Toyota plans rare inside view

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Toyota Motor Sales USA plans to give the public a rare peek into its history.

The Japanese automaker will open its Toyota USA Automobile Museum on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Nov. 3 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. After that, it will be available by appointment. The address is 19600 Van Ness Ave. in Torrance. The phone number is (310) 468-8726.

The museum includes a history of Toyota and features more than 100 Toyota, Lexus and Scion cars and trucks dating to 1958, along with more than a dozen historic Toyota racing vehicles. The vehicles on display include:

• The 1967 2000 GT, one of the stars of the James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice.” A racing version of the 2000 GT also is on display.
• The championship winning Toyota off-road stadium racing truck.
• A 1958 Toyota Crown, the first Toyota sold in America.
• A 1965 Toyota Corona, Toyota’s first high-volume car in the U.S.
• A 1986 Corolla, the first Toyota built in the U.S. Several other serial No. 1 vehicles marking the launch of production at various U.S. and Canadian plants are also on display.
• Original Lexus and Scion models first launched in the U.S.

-- Jerry Hirsch
twitter.com/LATimesJerry