Today, the name Yamaha is associated with two very different industries: musical instruments and motor vehicles. Although the two companies known by this moniker are now completely separate entities, the latter is actually an offshoot of the former: the musical instruments came first, followed by the motorcycles (and other vehicles) several decades later.
We take a closer look at Yamaha’s origins and its journey, from pianos to engines, and its influence on another major Japanese brand: Toyota. Yamaha and Toyota have been closely linked over the years, leading to the creation of several iconic cars and engines. Here’s the story of how it all came about, from Yamaha’s musical 19th-century origins to its high-performance automotive engineering.
Yamaha’s Move Into Automotive Engineering
Yamaha pianoYamaha
The company we know as Yamaha today (well, one of the two) traces its origins back to 1887, when it was founded by Torakusu Yamaha. However, the brand did not carry its founder’s name at this point: it was called Nippon Gakki Co Ltd, or “Japan Musical Instrument Manufacture”. While its first products were reed organs, in 1900 the company was responsible for producing the first piano ever built in Japan.
During the Second World War, Yamaha was contracted by the government to produce airplane propellers; after the war, while the company was struggling to get back on its feet, chairman Genichi Kawakami decided to diversify its output. While the musical division picked itself back up, and continues to thrive today, Yamaha also started to build something very different: small motorcycles. What we now know as the Yamaha Motor Co broke free from the original company and became its own entity.
The first vehicle produced by the new division, the YA-1, was released in 1955. It was also known as the Aka Tombo or “Red Dragonfly”, and was known for its reliability. Having only just broken into a new industry, Yamaha was already making a name for itself, drawing on its expertise from building musical instruments to create stylish, high-quality vehicles.
1995 Yamaha YA-1 motorcyclePekePON/Wikimedia Commons
A decade later, Yamaha expanded into the world of car engines as well as motorcycles. The company’s first foray into the four-wheeled world also established its decades-long connection with Toyota: the very first car with a Yamaha-influenced engine was the iconic Toyota 2000GT. The 2000GT’s engine had a signature Yamaha touch: very wide cylinder heads and a 79-degree angle between camshafts, a design choice Yamaha made to optimize performance.
Yamaha also lent its expertise to other automakers, as well as producing Formula One engines for several teams between 1989 and 1997. However, Yamaha’s Formula One engines were not that successful, obtaining just two podium finishes and no victories or championships. Today, automotive engineering continues to be a part of Yamaha’s operations.
But Yamaha’s involvement went far deeper than most people realize – and the cars it touched became some of the most legendary in Japanese automotive history.
From the AE86 To The LFA’s V10: The Icons That Wouldn’t Exist Without Yamaha
Toyota 2000GT Roadster Top Down White Front Angled ViewToyota
The partnership between Yamaha and Toyota continued for several decades, with Yamaha providing input in the design of several Toyota models.
Over the course of its long history, Yamaha has been involved in the creation of several Toyota models and their engines. From 60s icons to V10-powered beasts, here are four of the most important Toyotas with some Yamaha DNA on board.
Toyota and Yamaha’s journey started with the 2000GT, a stylish sports coupe introduced in 1967. Yamaha was heavily involved in the design of the whole car, not just its engine; its fingerprints can be found on several of its elements, from the interior to the bodywork. The engine was derived from an existing Toyota unit, the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-six M engine. Yamaha added upgrades such as dry-sump lubrication, double overhead cams, three Mikuni-Solex carburetors, and hemispherical combustion chambers. The result was an engine that produced 148 horsepower, fairly impressive considering its size and the time period.
One of the Toyotas that can count Yamaha among the parties involved in its creation has become a pop-culture legend: the AE86 Corolla Levin/Sprinter Trueno, of Initial D fame. At the heart of this model we find the 4A-GE engine, a 1.6-liter inline-four (also used in the first-gen MR2) whose cylinder head and part of the valvetrain were designed by Yamaha.
The result of Yamaha’s magic produced a high-revving engine with a wide power band, which helped make the AE86 such an iconic model. The 4A-GE blends resilience and lightness; despite its tough cast-iron engine block, it is also one of the lightest four-cylinder engines to employ iron in its construction.
Toyota AE86 Sprinter TruenoToyota
Another engine Yamaha played a part in was the 3S, a member of Toyota’s S engine family. While the naturally aspirated 3S-GE was used in several models, the only version of it that made it to North America powered the fourth-generation Celica GT-S. Its turbocharged version (the 3S-GTE), however, made it to the American market in both the fifth-gen Celica and the second-gen MR2.
Moving forward in time, one of the most recent and memorable collaborative efforts between Toyota and Yamaha was the Lexus LFA, a rear-wheel-drive sports car powered by a naturally aspirated V10 called the 1LR-GUE. This 4.8-liter engine produced 553 hp and revved up to 9,500 rpm. It was renowned for its incredible sound, described by Toyota engineers as the “roar of an angel”. It was the result of Yamaha’s acoustic engineering, which drew inspiration from the world of Formula One.
Why Toyota Needed A Piano Maker To Build Its Greatest Engines
The Toyota MR2’s supercharged 1.6-liter, 16-valve engine was developed in partnership with Japanese motorcycle juggernaut Yamaha. It can rev for days.Bring A Trailer
When Toyota approached Yamaha in the 1960s about the project that would become the 2000GT, it knew Yamaha had something it needed: the expertise required to not just build a car, but to put together something truly special.
Yamaha’s background in both the motorcycle industry and in the world of musical instruments helped shape its approach to engine design. The importance of airflow in motorcycle engines was well known to Yamaha; this was reflected in the design of the company’s car engines, which prioritized volumetric efficiency through high-flow heads and innovative valve designs.
The heralded Lexus V10 engine, which makes 552 hp and revs to 9,000 rpm. Just lovely.Lexus
Yamaha’s expertise in metallurgy far exceeded that of Toyota in the early days of the two companies’ partnership. Its experience in the two-wheeled world also contributed to its excellence in the design of high-revving car engines with ultra-optimized cylinder head designs. Toyota knew it could not achieve similar results in-house, and drew on the Yamaha team’s knowledge and skills.
The resulting partnership proved beneficial to both parties: Yamaha’s engineering capabilities and expertise were combined with Toyota’s capability for mass manufacturing, creating models that became veritable automotive icons.
The Ford Taurus, A Volvo SUV Engine, And A British Supercar: Yamaha’s Hidden Fingerprints
The Volvo S80 is powered by a glorious V8 engine, designed and developed by Yamaha according to Volvo’s specifications.Volvo
Although the association with Toyota makes up a big part of Yamaha’s history in the world of performance cars, it is by no means the only aspect of it. Yamaha has also been involved in the making of performance vehicles from other brands; one example is the Ford Taurus SHO, a high-performance version of the Taurus introduced in 1989. Yamaha used the Ford Vulcan V6 engine as a starting point, and developed a 3.0-liter high-performance V6 with 24 valves, double overhead cams, a variable-length intake manifold, and aluminum heads. It produced 220 hp and could rev up to 7,300 rpm.
A decade and a half later, Yamaha developed an engine for yet another brand: Volvo. The B8444S was a 60-degree V8 that could be installed transversely, which meant it could comfortably fit in Volvo’s platform. Although it powered two Volvo models, the engine’s most interesting application was in the Noble M600 sports car, where it was installed with two turbochargers and stronger internals, resulting in a much higher power output.
1989 Ford Taurus SHO 3.0L NA Yamaha SHO V6 EngineBring a Trailer
Today, car enthusiasts still associate Yamaha with powerful, robust, high-revving engines. Its work in the world of motorsport and road cars has left a mark on the automotive world, most importantly on Toyota. The two companies’ legacies are strongly connected; Toyota would not have been able to earn its place in the performance car world without Yamaha, and Yamaha would not have been able to expand from the world of motorcycles into that of cars without Toyota’s help.
Sources: Yamaha, Toyota
