I'm buying the Japanese Rolls-Royce the Toyota Century V12!
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00This is a Toyota Century, and it's essentially a Japanese Rolls-Royce.
00:05In fact, it's the only Japanese car to have a V12 engine.
00:08I've actually been thinking about buying one of these for a long time,
00:10but I've never seen one in the flesh.
00:12This is the first time I've got up close and personal with one,
00:15and I'm going to take it for a drive as well.
00:16And by the end of the video, I will decide once and for all
00:19whether or not I'm going to add one of these to my car collection,
00:23because my car collection is lacking a V12, and I need a V12.
00:30I'd like to introduce you all to Lund Marr.
00:33Say hello, Lund.
00:34Hello.
00:35Now, this is your car, isn't it, Lund?
00:37Yeah, this is my baby.
00:39It's a big old baby, a big, big posh-looking baby.
00:43Massive.
00:43Tell me about this car.
00:44First of all, let's start off with the design.
00:46They've been around for a while, the Toyota Century, wasn't it?
00:48From 1976 or something, but the design has stayed the same.
00:51Because how old is this car? What year is it?
00:53This car was made back in 2013, actually,
00:56but the design goes back to 1997, I believe.
01:00Okay.
01:01Yeah, it's way back.
01:02But I think even before then, like the first generation,
01:04because there's three generations, this is the second generation.
01:06The first generation was from like the 60s or something.
01:091967.
01:10That's right, but it had a similar look to it.
01:12It's quite an old-looking car, even for a 1997, isn't it?
01:15It is.
01:16Here at the front, right, what headlamps have we got in there?
01:18Are they just old-fashioned halogens or something?
01:20No, they're actually HID headlights.
01:21So xenons?
01:22Yes.
01:23So when you first turn it on, the colour is actually purple,
01:26and then once the temperature goes up, the colour turns to white.
01:30So one thing about getting one of these cars,
01:32at what point did the HID bulbs come in?
01:34I believe they started this in 2008.
01:38So before that, they used halogen headlights.
01:40So after that, they used the twist to HID headlights.
01:43Okay, so I want to look out for that.
01:44Moving to the grille and stuff.
01:46So it's a Toyota, right?
01:48But where's the Toyota badge?
01:49There's no Toyota badge.
01:50Is this, what's this?
01:51What does that say?
01:52It's actually just the letter C.
01:53For Century.
01:54For Century, yeah.
01:55And then there's a golden bird.
01:58That's actually a finnets.
01:59It's not a bird.
02:00It's just not any bird.
02:02So it's a royal symbol, a royal bird.
02:05A lot of chrome going on.
02:06What's this like to maintain the chrome?
02:08Lots of chrome around the grille as well.
02:09I've actually got PPF on the front of this car,
02:13and then I put ceramic coating all over it.
02:15You've ceramic...
02:16Oh, you've PPF, yeah?
02:17You've PPF down there?
02:18Yeah, the front of the car is all PPF'd.
02:21If I do that, I'm definitely going to PPF it.
02:23Yeah, you should.
02:23How much do you spend PPFing it?
02:25About £1,600.
02:27£1,600.
02:28The car itself though, how much is the car?
02:29To buy it in Japan, it'd probably cost you around £13,000.
02:33But to bring it to the UK, the total cost,
02:36probably we're looking at £25,000.
02:38So £25,000 for this car.
02:40So you could have an S-Class,
02:44a Mercedes S-Class from the same,
02:462000, what's this?
02:472013?
02:47Yeah.
02:48You could probably get an S-Class for that.
02:50But not as reliable though.
02:52Probably not.
02:52We'll come to that in a bit.
02:54So let's move down, down the side.
02:55So big thing about the Toyota Century that I've noticed is these, look.
02:59Now in the UK, we talk about wing mirrors,
03:01but all cars have door mirrors, the mirrors there.
03:04These are proper wing mirrors, mirrors on the wing of the car.
03:07Yes.
