The Toyota Century - Japan's Finest Luxury Car

Having been a luxury car / VIP car nerd for as long as I could remember, it's astonishing that the only luxury car I have covered is the Jaguar XJ-series. But over the weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to photography my friend Sammy's 1997 Toyota Century V12!

But, before we go to his car, we must first cover the origin of this exquisite vehicle. The name of the car derives from it being conceived on the 100th birthday of Toyota's founder 'Sakichi Toyoda', who was born on February 14th in 1867. The Century is Toyota's full-size flagship luxury sedan within the Japanese-market only - unlike the Lexus LS / Toyota Celsior which is Toyota's full-size flagship sedan for global markets. Where the LS / Celsior competes with cars like the Acura RL / Honda Legend, Mitsubishi Debonair & Nissan President, the Century competes with larger cars like the Daimler DS420, Maybach's & the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The larger and more exclusive purpose was for use by the Imperial House of Japan, the Prime Minister of Japan, government officials and high-level executive businessmen; and as a result, it was not sold to the general public. To buy a Century, one's business or status had to be of considerable hierarchy to even be on the list for Toyota to consider.

The Century logo is called a 'Fushichō', depicting a a phoenix, the symbol of the Imperial House of Japan. Other badges can be found on the cars, like a large 'C' in Gothic-style font on the front of the bonnet above said 'Fushichō', and for the second generation GZG50 Century, a 'V12' badge can be found on the large C-pillar. 

First Generation:

1967 - 1973: VG20

1964 Toyota Crown Eight (VG10)

1967 Toyota Century (VG20)

The first generation Toyota Century was designed by Kenya Nakamura (who also designed the first Toyopet Crown and worked on the Gas Turbine-powered Sports 800); and was based on the 1964 Toyota Crown Eight and was developed as a rival to the 1965 Nissan President, as it was significantly more luxurious than that of the Crown. The '67 Century, therefore, used the same base V-series Toyota V8, but it was bored out to 3.0 liters (3V) from the original 2.6 liters (V). Though it was an upgrade, it was still 1.0 liters of displacement smaller than that of the '65 President. 

1965 Nissan President (H150)

Toyota 3V Engine versus the Nissan Y40 Engine:

Displacement:     2,981cc vs 3,988cc

Horsepower:       150hp @ 5,200rpm vs 192hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque:                235Nm @ 3,600rpm vs 321Nm @ 3,200rpm

The VG20's V8 lacked in both horsepower and torque compared to the Y40, and therefore wasn't as popular as the President, as it was also 160kg heavier, meaning the drive would be more sluggish. However, the Century had more of a smooth drive, as it had a 3-speed gearbox with a 4th gear as overdrive, while the Nissan only had a 3-speed automatic; meaning the gears were longer, but had significant revolution drops between each gear, leading to a rougher drive. 

1973 - 1982: VG21 / VG30 / VG35

This rough start for the pre-facelift Century was noticed by Toyota, and just 6 years later, the Century's 3V was upgraded for a more powerful 4V V8; with each facelift having a more upgraded V8. However, Nissan also released the second generation President with a larger 4.4L Y44 V8 as well.

1973 Nissan President (H250)

Toyota 4V / 4V-U / 4V-EU Engine versus the Nissan Y44 Engine:

Displacement:     3,376cc vs 4,414cc

Horsepower:       170hp - 180hp @ 5,200rpm - 5,400rpm vs 197hp @ 4,800rpm

Torque:                260Nm - 278 Nm @ 3,600rpm - 4,400rpm vs 343Nm @ 3,200rpm

It also didn't help that the Century was still heavier than the President by at least 160kg, with some LWB examples weighing more than the Nissan by 230kg. However, speed wasn't the main focus of the Century, and this larger number was just advertised as the car being more luxurious. This was true, as the President had quite a 'normal' list of luxury options like power seats, power windows, twin A/C, central door-locking and auto-tuning radio. The Century had all of this + automatic climate control, electromatic door latches (inside and out), front disc brakes and front / rear trailing arms for suspension with airbag support springs. 

The first facelift was identical in exterior and the only main difference was that the red sequential taillights/turn signals were changed to a triple red block design for just the brake lights, and an amber light added on the edge for the turn signal instead, to move away from its previous American-influenced design. 

1982 - 1997: VG40 / VG45

1982 Toyota Century (VG40)

The second facelift came with an even larger 4.0 liter 5V V8; the Y44 President was still being manufactured until 1990. However, the design was finally changed for a bolder, more squarer look.

