Toyota 2000GT Replica With The Heart Of Godzilla: TAS09

The Tokyo Auto Salon really is the Mecca of all things weird, wonderful and four-wheeled. Case in point: Road Star Garage's Toyota 2000GT replica. Not only does this custom creation match the 2000GT's legendary curves with double-take-inducing accuracy, but beneath that signature forward-hinged bonnet lies a motor that'll have petrolheads panting and purists frothing at the mouth.

While Road Star Garage's faux 2000GT is a beautiful reproduction of the original on the outside, its powerplant is the polar opposite. Road Star Garage has elected to squeeze Nissan's venerable RB26DETT twin-turbo inline six between the replica's suspension towers - and it's not just any ol' RB26 either.

Based on the motorsports-derived N1 block, this engine combines massive power potential with unshakable strength. How much power? Road Star Garage doesn't say, but we're banking on it being substantially more than the original motor's 112kW.

 But why? Why slot a non-Toyota donk into a replica of what is perhaps the most famous Toyota of all time? Well, it appears Road Star Garage elected to build their "2000GT-R" show car around the bare shell of a Datsun 240Z, meaning that swapping in a Nissan six was easier than attempting to put a Toyota 2JZ or 1JZ in there instead. While not impossible to shoehorn a Toyota inline six into a 240Z (it's been done before), the RB-series swap is a well-documented one and one that's likely to produce the least headaches.

 So, what's your take? Is the combination of immaculate vintage bodywork with a diamond-hard motor a winning combination, or is it the highest form of vehicular sacrilege? Check out the video and gallery below, and let us know what you think.