Japan’s new
emperor, Crown Prince Naruhito, will use a custom Toyota Century convertible
for his coronation ceremony, the Wall Street Journal has revealed. Naruhito
will ascend to his father Emperor Akihito’s throne on Wednesday and
commissioned Toyota to build a one-off open-top Century specifically for the
occasion. This vehicle will be the first open-top Century ever constructed by
the Japanese car manufacturer.
The latest Toyota
Century is based around the previous-generation Lexus LS hybrid and comes
complete with a retro-inspired design. The vehicle hit the Japanese market last
year and is outfitted with a 5.0-liter hybrid V8 pumping out a total of 425 hp
and 376 lb-ft of torque. Toyota takes such care building the Century that just
50 units roll out of its production facility each month, despite a hefty
starting price the equivalent of $180,000.
There are limited
details about Prince Naruhito’s one-off Century drop-top available, including
whether or not the vehicle will have a folding roof mechanism or if it will
simply be a Century with its roof chopped off.
Crown Prince
Naruhito’s last big ceremony came in 1993, when he married Crown Princess
Masako. To mark that occasion, a black Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible was
used. It is reported that there was talk about this vehicle being reconditioned
for the Crown Prince’s coronation, but it is reported that the car has fallen
into disrepair and sourcing spare parts proved too difficult.
Following his
coronation, the new emperor will use a normal Toyota Century for his daily
transportation needs.
