JAA
JAEN
Black first-generation 1967 Toyota Century (G20) displayed in a museum.

CenturyVG20

V0007

MAKER
TOYOTA
YEARS
1967–1997
CODE
VG20 / VG21 / VG30
TYPE
SEDAN / CLASSIC
ORIGIN
JAPAN
Photo: TTTNIS / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

01 — Overview

Named for the centenary of Sakichi Toyoda's birth, the first Century remained largely unchanged in design over roughly thirty years of production. A long-wheelbase limousine was added in 1989.

02 — Historical context

Historicalcontext.

  1. 01

    The Century is named for the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda, born in 1867; JA Wikipedia also links the name to the 100th year of the Meiji era.

    Source: Toyota Century — Wikipedia (English)
  2. 02

    Apart from minor cosmetic changes and engine upgrades, the design remained largely unchanged over its 30-year production run.

    Source: Toyota Century — Wikipedia (English)
  3. 03

    A Century with a GT45 gas turbine and electric motor was shown as a hybrid concept at the 1975 Tokyo Motor Show.

    Source: Toyota Century — Wikipedia (English)
  4. 04

    The Century Limousine, 650 mm longer on a 3,510 mm wheelbase, appeared in October 1989.

    Source: Toyota Century — Wikipedia (English)
  5. 05

    Century sales roughly doubled during Japan's bubble economy, from 1,027 in 1985 to 2,117 in 1989.

    Source: Toyota Century — Wikipedia (English)

03 — Engineering

Technicalspecifications.

Manufacturer
Toyota
Chassis / model codes
VG20 / VG21 / VG30 / VG35 / VG40 / VG45
Production
1967-11 – 1997-03
Body styles
4-door sedan / 4-door limousine (from 1989)
Layout
Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine
3VV8 · 2,981 cc · naturally aspirated
4VV8 · 3,376 cc · naturally aspirated
5VV8 · 3,994 cc · naturally aspirated
Transmission
3/4-speed manual (1967-1974) / 3/4-speed automatic
Length × width × height
5,120 × 1,890 × — mm
Wheelbase
2,860 mm
People
Kenya Nakamura (listed as designer in EN Wikipedia; development chief/shusa in JA Wikipedia)

Figures follow the sources listed below. Values vary by market, variant and year; anything we could not verify is omitted. Power is shown in the unit the source used (PS / hp / kW).

04 — Gallery

Black first-generation 1967 Toyota Century (G20) displayed in a museum.
TTTNIS / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

05 — Related

Relatedmachines.

06 — Sources

  1. 01Toyota CenturyWikipedia · reference · accessed 2026-09-26
  2. 02トヨタ・センチュリーWikipedia · reference · accessed 2026-09-26

07 — Photo credits

  • Black first-generation 1967 Toyota Century (G20) displayed in a museum.

    Toyota Century (first generation)

    Black first-generation 1967 Toyota Century (G20) displayed in a museum.

    ByTTTNIS

    CC0 · Wikimedia Commons