03:08They look so cool.
03:09They do.
03:09But it does make it look like you're towing a caravan.
03:12It does.
03:13Do need a bit of time to get used to them.
03:15And then the wheel.
03:17Are these wheels standard?
03:18They look a little bit blink.
03:19No, they're aftermarket wheels.
03:20So how much are they?
03:21£2,500.
03:23It's a bit of a shame that you appear to have curbed this one.
03:26Did they come with the car?
03:27Did you buy them afterwards?
03:28I bought them myself.
03:29Yeah.
03:29Right.
03:29So your £25,000 has gone up now to like £27,000, £28,000?
03:33Yeah, something like that.
03:34And then the PPF, we're getting to £30,000.
03:36It's going to £30,000.
03:38See, I was thinking I could get one quite cheap, but obviously not.
03:41If you just want to get a stock car, drive them around,
03:44you can just spend £20,000 to do that.
03:47I just don't like drive stock cars, that's all.
03:49I think I might keep it standard.
03:51I can really see the effect of that ceramic coating.
03:54It's really nice.
03:54There is a bit of orange peel on the paint.
03:57This is supposed to be Toyota's top-end car.
03:59You wouldn't think there'd be some...
04:01I'm sorry to criticise your car.
04:02That's fine, that's fine.
04:03Can you see it as well?
04:04I can.
04:04I've been told the driver's side door might have been repainted at some point.
04:08Whoa, whoa, whoa.
04:09Was you away there?
04:12You're absolutely right.
04:13Yeah.
04:13That over there...
04:15It's very different, yeah.
04:16It's completely different.
04:17Yeah, if you look here...
04:19Yeah.
04:19No orange peel.
04:20It's this...
04:21Yeah, you're right.
04:22It's definitely been done.
04:23Oh, check this out.
04:24Old-fashioned door handles.
04:27Look at that.
04:27And...
04:28Wait, wait, this is the test.
04:30So, this is the very best car that Toyota can produce.
04:33So, Toyota's engineers have put their hearts and souls into this car.
04:38Listen to how the door shuts.
04:42That is a heavy door.
04:44It must be so satisfying getting in and out of that each day.
04:47It does, it does.
04:47Just the weight of it.
04:49And then this chrome panel around here, it's so nice.
04:51And the fit and finish...
04:52I was talking about Mercedes S Classes.
04:53I'm pretty sure the lines don't line up as well as they do on this car.
04:58Probably not.
05:01Let me just check the back door,
05:02because obviously this is supposed to be a car that VIPs are chauffeured around in.
05:06So, when I say VIPs, it's more like your CEOs, your businessmen, isn't it?
05:10Yeah.
05:11You get...
05:11Also presidents and Japanese royals as well, yeah.
05:15So, you know that Toyota have really paid maximum attention
05:19to building this car to the highest standard.
05:21So, once again, really heavy door.
05:23But we have soft close on the rear.
05:27Not on the front.
05:28For the driver.
05:29Yeah, the driver is not important.
05:33And this is the sign that matters.
05:34V12.
05:35V12.
05:36And then this is the thing that you probably have to...
05:38Does it open?
05:39Do you have to press a button in there?
05:40There's like a pulley.
05:42Okay, but I bet you open that a lot.
05:45Yeah.
05:46Don't really want to talk about that.
05:48How much does it cost for a full tank in it?
05:50What is a full tank?
05:51I think the full tank is about 90 litres.
05:5390 litres.
05:54So, oh, that's quite a lot.
05:55So, that costs you, what, £160, yeah?
05:58Yeah, something like that.
05:59And how long does that last?
06:00How many miles?
06:01Not enough.
06:02300, 350, something like that, yeah.
06:06But it's worth it, yeah?
06:08Well, we'll find out when I drive it.
06:10Okay, let's move to the back of the car.
06:12Look at this.
06:12Old-fashioned bumpers.
06:13This is really 1960s, the back of this car, don't you think?
