White doesn’t rank very high in my personal car colour chart. Which is unfortunate, because Asians in general and the Japanese in particular tend to like white cars, so there are a lot over here. However, white Toyota Centuries are something of a rarity. Well, relatively so anyway, as I’ve caught a couple of other ones for my Singles Outtakes. Will the novelty factor outweigh my personal preferences?
The 1st generation Century had an exceptionally long lifespan (1967-97), and tastes did change somewhat during those years. Ever since the Century’s launch, Toyota offered a selection of alternatives to the standard black, and this included Fuji White. This continued until 1992, when the white option disappeared. In theory, that is, as anyone with the dough and connections to be able to secure a Century could also ask for any colour they wished. But black was the default, and few people who ordered a new Century wanted to be seen in anything else. And if they did, dark blue, dark gray or silver were highest on the list.
Which is a shame, really. These cars can handle a lighter colour quite well. It makes them look less staid – fun, almost. The unusual whitewalls on this one add to the overall look while also showing off that the body is more of a pearl, which was only available on the early model VG40 (1982-87), which ushered the 4-litre V8 , a new front suspension and a thorough facelift.
These earlier VG40s kept the ‘70s era dash – no console on this Century, and no wood veneer, either. That would all come a bit later, when Toyota started feeling that they were losing a few too many potential clients to Rolls and Mercedes.
There’s nothing quite like Japanese luxury, is there? It does feel more like a soft and cushy American approach than the leathery European one, but with its own ambiance. For once, there are no doilies on every surface, so we can truly bask in beige velvet. Glorious.
If there is an entry for the word “pimpmobile” in a Japanese dictionary, they should illustrate it with this Century. In the end, I still feel they look better in black, but the world is always a better place with the odd outlier thrown in. Takes one to appreciate one, right?
Related posts:
CC Twofer: 1995 Toyota Century VG 40 & VG 45 Type L – Two Flavours Of Top Notch, by T87
Storage Yard Classics: 1988-97 Toyota Century VG40 – Half A Millennium’s Worth, by T87
Curbside Classic: 1991 Toyota Century VG40 Limousine – Just Short Of Pretentious, by T87
This had a nice V8 I think.
I wonder if they had bothered to import these to Europe, whether it would have made a dent in MB or even Rolls-Royce sales.
I wonder how much impact it could have made in the U.S., though I presume Toyota thought the difficulties in getting it through crash- and emissions-testing were not worth it.
Toyota dont build them in volume, that is left to puesdo luxury brands like Lincoln and Cadillac etc, if you reach the top of the corporate heap Toyota might invite you to buy one new.
Is it just me, or are this car’s lines reminiscent of a T40 Toyota Corona’s?
I’ve always thought that.
I would take one in an instant
I’ve seen a few white ones here, only a couple grey, the rest black. I tended to see more dark grey/silver Nissan Presidents, for some reason.
Digging the white, when its clean and polished, man does it glow. Is this thing a pearlescent color?? Hard to tell from the photos, but it doesnt look like “fleet white”, it has some cream in there.
Also the clean whitewalls really set it off. These always reminded me of a JDM Cadillac Fleetwood 75. The Cadillacs had a good bit more flash but man were they sloppily built compared to the Century
I wonder how it would look in a nice cherry-blossom pink? Might try that…..
But seriously, it looks quite a different car in white. It seems somehow more ordinary, more attainable; it doesn’t have the ‘don’t even think of coming close’ faintly menacing aura of the usual black ones.
Here’s a dark blue one I built for a friend.
Unusual combination of late 1960s bodywork, a late ’70s nose, and late ’70s style turbine wheels. The seating and steering wheel, are the obvious elements, with an ’80s look and feel.
I’ve got a 1986 Century, in a gorgeous metallic tan/goldfish color. I’ve researched and researched and can’t find a single other one in that color. The car does indeed look phenomenal in a lighter color