We're in love.
Japan recently received a new emperor, and to celebrate the occasion,
a one-off convertible version of Toyota's ultra-luxury Century sedan
has been commissioned to transport him to the coronation ceremony in
October. It sports a handful of parade-optimized modifications, and
still has four doors. We love it.
According to Japanese Nostalgic Cars, this one-off Century, based on the current-generation V-8-powered hybrid model introduced in 2017,
will take emperor Naruhito and his wife on a 2.85 mile route from the
imperial palace west to Akasaka Palace for the ceremony. Japanese
Nostalgic Cars says that in addition to the roof being removed, the rear
seats are 1.57 inches higher than stock, and the seat-backs are fixed
at 25 degrees so that onlookers can get a good look at its royal
passengers. That gold symbol where the license plates should be is the
imperial seal.
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| © . Japan Emperor Gets a Four-Door Convertible Century |
After the ceremony, the car will reportedly be displayed in and
around palaces throughout Tokyo and Kyoto, and will also be used during
special events such as the 2020 Summer Olympics. Japanese Nostalgic Cars
says this is the royal Japanese family's first new parade car in 30
years, replacing a rarely-used 1990 Rolls-Royce Corniche III.
This isn't the first modified Century we've seen built for the Japanese elite. Toyota has built at least two performance-oriented GRMN prototypes,
one in white, and another in black, for the company's president, Akio
Toyoda. Now, if the company could somehow combine the two concepts, we'd
have the sporty drop-top Century of our fantasies.
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