I have already featured some of the imported cars at the Toyota Car Club’s show at the now-closed Altona North factory, some intentionally and others inadvertently, such as the Toyota Soarer (Lexus SC300/400) last week. These comprise a wilder variety of machinery than was imported by Toyota Australia, including a Toyota Century.
The Century was in production largely unchanged from 1967 to 1997, and I don’t really know exactly when this one was built but it is likely 1988 or earlier, as it is more difficult to bring 1989 and newer cars into the country.
The dashboard of the car gives away its age, preceding airbags and having a 1980s digital instrument cluster, as well as other features such as a parcel shelf under the 1960s style glovebox.
The Century was all about the rear seat occupants though, with owners usually chauffeur-driven; note the electric seat adjustment.
But the extraordinary feature was the front passenger seat’s panel that folded back to allow the rear passenger to really stretch their legs!
This 2000 Crown Majesta is perhaps a more modern iteration of the Century, and this example is the epitome of a Japanese luxury car. Item one, a very conservative appearance – much more so than a Lexus, for example.
The dashboard is conventional enough, but no doubt features all the latest gadgets. Power comes from the standard Toyota V8.
You may have noticed the cloth seats that are apparently such a feature of Japanese luxury cars rather than leather, but this car takes things further with some lace seat covers. Very elegant?
The following 2004 model Crown Majesta has some more flow to its lines.
More Crown variants, a 2003 Crown Athlete wagon (yes really!) and a 2010 model I’m not sure about – there are a huge variety of JDM variations!
For a complete change of tack, here is a first-generation 1981-85 Z10 Soarer, based on the Supra of the day, with IRS and the option of turbo inline six cylinder engines.
An example of the second generation Soarer was also present, which was when the “Aerocabin” or targa roof option was introduced as well as some pretty advanced electronics inside.
While early Soarers are not often seen, the Chaser sedans are a lot more common, and there were several at the show including these 1999 models. The appeal here is the stout Toyota inline six turbos and rear wheel drive.
Styling is fairly unassuming, but quite sleek. However there are downsides of driving a car like this, or any grey import, including higher insurance costs not only because of typical risk factors, but also because of difficulties in parts availability and cost.
By contrast, this E110 Corolla based Levin coupe looks like a successor to the classic Sprinter and Trueno AE86, but it is actually front-wheel drive.
I vaguely remember reading about these when they were released in 1995, but I had forgotten the fwd part.
The range of Toyota models that weren’t exported is vast; this is a 1992-96 Mark II Groire. It is a hardtop-only car that you bought if you didn’t want a conventional Cresta sedan or a more sporty Chaser hardtop – hairs were being split fairly finely.
Getting back to what is probably a more recognisable model, the Toyota Aristo is the car that the Lexus GS is based on. There was a 4.0 V8 and awd available, even at the same time, but most had the 2JZ 3.0 six – clearly what this 1997 car has as referenced by the number plate. Unlike my mistake with the Soarers, I know it wasn’t to the next generation car that the GS came to Australia. Or will this prove to e a case of famous last words?
I assume a lot of readers will be familiar with the 1989-95 P80 Starlet, but this is not the case in Australia. Or it didn’t used to be at least, but models like this 1993 GT Turbo have been popular on the grey-import scene as an easy-to-modify pocket rocket.
Now for a bit of fun; this unassuming silver sedan has Camry and Hybrid badges on the boot lid! I suppose it may fool some people even with the lip spoiler, the ONEJZ registration number would surely inject some confusion. Together with not really looking like a Camry, you might think that something else is going on.
Have you ever seen a Camry engine bay looking like this? The 1JZ is Toyota’s 2.5L inline six, here packing a turbo and plenty of aftermarket parts. Not quite the Hybrid snoozemobile… That’s not fair really; the Hybrid’s power consumption and distribution displays can provide a lot of entertainment/distraction as you drive.
Speaking of distraction, this 2001-2004 Verossa VR25 could cause one simply through its appearance! It too has a 1JZ turbo and could even be had with a manual gearbox, ut due to poor sales the Verossa was discontinued before it was due to be replaced. I don’t think it is too unkind to say this was due to being unpopular among people with eyes?
Is it a suprise to see a 2013 Tundra at the show? Perhaps yes, although all of the full-size North American pickups can be found on the road here, except perhaps the Nissan Titan. They are far from common though because of the need to convert to right-hand drive and deal with various other compliance issues from child seat restraints to radio tuning issues. Net result is you will need to spend over AUD$100k to get a new one.
But perhaps the most surprising car at the show was this 2003 Toyota Voltz, or it would have been if it wasn’t actually a Caldina GT-Four! (refer to comments below) Still a 2.0 turbo 260hp hatch/wagon, with all wheel drive is not to be sneered at although they were all automatic. The Caldina is on the same platform as the Avensis so between a Corolla and Camry in size.
The Voltz is a very unusual Corolla variant, US readers will probably have already pegged it as looking like a Pontiac Vibe! This is indeed the case, a real case of “coal to Newcastle”. Or if you prefer, a Japanese version of an American version of a Japanese car built for America. Hopefully you agree it looks more than a little similar to the Caldina and that I am not a complete idiot!
This is the finish of what has been more than the usual car show coverage, because of the opportunity to step through the Toyota Australia story, and I hope you have enjoyed it.
Further Reading:
Car Show Classics: Toyota Australia – Marking The End Of An Era, Part 1
Car Show Classics: Toyota Australia – Marking The End Of An Era, Part 2
Car Show Classics: Toyota Australia – Marking The End Of An Era, Part 3
Car Show Classics: Toyota Australia – Marking The End Of An Era, Part 4
Wow, lace seat covers.
That looks like something my Dutch Grandmother would have done if she had ever learned to drive.
I ‘d like to install a set of those on a Viper or Hummer just to mess with peoples’ minds.
And weirdly, in Japan it’s older men who put these in their cars….my wife calls them oyaji-covers. (Oyajii is a somewhat disrespectful term for older men…implies out-of-fashion, boring.) When I hit 50, I said “time to buy oyaji-covers”….she said “time to find a new wife”.
When I was in Japan, every taxi cab had them. And very many cars. And the first class train seats. It’s a big thing in Japan; they’re everywhere. Part of the cleanliness fetish.
It is funny how cultural associations are formed. For the Japanese, it’s cleanliness. For me, it’s old ladies and land yachts.
When I was a grocery bag boy in the early 1980’s, I’d occasionally carry groceries to a mid trim full-size Mercury or similar. Some older ladies would have a crocheted afghan draped carefully over the top of the backseat and a couple of throw pillows on the seat bottom. I thought it was quaint, but I suppose for a lot of people my age, it cemented the image of big American cars as living rooms on wheels.
The last car in the article isn’t a Voltz. That is a final generation Caldina, related to the Allion sedan.
Aha thanks, even if it is a little disappointing. The registration number makes more sense though! I will edit the text.
I have occasionally seen lace antimacassars (?) on the seat-backs and/or headrests of Asian-owned cars, here on the West Coast. It’s good to see a full-on example . . .
I don’t think I’ll ever understand the (now-obsolete) Japanese placement of exterior mirrors. Has this been discussed ? What misunderstanding of optics could have led to — or permitted — this curiosity ?
Until 1983, it was required in Japan that mirrors were to be visible thru the area in which the wipers cleared the windshield.
Mopars did kind of the same thing in the 50s. I was amazed at how constricted the field of view was with the mirror so far away in my 59 Plymouth. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been with the mirror farther out by another several inches.
I’ve only seen antimacassars on railroad passenger car seats 🙂 . Kinda cool seeing them in a classy car like a Crown.
They are on airline and bus/coach seats too, just not lace versions!
From what I’ve heard about the fender mirrors, it’s partially so they protruded less from the car; a little width saved helps a lot on narrow Japanese streets. Some say that mirror placement also helps reduce blind spots. According to other sources, it’s a holdover from taxi drivers not wanting to appear rude by checking a traditional side mirror and accidentally glancing into the back seat.
Also amazingly useful in tight spaces…they don’t stick out as much and let you see way more of your car when parking.
That first Crown… I could so cruise one. Am I the only one that gets a bit of a ’66-’67 Continental vibe (albeit with ’69 Marquis taillights)?
That black 04 Crown Majesta – wow. I wonder if this might have injected a little life into the big Lexus cars in the US had they used this as a replacement for the LS that we got.
It wouldn’t have worked well I suspect; the Crown series (Majesta being the V8 version) and Lexus GS are the same cars underneath a different “set of clothes”, so to speak. They look bigger than what they really are.
It certainly would’ve fit well enough. I could see it on US soil.
Plus, the Crown Majesta looks similar to the W221 S Class that Mercedes came out with in 05, so it would’ve been ahead in terms of styling. Unlike the LS we got that was aping the W140 a couple years too late for it to be relevant.
The Levin in the article is nice, but I’m particularly fond of the previous generation. I once saw a Toyota Century in a chain-link fenced business yard in Orlando, Florida during the mid-’80s. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a closer look.
Is it just too weird that the Toyota Century is one of the top vehicles I’d love to spend a week with? But, please; hold the doilies.
Wonder if anyone else got confused as I was trying to associate the title of the post with what initially seemed to be a picture of a Buick Regal?
Surely “Groire” is one of the ugliest names ever given to a car?
And how was it honestly pronounced in its home market? If it’s like a lot of other car names from Japan, it may be a combination of two words from another language that someone liked. Starion=Star of Orion, etc. As soon as I saw Allion above, I assumed that it meant All Lion or something like that. Groire=Growl Moire?
There’s bound to be a fertile article for someone to write about car names using another language very poorly.
Groire is suspiciously close to the French word for glory; gloire.
Right up there with the Mitsubishi Legnum 😀 !
I’m not the biggest fan of Japanese cars, but something about the JDM exclusive stuff just fascinates me. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to know that the things that interest me the most are the big luxury sedans. So the Crown Majesta and especially the Century are the highlights for me. Although, I like the 1997-2017 Century more, there’s more cleaned up details that work better with the styling. If I could have one JDM car to import, it would be a Toyota Century.
Of course, I didn’t realize this, but Toyota unveiled the upcoming new generation of the Century at the Tokyo Motor Show last month, and it looks amazing. It’s very reminiscent of the Lincoln Continental Concept from 2002 with a bit of Rolls Royce Phantom. As you can imagine, I like it a lot.
It is amazing how they have continued the theme of the car while updating it significantly. I’m not sure you could call it modern, but that would not have been part of the design brief!
Multiply those by a few thousand and we call it traffic, mechanically many of the variants in the JDM ranges are the same, the 2.4 diesel Crestas and Groires share engine parts with the Hilux which are common, parts only become a problem if you one of very few in the country here thats unlikely to happen with anything built since the 80s except used late 80s Corollas they all suffer the same diseases and the parts are nowhere.
You’re right, the Aristo wasn’t sold here. But cjiguy is right, that last one is a Caldina. They seem to be getting more and more common here (I’ve never seen a Voltz here, I’m not sure if they are on the… REVS? list) but I’m sure if you said, “I own a Caldina” to most people, you’d get a blank stare in reply. Shapely cars though with some decent performance.
It’s a shame the first GS didn’t come here. Those Aristos are very pretty cars. I think the ES ended up cementing Lexus’ old-timer image here, which they had to reverse in the 2000s. Didn’t help that almost every 90s Lexus seemed to be beige!
The Verossa preceded the Mark X, but I much, much, much prefer the Mark X’s styling. The Verossa isn’t terrible, but it’s a bit Lancia Thesis-y.
I love old Soarers but it’s remarkable how little visual change there was between first- and second-generation models. A bit disappointing as the first-gen was so fresh in the early 1980s, but the second-gen was a bit bland… But then again, Japanese tastes have tended to be more conservative so the second-gen Soarer would have blended in quite well with the Glorias and Debonairs and Crowns of the era.
Very strange to see a Century with leather seats. I thought they’d be all cloth, seeing as the Century was the archetypal conservative Japanese flagship sedan. Interestingly, I know a Kiwi who used to live here who owned a Century. Been trying to convince him to write a COAL series, considering how many interesting cars he’s owned including the Century, but no luck yet…
Here’s a new one: CC dream effect. I dreamt last night about seeing what I thought was a Nissan Stagea on a used car lot, getting closer and finding it was one of those Crown Athlete wagons. Although, weirdly, the Crown Athlete in my dream had a bench seat, column shifter and a blocky, 1980s dash….
The reason the Z20 Soarer was a conservative refresh of the Z10 is that the first-gen car had been a big hit — it didn’t sell in vast numbers, but it was the car to beat in its segment. (I think it outsold most of its direct rivals combined.) So, I think it fell into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” category. Also, part of the reason the Z20 ends up looking bland is that its design cues ended up on bunch of other Toyotas (not least the E90 Corolla Levin), which ended up making the original look very familiar.
The red-on-white sticker on the cold-air-intake/fan shroud of the “1JZ Camry Hybrid” says “Risk Taker”
Thanks for that, makes a change from Caution: Fan lol
Very cool sights!
The E110 (to be specific AE111) is a fine car, as I can attest as I owned one for 2 years. 20 valves, variable valve timing, super strut suspension and 6 speed manual. Great handling car, fun to drive, reliable and cheap to run. A viable competitor to the Integra Type Rs. As always, mystified why Toyota Australia never imported them new.
Agreed they might have done better than the 200-generation Celica which was fairly uninspiring in the form sold here. Being cheaper and smaller/lighter would have helped.
There are cars that are JDM only and are not likely to fly in foreign markets due to cost.
These are familiar to me — I only just left Japan, after having spent years in JDM-heaven Myanmar. Love that Century! it’s a post-1981 model, with the revamped nose. And it has the rare leather interior. Very cool.
Speaking of interiors, we had a Crown Comfort with the full doily interior back in Rangoon (imported from Japan, of course). Can’t say they did anything for me aesthetically, but they do have one advantage: they’re easy to clean.
The fold down seat back center on the Century is brilliant.
Bit of a trial for the chauffeur though. You’re driving along, concentrating on the road, then there’s a creak and a clunk next to you before two well-used, day-old feet in cotton socks come poking through. Not altogether pleasant!
The Z10 Soarer is a later model (1983–85) and the Z20 is an early one (1986–87), if that helps any. It looks like the Z10’s door decals, which I can’t quite read at this size/angle, say Twin Cam 2.0, which is the 1G-GEU engine added for 1983 — 160 PS gross, probably around 135 net hp (101 kW).
Oh, the thing that’s important in understanding the hair-splitting of the JDM lineup, as always, is that the models were sold through different channels. The Mark II was sold through Toyota and Toyopet dealers, the Chaser was sold through Auto dealers, and the Cresta was the top offering for Vista stores. I think the differences were as much for the benefit of dealer comfort as buyer interest.
Very good point Aaron, the different flavours of car came in different dealerships. Possibly more overlap than GM!
An interesting show, some look kind of familiar, but most of them are completely new to me.