Yamaha is going to start selling cars.
- Thread starter 2wheelMax
- Start date
Hellgate
Wizard
Yikes! I hope they do better than Suzuki.
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2wheelMax
Wizard
I think quality control would be better than Zook's. If they bring over a concept as market changing as an FZ-09, I might buy one.
Dustin
Moderator
I seriously doubt they will do anything destined to be sold in North America. If they do, it will probably be a platform shared product as many companies are doing now. Zzz
Brock Kickass
Wizard
2 seat 1000cc Yamaha powered car sounds way cooler than a smart car, but I doubt they would try to market that concept in North America. I would buy it, but I'm one of a kind and it looks like they're not targeting the niche market.
Lonney
Wizard
Yamaha made great motors for Lincoln for years . But there R1 motor in a killer two seater sounds good to me.
2wheelMax
Wizard
2 seater with passenger behind the driver. There is a < $7k three wheel vehicle by another company with two front wheels which proves the concept.
Ssky0078
Wizard
When people were throwing 'Busa engines in smart cars the end product was pretty cool
Ferrari vs Smart car - YouTube
Smart Car with Hayabusa Turbo Engine! Smart Hayabusa Donuts and Burnout, Brutal Exhaust Sound! - YouTube
Ferrari vs Smart car - YouTube
Smart Car with Hayabusa Turbo Engine! Smart Hayabusa Donuts and Burnout, Brutal Exhaust Sound! - YouTube
banzai
Well-Known Member
Most people will probably be surprised to learn that Yamaha have been making cars for over 50 years. Most of them have been concepts and prototypes, originally for Nissan and then Toyota.
Toyota developed Twin-Cam engine technology for both companies. Most Toyota Twin-Cam engines going back to the 1967 Toyota 2000GT have a lot of Yamaha DNA. The 2000GT was originally going to be a Nissan but they pulled out in 1963/64 after the prototype was built. Yamaha took the concept to Toyota and in 1967 the 2000GT was released. They are a beautiful car and I kick myself for not buying one back in the mid-80s when I had the chance. These days I couldn't afford one.
You might notice a lot of visual similarities to the Nissan/Datsun 240Z which owes a lot to the original Nissan/Yamaha prototype.
Toyota developed Twin-Cam engine technology for both companies. Most Toyota Twin-Cam engines going back to the 1967 Toyota 2000GT have a lot of Yamaha DNA. The 2000GT was originally going to be a Nissan but they pulled out in 1963/64 after the prototype was built. Yamaha took the concept to Toyota and in 1967 the 2000GT was released. They are a beautiful car and I kick myself for not buying one back in the mid-80s when I had the chance. These days I couldn't afford one.
You might notice a lot of visual similarities to the Nissan/Datsun 240Z which owes a lot to the original Nissan/Yamaha prototype.
SPLATT
Member
Yamaha also did the engine for the Ford Taurus SHO.
Dustin
Moderator
Yamaha has done a lot of engine development for cars over the years. As mentioned above, they did a couple engines for Ford including the SHO V6. The 1 and 2ZZ - series 1.8 inline four has been used in a ton of Toyota and several GM cars as well as the Lotus Elise destined for North America. In fact, you can find a lot of Yamaha logos on various engines throughout the years. I had a first gen MR2 that had a Yamaha design top end. A Yamaha designed V8 is used in the Volvo XC90 and has been adorned with two turbos and put in Noble super cars. They also did the V10 masterpiece used in the Lexus LFA
It's very interesting all the technology sharing that goes on between competition.
It's very interesting all the technology sharing that goes on between competition.
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Fz1fighter
Well-Known Member
Yamaha also designed and developed the head on the 1JZ twin turbo 6cyl toyotas.
And ohmigod the 2000gt is one of my favourite cars
And ohmigod the 2000gt is one of my favourite cars
Strider7
Well-Known Member
1967 the 2000GT
That's a COOL car!