The Toyota Century is closely associated with
Japanese royalty and it appears the company has made a one-off convertible in
honor of the new emperor’s coronation ceremony on October 22nd. According to Japanese Nostalgic
Car, the model is officially called the “royal parade car” and will be used to
transport Emperor Naruhito on a 4.6 km route through the streets of
Tokyo to the Akasaka Palace.
The Century is reportedly the royal family’s first
new parade car in 30 years and replaces a 1990 Rolls-Royce Corniche which was
only used on two occasions. The new car is slated to see a lot more action as
it will be used during high-profile events such as the 2020 Summer Olympic
Games. It will also reportedly be put on display at palaces in Kyoto and Tokyo,
when not in use.
The convertible closely echoes the standard Toyota
Century, but the model has been equipped with a retractable roof and a modified
rear end. JNC also reports the car features unique seats which have backrests
that are fixed at a 25 degree angle to provide “unobstructed views of the
royals.” Furthermore, the rear seats are reportedly positioned 40
mm higher than on the sedan.
Little else is known about the car, but it
presumably uses the same powertrain as the sedan. As a result, the convertible
likely has a hybrid powertrain that consists of a nickel-metal hydride battery,
an electric motor and a 5.0-liter V8 engine that develops 376 hp and 510 Nm of torque. This setup gives the Century a combined
output of 425 hp.