06:17A lot of people are saying that it looks like an old American car, actually.
06:20Yeah, it does, doesn't it?
06:21Yeah.
06:22Big, wide, flat bottom.
06:23And is it like an American car where you have a huge trunk?
06:26Can I get into it?
06:26How do you get into it?
06:27You need to press a button.
06:28Is that the reversing camera that I'm trying to press?
06:30Yes, it is.
06:33I've never seen one of these cars before.
06:35Do we have to press a button inside?
06:36Yeah.
06:36Shall I do that?
06:37You go do that.
06:38I'll just admire the sentry, the way that's lined up.
06:42With Japanese precision.
06:44I heard a motor go.
06:46And perfectly weighted.
06:47Look at that.
06:48Yeah.
06:48I can lift it with just the slightest effort from my little finger.
06:52They've really judged that perfectly.
06:53So it's not got an electrically operated tailgate, but it's just so well balanced.
06:58I can't believe that.
07:00And then boot, nice and wide, very easy to get stuff in.
07:04That carpet, that's like Rolls-Royce.
07:06And I've got to do this one.
07:07I'm sorry, I do this to quite a lot of cars.
07:08See if I can fit in.
07:09Shut it.
07:10Do you really want me to start the car?
07:13Yeah, yeah, yeah, go on, shut it.
07:14I'm sure there's a release in here.
07:16Go on, shut it.
07:21Okay, I can't find the release.
07:22I saw it didn't say pull to release, but I can't get it out, then.
07:26Shall I just let you let me out?
07:29I thought I'd be able to release it.
07:33Yeah, look, it says pull there.
07:36Look, can you see?
07:37Yeah.
07:38That didn't work.
07:40That's for doing this.
07:41Oh, what an idiot!
07:45I thought it was like the release that they have in American cars.
07:47No.
07:50And one last thing I noticed there.
07:51What's that?
07:52Is that like a tool kit?
07:53Yeah, it's a tool kit.
07:54Let's have a look.
07:57To tell you the truth, I was expecting something a little bit fancier.
08:00It's just a basic tool kit, really.
08:02All right, and that came with the car.
08:03Yeah.
08:04And I was going on about these carpets.
08:06These are aftermarket, mate.
08:08Yeah, they are.
08:09You didn't say.
08:11I'm keeping the stock carpet because I nearly can't get them anymore.
08:17Oh, look, there's a release for the fuel filler cap.
08:19It's a weird place for it.
08:20It's an emergency release.
08:22So you put this in there to protect the center carpet.
08:24OK.
08:24But actually, the quality is almost the same.
08:27Yeah.
08:27So that's what it feels like normally.
08:28OK, I'm going to use the pull thing to actually pull it shut.
08:30Yeah, it's self-closing.
08:33There you go.
08:34It's lovely.
08:35Let's just check this side.
08:36Yeah, you can see the paintwork.
08:38Oh, there's a bit of a scratch there.
08:39That wasn't me.
08:41But yeah, look at it.
08:42It's so nice, isn't it?
08:43It's beautiful.
08:45Beautiful.
08:46Right.
08:47Loving the outside.
08:48It's got so much style.
08:50Let's check out the inside.
08:51Let's.
08:52I've got to say, Lund, the interior lives up to the exterior.
08:55It is gorgeous in here.
08:57It's very clean.
08:58It's very clean.
08:59So it says on the clock 200,000 kilometers.
09:03Yeah, that's about...
09:05This seems like it's new.
09:07Like, honestly, there's no wear on the seat.
09:09All this material is in top quality.
09:11All this trim as well.
09:13It's solid as a rock.
09:14Yeah, nothing's shaking inside here.
09:16No, I mean, we were talking about an S-Class earlier for less money.
09:19But this feels like it's new.
09:20An S-Class would be creaking and rattling and things would be a bit scratched and a bit worn.
09:24I'm not a big fan of wooden cars.
09:27But it works in here, doesn't it?
09:28It does.
