It started as a pushrod overhead valve (OHV) design and later performance oriented twin cam (DOHC) variants were added to the lineup.

The 4T-GTE variant of this engine allowed Toyota to compete in the World Rally Championship in the early 1980s, making it the first Japanese manufacturer to do so.

From 1977 there was also a T-J, a version with some simple emissions equipment intended for Japanese market commercial vehicles.

[2] The T-U also appeared in 1977 with even stricter emission equipment for Japanese market non-commercial vehicles.

[4] Applications: This engine was also commonly used in Australian Formula Two race cars during the 1970s and 1980s, where they typically made between 180 and 200 hp (149 kW; 203 PS).

When bored out to a maximum of 89 mm (3.5 in) and combined with a 3T crankshaft, the 2T and 2T-G will have a displacement of almost 2.0 L. The 2T and 3T series use the same connecting rod dimensions, with the different pin heights on the pistons.

In response to Honda's CVCC emissions, Toyota introduced "TTC-L", using a lean burn implementation.

It features a hemi chambered 8v twin-cam head with twin-spark (two spark plugs per cylinder) design and swirl inlet ports for better efficiency.

[12] It either came mated to a W55 5speed manual with a larger 225 mm (8.9 in) clutch and lighter, 8 kg (18 lb) flywheel or an A43D 4-speed automatic transmission.

This is the version of the T family which powered Toyota's Group B and World Rally Championship cars.

The homologation engine, introduced in November 1982, features a 0.5 mm (0.020 in) increase in bore over the 3T, giving 1.8 L (1,791 cc).

[citation needed] The '100E' engine used twin spark plugs with 2 valves per cylinder but was used mainly by a Toyota works team.

[citation needed] Italy Nova Corporation produced a 2.0 L engine based on the 2T-G that was used in most of the world F3 cars for a long time.