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Toyota Century
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Toyota Century
The Toyota Century (Japanese: トヨタ・センチュリー, Hepburn: Toyota Senchurī) is a line of full-size luxury cars and limousines produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's flagship car within Japan. Globally the unrelated Lexus brand houses Toyota's flagship luxury model. Production began in 1967, and the model received only minor changes until redesigns in 1997 and 2018.
The Century derives its name from the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda (born 14 February 1867), the founder of Toyota Industries. It is often used by the Imperial House of Japan, the Prime Minister of Japan, senior Japanese government leaders, and high-level executive businessmen. The Century is comparable in purpose to the Austin Princess/Daimler DS420, Cadillac Series 70, Mercedes-Maybach, Hongqi, Rolls-Royce Phantom, and Russian ZIL limousines.
The first-generation Century was available with only a V8 engine (the third post-war Japanese-built sedan so-equipped) at its introduction in 1967 until a full platform redesign in 1997. The second generation was only installed with a Toyota-designed and -built V12, an engine bespoke to the Century, until 2018, when the power-train reverted to a V8 with the addition of Toyota's hybrid technology.
While the Century is a full-size luxury sedan, it is not available at Japanese Lexus dealerships; it can only be purchased at specifically identified Toyota Store locations. The Century does not feature Toyota's typical oval logo on any of its badges; instead, it uses a phoenix logo unique to the Century. The gold phoenix logo is called the Hō'ō (鳳凰) or Fushichō (不死鳥) from Sinospheric mythology, representing the Imperial House of Japan, and the image can be found throughout Asia, such as the Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto.
The appearance of a black-painted Century is iconic in Asian countries, perceived to denote conservative success. As such, while the model has received some modifications, its external styling has remained largely consistent since introduction. The closest Japanese competitor was the Nissan President, with a similar status reputation although, during the 1960s and 1970s, the high market positioning was also shared with the Mitsubishi Debonair. In the 1970s, two other Japanese competitors introduced large sedans — the Isuzu Statesman de Ville and the Mazda Roadpacer (both derived from Holden products) — which were short-lived. The Century nameplate introduced the SUV body style in 2023. The nameplate was spun off into a separate brand in 2025.
The original Century was based on the 1964 Crown Eight, which featured the 2.6 L V8 Toyota V engine, and appeared almost two years after the October 1965 introduction of the 4-litre Nissan President. Apart from minor cosmetic changes and engine upgrades, the design remained largely untouched during its 30-year production run. This appearance has also inspired the designs of subsequent versions, as it remains desired by its clientele. The Century used an electromagnetic door latch that integrated a door lock, and the interior and exterior door handles were electrically operated. The Crown Eight used a button for interior use to release the latch mechanism, while the Century provided a conventional door release handle that remained electrically operated. The Century was given the "VG20" model designation, inheriting the "VG10" designation from the predecessor model.
The 1967 Century was equipped with an upgraded version of the Crown Eight engine, the 3.0 L 3V. In April 1973, the 3.4 L 4V was introduced. It was replaced by the 4V-U two years later, benefitting from the installation of emission control technology Toyota called "TTC". Only column shifters were available at first, with a manual being the base option. The manually shifted versions (Type A and Type B) were discontinued in 1973 and August 1974 respectively. The 3.4-litre V8 received fuel injection in November 1978 (4V-EU), enabling the car to meet the 1978 Emissions Standards. This also meant that the chassis code was changed, to VG35.
The engine was once again changed to the 4.0 L 5V-EU in November 1982 (VG40), along with major facelift. Note that the 3V, 4V, and 5V do not refer to the number of valves in the engine but simply denote model names in the Toyota V engine range. On the "C" pillar there is a badge in blue with a gothic-style "C" for Century with a label "V8" below. The suspension used trailing arms for the front and rear wheels with airbag support springs.
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Toyota Century
The Toyota Century (Japanese: トヨタ・センチュリー, Hepburn: Toyota Senchurī) is a line of full-size luxury cars and limousines produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's flagship car within Japan. Globally the unrelated Lexus brand houses Toyota's flagship luxury model. Production began in 1967, and the model received only minor changes until redesigns in 1997 and 2018.
The Century derives its name from the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda (born 14 February 1867), the founder of Toyota Industries. It is often used by the Imperial House of Japan, the Prime Minister of Japan, senior Japanese government leaders, and high-level executive businessmen. The Century is comparable in purpose to the Austin Princess/Daimler DS420, Cadillac Series 70, Mercedes-Maybach, Hongqi, Rolls-Royce Phantom, and Russian ZIL limousines.
The first-generation Century was available with only a V8 engine (the third post-war Japanese-built sedan so-equipped) at its introduction in 1967 until a full platform redesign in 1997. The second generation was only installed with a Toyota-designed and -built V12, an engine bespoke to the Century, until 2018, when the power-train reverted to a V8 with the addition of Toyota's hybrid technology.
While the Century is a full-size luxury sedan, it is not available at Japanese Lexus dealerships; it can only be purchased at specifically identified Toyota Store locations. The Century does not feature Toyota's typical oval logo on any of its badges; instead, it uses a phoenix logo unique to the Century. The gold phoenix logo is called the Hō'ō (鳳凰) or Fushichō (不死鳥) from Sinospheric mythology, representing the Imperial House of Japan, and the image can be found throughout Asia, such as the Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto.
The appearance of a black-painted Century is iconic in Asian countries, perceived to denote conservative success. As such, while the model has received some modifications, its external styling has remained largely consistent since introduction. The closest Japanese competitor was the Nissan President, with a similar status reputation although, during the 1960s and 1970s, the high market positioning was also shared with the Mitsubishi Debonair. In the 1970s, two other Japanese competitors introduced large sedans — the Isuzu Statesman de Ville and the Mazda Roadpacer (both derived from Holden products) — which were short-lived. The Century nameplate introduced the SUV body style in 2023. The nameplate was spun off into a separate brand in 2025.
The original Century was based on the 1964 Crown Eight, which featured the 2.6 L V8 Toyota V engine, and appeared almost two years after the October 1965 introduction of the 4-litre Nissan President. Apart from minor cosmetic changes and engine upgrades, the design remained largely untouched during its 30-year production run. This appearance has also inspired the designs of subsequent versions, as it remains desired by its clientele. The Century used an electromagnetic door latch that integrated a door lock, and the interior and exterior door handles were electrically operated. The Crown Eight used a button for interior use to release the latch mechanism, while the Century provided a conventional door release handle that remained electrically operated. The Century was given the "VG20" model designation, inheriting the "VG10" designation from the predecessor model.
The 1967 Century was equipped with an upgraded version of the Crown Eight engine, the 3.0 L 3V. In April 1973, the 3.4 L 4V was introduced. It was replaced by the 4V-U two years later, benefitting from the installation of emission control technology Toyota called "TTC". Only column shifters were available at first, with a manual being the base option. The manually shifted versions (Type A and Type B) were discontinued in 1973 and August 1974 respectively. The 3.4-litre V8 received fuel injection in November 1978 (4V-EU), enabling the car to meet the 1978 Emissions Standards. This also meant that the chassis code was changed, to VG35.
The engine was once again changed to the 4.0 L 5V-EU in November 1982 (VG40), along with major facelift. Note that the 3V, 4V, and 5V do not refer to the number of valves in the engine but simply denote model names in the Toyota V engine range. On the "C" pillar there is a badge in blue with a gothic-style "C" for Century with a label "V8" below. The suspension used trailing arms for the front and rear wheels with airbag support springs.
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