09:29It's so nice.
09:30And the leather, soft and expensive feeling.
09:33This is a vinyl, isn't it, on the dash?
09:34That's not leather up here.
09:35But the seats, the leather, really nice.
09:39And the seats themselves are super comfy, aren't they?
09:41It's like a big sofa.
09:42It is like a big sofa.
09:44And obviously, you've got all your adjustment there, all electrical.
09:47Do we have heating?
09:48It must have heating, shouldn't it?
09:48Yeah, it does.
09:49Seat heating there.
09:50There's a few windows.
09:51What is this little device?
09:53That's how to open the door.
09:55Oh, so you put your arm like that and...
09:57Like this.
09:58That's neat.
09:59And of course, we've got the ashtrays, cigarette lighters.
10:03Real nice feel to that, actually.
10:05That's metal.
10:06Not plastic, but metal.
10:08Electrically adjustable steering column.
10:09Yes, good.
10:11So listen to the horn.
10:12It's a solid horn.
10:14Oh, that feels nicely damped as well.
10:17Then we've got the climate control there.
10:20TV.
10:21So you've got a tape player and a TV.
10:23Yeah, in Japan, you actually can watch TV inside the car.
10:26Can you watch TV on this?
10:27Yeah, you can, if you want to.
10:28So I've noticed you've got Apple CarPlay on it.
10:31That wasn't original, right?
10:32Come on.
10:32No, it's not.
10:33So you can upgrade it to have Apple CarPlay?
10:35Yeah, it's like a little device.
10:37You can just connect it to the center console.
10:39You can have Apple CarPlay, Android Auto.
10:41Yeah.
10:42Now, all this is in Japanese.
10:43If I press these buttons, will you be able to get it back to the setting that you want?
10:46Or should I not touch them?
10:47You can touch anything.
10:48Yeah, that's fine.
10:49Japanese sat-nav, and it thinks we're in the middle of the ocean.
10:52Yeah.
10:54You don't understand any of that, do you?
10:56Oh, like 50%.
10:58Right.
10:59The driver's display.
11:00So we've got a digital speedometer.
11:02Yeah.
11:03Which is in kilometers an hour, which is a bit of a problem in the UK.
11:05Can you convert that to miles an hour?
11:07I think you can.
11:08But why haven't you then?
11:10I just don't want to mess around with the stock gauge cluster.
11:13Just in case it goes off.
11:15Yes.
11:15Forever.
11:16Exactly.
11:17Right.
11:18So how do you know what speed you're doing in miles an hour?
11:19Do you use your Google Maps or something?
11:21I actually installed an aftermarket speedometer, so that's in miles per hour.
11:25Oh, that's what that is.
11:26Yeah.
11:26That's not your boost gauge then?
11:27No, it's not.
11:28I suppose this is naturally aspirated to this engine, isn't it?
11:30It is.
11:30Right, let me just check out some of the other bits to check the quality.
11:33So, oh, yeah, that's okay down there.
11:35What is this?
11:36Is this a cup holder or something?
11:37It is.
11:37A very shallow cup holder.
11:39A very rubbish cup holder.
11:40Have you got a bottle, actually?
11:42There you go.
11:43Does it work?
11:44Sort of.
11:44Sort of.
11:45Yeah, that's all right.
11:47Sort of.
11:48And then the door bins, they're not very big, are they?
11:50No.
11:50But they are lined with felt and soft.
11:52And obviously you've got carpet down here as well.
11:54So that feels quite nice and expensive.
11:56As does the aluminium kick plates, which say Century on them.
11:59And you've got your aftermarket mats in here with, what is it?
12:02Junction Produce.
12:04Yes.
12:04Sounds like a grocery store.
12:06What's that?
12:06It's actually a Japanese aftermarket brand.
12:09Yeah, they produce aftermarket parts for VIP cars.
12:12Right.
12:13Okay, so it's in keeping with the type of car that this is.
12:15Yeah.
12:16All right, let's have a look under here.
