Here is a Toyota you don’t see everyday… well, or ever. We had never seen one before, so when Jim S. sent us the link to this example, we took notice. Everyone knows about the 2000GT, but Toyota’s first sports car was actually the Sports 800. It was a tiny featherweight car powered by an air-cooled boxer two-cylinder! This particular one is in need of some serious help, but there are so very few left that this one deserves to be saved. Take a look here on eBay where bidding is currently at $3k. Thanks Jim for the tip!

Unfortunately, the aforementioned 790cc engine is not currently mounted under the hood. Someone obviously wanted to attempt a restoration, but they didn’t get very far. Lots of parts have been removed and we are sure that many of them have gone missing. The seller also drops the dreaded “modifications” word in their listing. That is a shame too because this had to be a fun little car in its heyday.

There wasn’t much power going to the rear wheels, but with a curb weight under 1,300 pounds, it was more about toss-ability than outright speed. There are rumors that this little car could hit 100 mph though on the track! We are not sure we would be brave enough to attempt those velocities, but we wouldn’t mind taking it around a few corners.

Most of us think Porsche when we think of targas, but apparently Toyota beat them to it. Sports 800 production started in 1965 and they came equipped with a removable roof section. It was made of aluminum and could be stashed in the trunk for those hot days in the land of the rising sun.

A little over 3,000 Sports 800s were built and supposedly only 10% are still around today. The seller also mentions that very few left hand drive cars were built, so this one is a real rarity. Surely someone here has enough love for old Japanese iron to take this project on? When finished, you will have a handsome and fun to drive sports car just like the one above. Plus, we doubt you will ever see another one on the road. Good luck finding parts though…