This 1997 Toyota Century packs a V12, and more luxury than many European high-end estates of the day.
This second-generation Toyota Century looks quite a bit like the original built in 1967, and the third generation which was built in 2018. That makes it easy to look at any model, built over the past five decades, as automotive royalty. Literally. Toyota has built many variants for the Japanese royal family, including the convertible Royal Parade Car.
While the esthetics are not for everyone, many agree that the Toyota Century is one of the most luxurious cars built.
This model is the first of the second generation, which debuted the 5.0-liter V12, which cranked out 276 horsepower and 340 lbs-feet of torque. The power was fed to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission. Angelo, the owner of the Century, takes Braden for a ride and explains what he thinks about the Century’s potential reliability. “Some have surpassed the 500,000 mile mark.”
Loaded with luxury tech
True to the spirit of Japanese luxury cars, the Toyota Century is loaded with luxury tech. That means, almost every device in the vehicle has been designed to make the rear passenger comfortable. The rear seats are fully controllable, as are many other items in the back seat. This includes functions like a vibrating massage seat (that’s moveable in nearly every direction) and retracting curtains. It even has an executive tape recorder, and a bespoke remote controller along with a second navigation screen.
The Toyota Century has an air-ride suspension, and an option for wool lined seats. Both of which aid in making the vehicle as quiet and as smooth as possible. On top of that, the V12 was lauded by many journalists as being one of the smoothest in the market.
How much?
Well, back when it was new, the Toyota Century was one of the most expensive Japanese cars built. Other than about 100, which were mostly exported for government and executive use, the rest were all right-hand drive.
Angelo paid a Japanese import dealership in Sacramento, CA $14,000, for his ride. Remember: once the vehicle is past a certain year, it can be imported into the United States. Right now, the least expensive new car Toyota sells here is a $21,550 Corolla case model.