12:18Centre console with some storage.
12:20And you've got your USB port there, which you've installed.
12:23Yeah, once again, lined with felt.
12:24So it feels nice and expensive.
12:26What's going on with this?
12:28Behind that thing is actually a TV.
12:30Oh, so that's for the rear passengers.
12:32It's just...
12:33Does that get on your nerves a bit?
12:34Sometimes, yeah.
12:35Yeah, because it doesn't go down.
12:37Right, yeah, that is a bit annoying.
12:39That's quite a big gear selector.
12:42That's aftermarket.
12:43Do you know what that's like?
12:44Yeah.
12:44That's like BMW's crystal clarity.
12:46It does, yeah.
12:47Is that like a rip-off of it, really?
12:49I think so.
12:51Okay, so let's have a look in here.
12:53I'm disappointed in that.
12:55That's not damped.
12:56That's not damped.
12:56What's going on with that?
12:57We do have...
12:58What's this?
12:59Your CD player there and some storage there as well.
13:03Right.
13:04What's going on with this?
13:06What's this?
13:07That's a sun visor.
13:09Oh, so when you put that down, the sun doesn't get through this bit here.
13:12Exactly.
13:15And they're big visors and they're soft and squidgy and...
13:18Yeah, a big vanity mirror.
13:19And it all feels so nice.
13:22Do you know another way you can stop yourself being bothered by the sun when you're driving?
13:26Yeah.
13:27Right, look at this.
13:28Because there's not a place to keep the glasses in the car, I've noticed.
13:30But look.
13:32So these, right?
13:34I've started wearing these.
13:34They're Transitions Drivewear Lenses.
13:37So look at that, right?
13:39They change colour depending on how light it is outside.
13:42So the lighter it is, the darker they get.
13:44And they're specifically designed for driving.
13:46So it gives you high contrast when you're driving so you can see the road much better.
13:50You know when you're driving down the road, right?
13:51And the sun's in your face and it's really bad and you're getting reflections from water.
13:55It just deals with that, it stops all of that.
13:56And they're also polarised as well.
13:59So you get that increased darkness but also the polarisation.
14:01So you're not bothered by reflections so much.
14:03Do you want to try them?
14:04Have a little go in them.
14:05Yeah, it looks nice.
14:06Yeah, honestly, I love them.
14:08They're like a game changer for me.
14:11Yeah, they're suiting you.
14:12You can get them with a prescription.
14:14Things are probably a bit blurred for you right now, aren't they?
14:16Yeah, very blurred.
14:18But it's very comfortable, to be honest.
14:20They're brilliant, yeah.
14:22Anyway, so if you want to check out some of these, Transitions Drivewear.
14:25You can get them from glassesdirect.co.uk.
14:27I'll put a link in the description below.
14:29You can go check that out.
14:30Okay, there's also a link in the pinned comment as well.
14:33But I found them really, really useful.
14:35Just makes driving in different changeable conditions so much easier, less hassle.
14:40And obviously, you don't have to keep on changing like glasses and stuff like that
14:43because they change darkness depending on the amount of light.
14:47Love them.
14:47Anyway, enough about that.
14:49Let's carry on with the car.
14:50So I'm really, really liking the interior of it.
14:54Extremely nice.
14:55But really, the Toyota Century, it's all about being in the back, isn't it?
14:59Yes.
15:00Let's check that out.
15:01Got to say, the back seats of this car are worthy of a president and even an emperor.
15:06It's absolutely lovely.
15:07And I can't believe that it's done 200,000 kilometers.
15:10Once again, it feels like new.
15:12One thing I've noticed is that while knee room's good, headroom's good,
15:15the floor seems quite high up.
15:17I want to stretch my feet into the chair in front, but I can't really do that here,
15:21even though there's quite a lot of room in the footwell.
15:24Although that's not really an issue because this car's got a special feature,
15:27which I'll show you in a moment.
15:29But some of the things to talk through.