Toyota 5V-EU Engine versus the Nissan Y44 Engine:

Displacement:     3,994cc vs 4,414cc

Horsepower:       165hp - 190hp @ 4,400rpm - 4,800rpm vs 197hp @ 4,800rpm

Torque:                289Nm - 324Nm @ 3,600rpm vs 343Nm @ 3,200rpm

To combat its shortcomings, Toyota focused more on ergonomics and presence; where the first and second generation Nissan Presidents had a SWB (5,045mm) and a LWB (5,280mm); the Toyota had more: a SWB (5,120mm), a LWB (5,270mm) and an extra long limousine version (5,770mm)! This addition of a limousine edged out the Nissan and was therefore used by the Imperial House of Japan, and the President was left for lower, corporate executives instead. By the time Japan's Bubble-era came around, the President was left aside, as people favored the Century's presence more than its rival. 1,017 Century's were sold in 1985, then doubled to 2,117 in 1989.

Second Generation:

1997 - 2017: GZG50

This generation Century was designed by Akira Shimizu, and featured a squarer, but more refined shape, with subtle curves at the edges to bring it forwards in design language to the modern era of the 2000's!

It was all over for the President - Century rivalry when Toyota brought out the second generation car. The Nissan's V8 just could not keep up with Toyota's new 5.0L V12 engine! The Nissan, therefore, was demoted to the Toyota Celsior and Honda Legend ranks (and was rebadged as the Infiniti Q45 to combat the Lexus LS / Acura RL export variants of those cars; albeit with less success.)

Toyota 1GZ-FE 48-valve DOHC V12 Engine:

Displacement: 4,996cc

Horsepower: 276hp, which was officially advertised as per the Gentlemen's Agreement; but in actuality, the engine put out 295hp @ 5,200rpm.

Peak Torque: 481Nm @ 4,000rpm, but over 400Nm could be used from as little as 1,200rpm.

The engine was designed so well that it had 2 ECUs instead of just one, like a normal car; and so if a malfunction occurred, one bank of the engine could shut down and the car could run on the other bank as a 2.5 liter in-line 6. 

The behemoth of a car weighed a whopping 2,050kg, but with power steering system so advanced, you could literally steer the car with one finger! And though the car was huge length of 5,270mm, the turning radius is an astonishing 5.7 meters wide. For comparison, my 5,000mm long 1998 Honda Legend has an 11m meter turning radius! 

While the first generation Century only came in black, with only a few VG40's coming in different shades of brown, grey and beige, the GZG50 Century came in a lot more colours:

1997 - 2004:

All interior specs came in Grey, Blue Grey and Orchid Wool as Factory colours, but they could be optioned and paid at the time of order in Grey and Orchid Leather. The order brochure showed the recommended specs by Toyota.

- 202 (Kamui Eternal Black):                         4,889 built

Recommended Interior Spec: Grey Wool Interior (Factory) / Grey Leather (Option)

- 8J9 (Mashu Serene Calm Blue Mica):        2,337 built

Recommended Interior Spec: Blue Grey Wool Interior (Factory) / Grey Leather (Option)

- 1B6 (Ranpō Glorious Grey Metallic):          592 built

Recommended Interior Spec: Orchid Wool Interior (Factory) / Orchid Leather (Option)

- 8M3 (Zuinun Demure Blue Mica Metallic):  581 built 

Recommended Interior Spec: Blue Grey Wool Interior (Factory) / Grey Leather (Option)

- 6N9 (Daigo Wealthy Green Mica):              343 built 

Recommended Interior Spec: Grey Wool Interior (Factory) / Grey Leather (Option)

2005 - 2017:

- 1C0 (Seika Radiant Silver):                        124 built

Regional Specific:

- 040 (Super White):                                      11 built     Hokkaido Only

- 065 (White Pearl Basecoat):                        2 built      Hokkaido Only

- 475 (Nocturnal Black):                                 1 built

- 6S6 (Midnight Pine):                                    1 built

All window glass colours came in a green tint from factory, but an extra cost option for the glass allowed it to be tinted brown instead.

Unlike previous the previous generation that allowed for a list of options for the car, the GZG50 only had a set equipment list that was offered on all models. The only 2 options were a GPS screen or analogue clock face; and a column shift or a floor-mounted shifter.

