CarBrandLogos archive · Toyota Century · 1997

Toyota CenturySecond generation

A thirty-year redesign built around Japan's first production V12 passenger-car engine.

Photo: Mytho88 · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Toyota Century history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Toyota Century Second generation, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Toyota launched the second-generation Century on April 18, 1997, replacing a car whose recognizable form had lasted for three decades. The new model preserved the upright profile, phoenix badge and rear-passenger emphasis, but the engineering underneath was new. Its defining component was a 5.0-liter V12, the first such engine placed in a Japanese production passenger car.

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Design and engineering

The engine was designed for smooth, quiet progress rather than spectacle. Toyota paired it with systems intended to keep the car controllable even if part of the engine management failed, an appropriate priority for chauffeur-driven transport. The cabin continued to favor the rear compartment, with wool or leather trim and controls arranged for an occupant expected to spend more time being driven than driving.

1997 Toyota Century 03 · Mytho88 · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

The emblem carried the same attention to craft. Toyota stated that the phoenix mark was produced from a mold carved by hand, giving a small physical detail unusual prominence on an otherwise restrained car. Production continued through 2017, making this another deliberately long-lived generation before the hybrid successor arrived.

1967 Toyota Century 01 · Mytho88 · CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance