There’s always a CC in the neighbourhood. Several, in my case. But there’s always one that you know is there, but never see come out and play. Or the one you keep seeing in traffic, but never parked where you can properly look at it. The eternal lurker, the phantom classic. When I lived in Bangkok, there was a Fintail Benz that played that role for a while. In Tokyo, for several years, it was this Crown wagon.
Obviously, we’re seeing it out and about here because I finally caught it on an outing, but its natural habitat is (big shocker) a garage.
There it is, halfway sticking out, moray eel style. We’ve seen it in this setting before. I found it on one of my first reconnaissance missions when we settled in Tokyo in January 2020 and it was featured in an early batch of the “T87 Singles Outtakes.”
For literally two years, I never saw it move. It was moving, because it would disappear every once in a while, but never in my presence. So I got a little cocky and tried a quick interior shot – I usually don’t do that in people’s driveway, it looks bad, especially if you get caught peeking inside someone’s car. But I was getting frustrated.
All very tidy in there, but a few question marks. The steering wheel is aftermarket, obviously, but what about those power window buttons on the driver’s door? No way that was on this Crown Wagon from the factory. So it was modded here and there, but only seeing it in full would enable a proper diagnosis.
And one fine day, it happened. The Crown was done lurking and I finally caught it on the street. I had never seen the back end of that thing in over two years. Definite restomod vibes with those wheels, but in a restrained sort of way, almost conservative – very appropriate for this kind of vehicle. This is the Custom Wagon; that’s its official name. There was a near-identical van, but the tailgate on those more workmanlike models was hinged at the bottom. The Custom Wagon’s rear end opened like a door, hinged on the right (for RHD cars).
What should have caught my eye, other than that tailgate, was the license plate. It’s an over-the-limit “3-number,” which is quite odd for a Crown of this generation. In Japan, they were only available with a 2-litre, so this wagon should have a plate that starts with a 5. (If you don’t understand any of this, head right this way.)
So I kept on keeping an eye on the Crown. There was more in there that needed to be sussed out, but perhaps that was asking too much. After all, it had taken me over two years to get to see the car’s rear end, so figuring out the engine was not going to be taking place in this decade, at this pace.
Wrong again. On a sunny weekend in May, the kind of weekend when you get the car out to clean it thoroughly, out came the Crown Wagon for its deep clean. Shock horror: it’s not the original engine. But hey, at least it’s still a Toyota. This is the famous 1JZ, found under the hood of legions of Mark IIs, Crowns and Soarers in the ‘90s and ‘00s. It’s a 2.5 litre DOHC straight-6 good for about 170hp and specifically designed to be used in RWD cars.
The car’s original engine, the 1988cc M-series six, provided 100hp (gross) at best, and probably with worse fuel economy. It’s not particularly rare – Toyota must have produced a good million of them before the 1975 redesign to bring it into compliance with emissions regulations. But if you’re going the non-stock route, you could do worse than the 1JZ.
The lur-King Crown is still around. I don’t keep tabs on it any longer, but I reflexively look down that driveway when I pass it and see it there from time to time. I guess if it were a perfect world, a survivor Wagon in this condition ought to be as stock as possible, but the mods on this one don’t offend the senses the way some do.
Oh, and if you wanted a whole history about the S50 Crown, you’ll want to read Rich Baron’s excellent article (linked below) for that. This was more of a Captain Ahab / Columbo kind of post. White whale found, mysteries solved. Roll credits.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1968 Toyota Crown Wagon – Mission Accomplished, by Rich Baron
CC Capsule: 1969 – 1971 Toyota Crown Hardtop – Found Far Away From Home, by David Skinner
Vintage Reviews: 1965 – 1970 Toyota Crown – You Can’t Always Get The Gold, by GN
Neat jdm yota… I love jdm having owned 18 nissan/datsun z cars and probably about 30 or so Volvo wagons… I vary a bit… You’re a car tracker like myself.. Gotta keep tabs on them for sure. Couple of my previous
The nose on this Crown would not have appeared anymore attractive, or mainstream, in 1969. So many historical examples of carmakers trying to breakthrough, while presenting quirky/weird or polarizing styling. How hard was it to figure out? Killer (or at least above average) styling will help lift struggling automakers, if their product is otherwise competitive. Popular good looks will open doors, and make further market inroads. A hard lesson for AMC to learn. As Toyota obviously, eventually got their act together. Datsun certainly wavered back and forth, into the abyss of bad design.
Awesome find and worth the sluething. Thanks for sharing it!