15:31Just in case your driver gets too carried away.
15:34Some big handles, aren't they?
15:35Look at those grab handles.
15:36Absolutely massive.
15:37I've never seen such big grab handles in this car.
15:41I like this as well.
15:42Just the feeling of the switches.
15:43So if I turn that on, look, I've got a dimmer up there.
15:45That's really nice, isn't it?
15:47With the vanity mirror.
15:48Just the quality of the headlining as well.
15:51And this bit.
15:52What's that?
15:53That's a headrest.
15:54I thought it was like an airbag thing, because it says curtain airbag there,
15:56but it's a headrest.
15:58I suppose, yeah, look.
16:00Yeah, that's how you're going to sleep, isn't it?
16:04It's like they've thought of everything.
16:05Expensive-feeling pockets on the seat backs.
16:07What's this?
16:08That's a TV.
16:09And a sat-nav.
16:10Yeah, so you've got sat-nav,
16:12and then the most confusing remote control in the world.
16:15Oh, there's Japanese writing on it.
16:17Yeah.
16:18Or Chinese.
16:18That's Chinese, isn't it?
16:19And that's Japanese letters there.
16:21But I like the way it fits in there.
16:23That's nice.
16:24You've got your cup holders.
16:25And so you can watch telly on there as well as...
16:27You can.
16:27And DVD as well.
16:29Oh, yeah, look at that.
16:29We've got a DVD player down there.
16:32Your auxiliary's in and stuff like that.
16:35What's under here?
16:36Oh, look.
16:37Just some storage and...
16:38What's this for?
16:39Climate control.
16:40So it's your climate control.
16:42And then...
16:43Oh, hello.
16:44That's where the potty is.
16:46Ah, yeah.
16:47Look, it's all these seat controls.
16:48So, can I move that seat out of the way?
16:50Yeah.
16:51I'm moving this seat?
16:52Yeah.
16:53Oh, I can recline these seats.
16:55Okay.
16:56How do I move that one out of the way?
16:57No.
16:58These two buttons.
16:59Right.
17:00So that moves that front passenger seat forward to create more room.
17:04So I obviously can't move the driver's seat.
17:06Right, so this...
17:06What does this one do?
17:07That's my headrest.
17:08Yeah.
17:08Okay, let's run through them.
17:09That's my headrest.
17:10This one is...
17:11It's moving the headrest, the angle of it in and out.
17:14We've got seat cooling.
17:17That's the backrest for that.
17:18That's that backwards and forwards.
17:20This is that side seat cooling.
17:22So that's the same.
17:22That's the headrest.
17:24This is my recline.
17:26Oh, yeah, actually.
17:28It's kind of knackering my knee room a bit there, though.
17:30And I can make it go up and down.
17:34And that's lumbar support, isn't it?
17:35And that's my memory.
17:36Wow.
17:37Quite a few functions there.
17:38And in the door, what have we got here?
17:40We've got heat.
17:41So you've got your cooling there and your heating there.
17:44Yeah.
17:44What's this?
17:45That's a massage.
17:46A massage.
17:47Okay, let's have a go at the massage.
17:48It's basically just vibrations.
17:51Oh, it gets faster.
17:52Ooh.
17:53Now, you know what?
17:53One of the stumbling blocks for me getting one of these cars is
17:55because my girlfriend, Jo, just doesn't like them.
17:56She's like, no way you're having one of these.
17:58I wouldn't want to go in this car.
17:59But I think with the vibrating seat, that might win her over.
18:04Anyway, hopefully she won't watch this.
18:08Oh, yeah, you've got your ashtray there.
18:10Surprise that's not full because the CEOs in Japan often like a cigarette, don't they?
18:14Yeah, lovely.
18:15But it is the party piece of this car, isn't it?
18:19Shall I do it?
18:20Yes, go ahead.
18:21If you really want to stretch out...
18:22Now, I've seen this online.
18:24Look at this.
18:25So you've got a footrest there, right?
