Used to shuffle emperors, foreign dignitaries and others of note, the V12 Toyota Century is one of Japan's proudest creations.
Forget what you know about comfort and step inside this high-brow Japanese luxury car.
If it’s good enough to transport people born into unfathomable amounts power and wealth – it’s good enough to move you too.
The Toyota Century is as regal as it gets. Finished in an eight-layer and hand-laid ‘eternal black’ paintwork and powered by Toyota’s first-and-only V12 engine, it’s literally the car that was built for the Emperor of Japan.
Aside from an exotic powertrain, there’s plenty of tech inside too. You’ll find a Dictaphone to record business meetings and a Century-branded Walkman to listen back to said exchanges at a later date.
If you want to make an impression wherever you go, then this is the car for you.
About the car pictured – 1997 Toyota Century ‘GZG50’
This Toyota Century was manufactured in July 1997 and is powered by a V12 engine.
Unlike the later model versions that came with a six-speed automatic transmission from 2005, this earlier car features a four-speed auto. Air suspension comes as standard, but this car was also configured with fender mirrors and a full Japanese wool interior.
Another notable factory feature is the lack of EMV screen in the front dashboard, or Electro Multi Vision unit. That means this car has a regular stereo system instead of an incredibly 1990s digital display.
This car has floor shift, but a column shift version was also produced
Quick facts
What made this car special:
- V12 engine
- Eight-layer ‘Eternal Black’ paintwork
- Full Japanese wool interior
- Factory-fitted privacy curtains and seat doileys
- Fender mirrors and no EMV screen
- Rear Dictaphone and walkman
- Two-owner car with Japanese paperwork and service history
Developed from scratch and wrapped in a restrained yet stately design, the Century has always been Asia’s answer to big pimpinTopGear.com
