the wheel.  Two wins in the unlimited class were the rewards at the 14,110 feet Colorado hill climb.

Another icon in the Toyota Motorsport world, Bjorn Waldegard in the Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 that he took to victory in the 1990 Safari Rally.

The Toyota GT One TS020 from the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours that was driven by Geoff Lees, Thierry Boutsen and Ralf Kelleners. This car was challenging for the outright win with less than four hours to go in the race but the transmission failed stranding it out on the Mulsanne Straight.

Toyota had much to celebrate at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed and it did it in style.

John Brooks

Photo courtesy of and copyright, Toyota Motorsport and SportsCarPros (Simon Hildrew & John Elwin)