18:28And you think, oh, yeah, that's all right, isn't it, that footrest?
18:30But the main thing is this.
18:31Look, you can slide that down.
18:35And then you put your feet through there.
18:38And then if I move that seat further forward and then go for the full recline,
18:44this is such a brilliant solution.
18:47That is so comfy.
18:49That is better than what they do in the Mercedes S-Class,
18:52BMW 7 Series and the Audi A8,
18:55where you have the footrest that you have to reach for.
18:58Whereas this, just brilliant.
18:59Obviously, it's not so good if you've got a front passenger,
19:02you can kick him in the back.
19:03But, oh, my gosh, that is just pure Japanese luxury.
19:09That crazy fold-down passenger seat is one of my favourite things about this car.
19:13But the real showstopper is, of course...
19:16The engine.
19:16The engine.
19:17So, first thing, I'm going to try and open the bonnet.
19:20Right.
19:20Never done it on this car before.
19:22Let's see how it goes.
19:23Yeah, you just wait there.
19:24Let's see if I can do it.
19:27That's easy.
19:28It's actually like on my GR Yaris.
19:31Right, it is a Toyota.
19:33Yeah.
19:33Then the next thing is, how easy is it to actually release the catch?
19:36Can I find it straight away?
19:38Actually, there it is.
19:40Look.
19:41Oh, my gosh.
19:43That's seriously damped, that is.
19:44Right then, what we got here?
19:46So, V12, obviously.
19:48Yeah.
19:48How many litres?
19:49Five litre.
19:50Five litre, V12.
19:52Naturally aspirated.
19:53And what's the horsepower?
19:54There's about 290 horsepower.
19:57Is that all?
19:58Yeah.
19:59Five litre, V12, 290...
20:01It's a cruiser.
20:04Just lazy.
20:05What's the torque?
20:07I think it's a bit more than 400.
20:08Okay.
20:09Meters.
20:09Right, and it drives the rear wheels.
20:11Yeah, rear wheel drive.
20:12And the gearbox is?
20:13A six-speed automatic gearbox.
20:16Now, I know earlier versions of this model of Century had four-speed.
20:19When is it cut over to the six-speed?
20:21I think it's around 2008.
20:23They turned it to the later six-speed gearbox.
20:26So, if I'm thinking about getting one of these cars,
20:27is it really important to get the later gearbox?
20:29I will say so, yeah.
20:30All right, we'll find out what it's like when I drive it in a moment.
20:32What I want to do first, though, is hear what it sounds like.
20:35Right then, Lund, start it up.
20:39Oh, that is smooth.
20:41I can see the exhaust pipes there.
20:42Go on, rev it.
20:45Whoa!
20:48Oh, that's so smooth.
20:52And really quiet as well.
20:54Go on, give it some more revs.
20:58Don't worry, that's not smoke.
21:00It's water vapour.
21:01Let's just do it one last time in slow motion.
21:11So,
21:23here we go.
21:24My first time driving a Toyota Century.
21:27I've got to say, Lund, it's pretty chilled, isn't it?
21:30It's very chilled.
21:32I mean, the steering is so very, very light.
21:35Look what I've done.
21:38I knew that would catch me out.
21:39It's that side, remember?
21:40There you go.
21:41I had a Mark 1 MX-5 and the indicator was on this side.
21:45I've now got a Mark 2 one and the indicator's on that side.
21:49Really quiet.
21:50I don't even know that the engine is ticking over.
21:52It's a bit like an electric car.
21:54It is, isn't it?
21:55No sound.
21:56Hasn't he got something like eight silencers or something ridiculous on the exhaust?
21:59Something like that.
22:00And three catalytic converters.
22:02Exactly, yeah.
22:03Because this engine, I've heard people on YouTube,
22:06they're doing individual throttle bodies and modify the exhaust
22:09and it sounds insane.
22:10It's a bit like a F1 car.
22:12It is, yeah, a V12 F1 car.
