Throughout automotive history, achieving extraordinary performance and strong driving sensations has been one of the objectives of many manufacturers. Although it could be said that the field of hypercars started in 2005 with the landing of the Bugatti Veyron, the truth is that the phenomenon of vehicles considered production supercars (that is, without taking competition into account) began much earlier.
If we look back, one of the models that marked an era was the Lamborghini Miura, in the mid-60s of the last century. Leaving Europe and America aside, if we look at the Far East, it should be noted that one of the first Japanese creations in the supercar arena was the Honda NSX, back in the 1990s.
However, to learn about the first Japanese attempts at supercars, you have to travel back to the 60s and meet the striking Toyota EX-7. In 1966, updated FIA regulations introduced Group 7 racing, a new category of sports car that allowed manufacturers unprecedented freedom to develop incredibly fast two-seater racing cars.
This is how, in 1967, the Toyota 7 was born, the company's first competition car of this type. After a couple of evolutions, the car became the Turbo 7. However, this car ended up leaving racing in 1970 out of respect for the driver Minoru Kawai, who died in an accident while racing it.
But that was not the end of the Turbo 7, as one of its chassis was reused and became the cornerstone of Toyota's first road-going supercar concept, which was christened the EX-7. The car retained the fully independent suspension setup with height-adjustable shock absorbers and the four-disc braking system.
The mid-engined layout of the race car was also retained. Toyota engineers used the same 5.0-liter V8 with Denso electronic injection as the race car. While the twin-turbocharged racing unit could generate around 800bhp, the concept version of the supercar stuck to 450bhp, an equally impressive figure for a 1970 road car.
Notably, the engine was geared to the same 5-speed manual gearbox used by the racing Turbo 7. Although it lost its turbo character, the competition chassis received a completely new bodywork that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Achieving excellent aerodynamics became a priority and was achieved, in part, thanks to the low ride height.
The vehicle clearly commanded attention with its steeply angled front end that emptied into a wide windshield followed by a pair of glass roof panels. Its wide wedge-shaped rear area also helped it not go unnoticed.
One of the most impressive features of the EX-7 was the opening mechanism for the doors, which opened vertically backwards in conjunction with the glass roof panels. For its part, the custom-made sports seats rose automatically, making getting into the car much more accessible despite its low height.
Keep in mind that while many enthusiasts were willing to shell out big bucks for an EX-7, Toyota never made it a production car and it remained a concept only. You can see more details of the supercar in the video that accompanies this article.
