The launch of the in 1987 marked a significant step in Toyota's increased commitment to international sports car racing, headlined by the high-profile signing of former Formula 1 World Champion Alan Jones . The Machine: Toyota 87C
: Built on a sheet-aluminium monocoque with a honeycomb core and carbon-fibre reinforcements. The bodywork was designed with large frontal air-intakes and ground-effect tunnels to improve performance.
: The 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans was a failure for the team. The car shared by Jones, Lees, and Eje Elgh retired after only 19 laps when Jones coasted to a halt out of fuel, just a kilometre short of the pits due to a team miscalculation. Alan Jones' Perspective ALAN JONES 1987 TOYOTA 87C LAUNCH
Despite the Fuji victory, Jones later reflected on the Toyota 87C in a July 2000 interview as the . He was critical of the car's ergonomics and technical quirks, such as windshield wipers that smeared the glass to the point of zero visibility.
: It utilized a 2.1-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged engine (designated 3S-GTM), based on a production block but featuring a bespoke 16-valve aluminium head. The launch of the in 1987 marked a
: The highlight of the season for Jones was a victory at the Fuji 1000 km in May. Alongside Lees and Masanori Sekiya, Jones won in torrential rain—a race he later recalled as "surviving the chaos" on a track that didn't drain properly.
The 87C was an evolution of previous Dome-built designs, featuring several technical advancements aimed at competing with dominant European marques like Porsche and Jaguar. : The 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans was a failure for the team
: The engine produced approximately 680 bhp in qualifying trim. Despite this power, the car suffered from insufficient downforce, which made it less competitive on high-speed circuits like Le Mans. Racing Debut and 1987 Season