22:15But this, I can't hear nothing.
22:17No.
22:18It's so cruisy.
22:20And the other thing is, because I've got aftermarket wheels on this car,
22:24with a stock wheel, the road noise is much less than this.
22:28Really?
22:28Yeah, even quieter.
22:30And it's really quiet as it is.
22:34And really good sound insulation as well.
22:36Yeah.
22:36It's so cool.
22:38Now, you've got aftermarket air suspension on this car, haven't you?
22:41Yes.
22:41Why have you got aftermarket system on it?
22:44Why?
22:44Why would you do that?
22:45What are you playing at?
22:46It is too difficult to deal with the stock air suspension.
22:49So I just thought, well, just get an aftermarket one
22:52so people know what to do with them.
22:54What do you mean?
22:54I don't understand.
22:55Why is it too difficult?
22:56Why does it need to be difficult?
22:57Because the stock air suspension has a specific ECU to control that whole thing.
23:03And that thing has to be diagnosed using Japanese software.
23:08Nobody knows how to use them in the UK.
23:10So did you have a problem with the air suspension then?
23:12So you just replaced it?
23:13We think the stock ECU is broken or something.
23:17But we don't know for sure.
23:19I don't really want to throw money to risk it.
23:23So, yeah.
23:24So this is the problem with this car, isn't it?
23:26That you buy it, if something goes wrong with it,
23:28they don't sell them in the UK.
23:29It's very specific, very Japanese.
23:31You've got to import all the parts from Japan.
23:33No one's going to know how to work on it.
23:35So you basically got rid of the air suspension
23:37and fitted aftermarket air suspension on it for a cost of how much?
23:41£5,000.
23:42Okay.
23:42So now then, the price of the car is, 30 plus that five, £35,000.
23:49But I've got to say, the way it's driving,
23:53it feels easily worth that.
23:54It's worth double it.
23:55It's so smooth.
23:56The handling is so much better than before.
23:58Oh, with the aftermarket air suspension?
24:00Yes.
24:00Was it like a boat before, all wallowy?
24:02Yeah.
24:03Wallows all over the place.
24:04Okay, we're going to find out now.
24:05We're going to go round a roundabout.
24:10Oh, the steering.
24:10Look at that.
24:11Oh, yes.
24:13This is a real extensive test of the handling.
24:15But I see what you mean.
24:16It stays totally flat, doesn't it?
24:18With this air suspension that you've got fitted to it.
24:20That is impressive.
24:21It's just not leaning at all.
24:24And it actually grips pretty well.
24:25It's not pushing on or anything.
24:27You know what I'd like to do as well?
24:28I'd like to drift it.
24:30You actually can.
24:32Okay, I won't.
24:33I won't because that could be really embarrassing if I crash your car.
24:36Can you guess what I want to do in it?
24:37You want to launch it, don't you?
24:39I definitely want to launch it.
24:40Let's see how quick it is from 0 to 60 miles an hour.
24:42Let's do that.
24:44Right then, Len.
24:45Let's launch it.
24:49Smooth pickup and now it's going.
24:51Come on, what are we going to do?
24:547.6.
24:55It's all right.
24:56Yeah, not too bad.
24:57Yeah.
24:58For a big heavy car like this and one that accelerated so smoothly,
25:03I think we'll take that.
25:04I've wanted a Toyota Century for ages now,
25:07even though I've never driven one.
25:08Now I finally have.
25:10I absolutely 100% have to add one of these cars to my collection,
25:14even though I don't really need any new cars because I've got so many.
25:17But this is such a unique vehicle and I absolutely love it.
25:22I'm going to import one from Japan and that process will take quite some time.
25:26But to make sure that you don't miss out for when I do finally get it
25:29and upload a video on it,
25:30click on my face there to subscribe to this channel
25:32and hit the bell icon to turn your notifications on.
25:34If you want to watch some of the videos right now,
25:36just click on those windows there.
25:38Thanks for watching.