The Toyota 7 was a series of racing cars developed by Toyota Motor Company in cooperation with Yamaha Motor Corporation. Designed primarily for use in FIA Group 7 competition, it was Toyota's first purpose-built racing car project. Design 7 (415S) The first iteration of the Toyota 7, known by the internal code 415S, began development in the second quarter of 1967. Jiro Kawano, the head of Toyota's motorsports activities and the lead engineer of the 2000GT, once again collaborated with Yamaha to develop and construct the Toyota 7. Yamaha constructed the 415S' aluminium monocoque chassis. The initial bodywork was similar to other Group 7 cars, with an open two-seater cockpit and large intakes behind the doors. Exhaust pipes were placed directly on top of the engine, exiting straight off the tail of the car - mimicking the exhaust layout of the Ford Indy V8. A simple rollhoop protected the driver. Toyota designed a new aluminium-block V8 engine, the 3-litre 61E. This engine was capable of producing up to , thanks to the addition of a dual overhead cam design and four valves per cylinder. Thanks to an amendment in the FIA sporting regulations for 1968, Toyota's 3-litre engine would also be eligible to compete in the FIA International Championship for Makes under the Group 6 Sports Prototype regulations. The first 415S chassis was completed in January, and made its testing debut on 3 February 1968 at Suzuka Circuit. Testing then moved to Fuji Speedway on 4 March. While the 61E powerplant was being completed, the 415S tested with the two-litre, six-cylinder 3M engine from the 2000GT. On 28 March, the 61E engine was installed in the 415S for the first time. During testing, it was discovered that rivets holding the 415S' monocoque structure together would start to loosen under lateral load, compromising the car's rigidity. More reinforcement structures were added in response, resulting in the car being much heavier than its initial 680 kg figure. Testing continued through April, as Team Toyota carried out race simulations, and Yamaha purchased a Ford GT40 as a reference vehicle. 1968 Japan Grand Prix Four 415S made their debut at the at Fuji Speedway, for drivers Shihomi Hosoya (red, number 1), Sachio Fukuzawa (green, number 2), Hiroshi Fushida (white, number 3), and Yoshio Otsubo (cream, number 5). The 61E engine in the 415S proved to be much less powerful than the Chevrolet small block