Toyota Century GZG50
Toyota's quietest flagship gained Japan's first passenger-car V12—and enough duplicated engine equipment to keep moving on just six cylinders in an emergency.
1997 Japan Toyota Century GZG50 V12 · Tokumeigakarinoaoshima · CC0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Toyota released the fully redesigned Century on April 18, 1997, exactly 30 years after the original generation began. Its shape stayed deliberately formal, but nearly everything mechanical changed. The new 1GZ-FE was the first V12 fitted to a Japanese passenger car, and Toyota tuned the whole sedan around the people in back: a long 3,025 mm wheelbase, air suspension, thick sound insulation and carefully controlled acceleration. The floor-shift car profiled here is the 1,990 kg representative launch grade in Toyota's historical specification table.
Look a little closer.
Toyota gave each six-cylinder bank its own intake parts, throttle, sensors and fuel-injection computer, plus two fuel pumps, so one bank could keep the car moving if the other side had a problem.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A V12 built for calm, not theatre
Toyota highlighted low torque variation, a rigid cylinder block and oil pan, precisely made moving parts and VVT-i. Those choices were aimed at making the engine's work difficult to feel or hear from the rear seat, rather than turning the Century into a loud sports sedan.
Source: Toyota Global Newsroom · 1997 Century launch ↗Comfort was controlled as one system
The electronically controlled Skyhook air suspension used double wishbones at all four wheels and coordinated with the engine and transmission. Toyota also offered Normal, Power and Snow throttle modes, so even accelerator response could be shaped for passenger smoothness or slippery roads.
Source: Toyota 75 Years · second-generation Century specification ↗Where these facts come from
- Toyota Global Newsroom · Toyota Launches Fully Remodeled Century Sedan
- Toyota 75 Years · second-generation Century
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-02.