Though the drive is very delectable for aspiring chauffeurs, the rear seating was most important, as that is for CEO's and bosses. The rear seating could recline and had a massage system; the front left seat could also fold down in the middle to allow the passenger in the back to put his legs up to relax; as well as the front headrest dropping down to allow view of the road from the back. The car also came with curtains for privacy, a Century-branded tape deck, as well as a television with a Century-branded remote control. Other standard features were the soft closing doors.

This generation also started the exporting of the cars, with 100 LHD variants (GZG50L; RHD export cars were designated GZG50R) were exported to the United States of America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Most of them were used for promotional material, but some ended up going to government officials and for the American exports, they went to the higher-ups at the American Toyota Headquarters. This is the only generation of Toyota Century sold overseas in this matter.

Though this car is placed above such brands like Lexus, it isn't about flair and excess of wealth, like the target market of Maybach's, Bentley's and Rolls-Royce's, but according to Toyota's marketing slogan for the car; ownership was achieved through 'persistent work, the kind that is done in a plain but formal suit.' The price of the car wasn't actually as expensive as one might think: with the MSRP being 11.445 million JPY, which was about 100,000 USD; with the 2008 Lexus LS460 being sold at 10 million JPY, about 87,000 USD; and the 2008 Lexus LS600hL at 15 million JPY, about 125,800 USD.

2006: Century Royal GZG51

This was a special model reserved only for the Emperor of Japan and is still being used as the official state car. It shares its engine with the standard GZG50 Toyota Century, but the design is slightly different. It is a one-off priced at 52 million JPY, about 500,000 USD; and features wool cloth upholstery, internal steps made of granite, and Japanese 'washi' rice paper for the headlining. It also comes with bulletproof glass and layers of armor plating for security measures. The full length of this car comes to 6,155mm long and weighs a total of 2,920kg!

Third Generation:

2018 - Present: UWG60

After 20 years of production of the G50 generation, the new G60 entered manufacturing. This car went back to only being sold in Japan, due to the failure to sell overseas previously. The 5.0 liter V12 was also discontinued in favor of a 5.0 liter 2UR-FSE hybrid V8 mated to a eCVT, instead of the previous 6-speed gearbox. The MSRP of the base model was 19.6 million JPY (about 180,000 USD) and the limousine price could reach up to 60 million JPY (about 426,600 USD)! Toyota also limited the production of the Century to 50 per year so it could stay more exclusive and also because it is 'hand made', and therefore took longer to produce anyways.

Toyota 2UR-FSE Hybrid V8 Engine:

Displacement:     4,969cc

Horsepower:       431hp @ 6,400rpm

Torque:                520Nm @ 4,000rpm

It is designed by Masato Tanabe and its language derives from that of the Century Royal, being more grandeur and bold in shape than its previous counterparts, while still managing to look stylish. As with the previous generations, the rear seating is still very much luxurious, with the same 'leg-through' seat design, but also incorporates new technology like heated rear seats, power leg rests, a 20-speaker sound system, a 20-inch LCD screen for infotainment, and is also equipped with Toyota's T-Connect G-Book system that allows phones and computers to be connected to the car so business and work can still be conducted even while on the move. All these features means that the car weighs a total of 2,370 kg @ a total length of 5,335mm!

2023 - Present: GRG75

As every year comes along, more and more brands have turned their cars from sports cars and saloons to SUV's; with Bentley bringing out the Bentayga, and Rolls-Royce with the Cullinan, Toyota followed with the debut of the Century SUV. The exterior design is designed by Ryota Nakai, Shota Asano and Soto Shirouzu; and looks a lot like the aforementioned Cullinan, with its square and boxy look, large haunches and a huge C-pillar. The interior meanwhile is designed by Shin Numoto, Takaaki Katou and Yutaro Yamamoto.

The engine in this SUV is the long-running 2GR engine, but has the FXS sub-designation. This SUV looks to be a mass production model like the standard Toyota Crown, as its directly aimed at the Chinese market. The vehicle weighs 2,570kg and is 5,205mm long. The car's platform is on the Toyota GA-K frame and shares it with the North American Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX models.

Toyota 2GR-FXS Plug-In Hybrid V6 Engine:

Displacement:     3,456cc

Horsepower:       406hp @ 6,300rpm

Torque:                380Nm @ 4,600rpm

This largely seems to be a downgrade to the previous generations, but let's hope the next iteration of the Century brings back its magnificence!