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Scratch the surface of the Toyota Automobile Museum, and you'll find far more than just a collection of old Toyotas...
The museum, a few miles outside of the city of Nagoya and just 100 minutes by Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Tokyo, celebrates the worldwide history of the automobile and its culture.
Featuring cars from Europe, the US and Japan, the attractions are displayed in a timeline demonstrating the diversification of ideas and engineering from different eras of development spanning from the Dawn of the Automobile through to the Search for a Sustainable Future.
Nearly 150 vehicles adorn the building's two floors, with Toyota having recently added a superb Cultural Gallery with diverse artefacts like toy cars, period posters and brochures. Here’s a taster of the museum with some choice exhibits to whet your appetite:
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Toyoda Model AA (1936)
This is where it all began for Toyota, 1936's Model AA. Before this car the Toyota (known then as Toyoda) company made automatic weaving looms. Based on American cars of the day and bearing a striking resemblance to the aerodynamic styling of the DeSoto Airflow, the AA was developed under the leadership of the corporation’s founder Kiichiro Toyoda (1894-1952) and featured a 3.4-litre OHV straight six-cylinder engine.
This car is a replica, having been completely reverse engineered from surviving plans, as only one original example exists in a very poor state in the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands.
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Panhard et Levassor Type B2 (1899)
Featured in the Dawn of the Automobile gallery is this 1899 Panhard et Levassor Type B2, the first car to feature the front engine and rear-wheel drive configuration.
Panhard et Levassor also introduced the steering wheel in its 1894 4CV model which competed in the first ever motor race from Paris to Rouen that same year.
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Stanley Steamer E2 (1909)
Also in this gallery is this Stanley Steamer E2 from 1909. Twin brothers Freelan and Francis Stanley from Massachusetts started out making photographic plates before selling out to Kodak and going into the steam car business.
One of their streamlined cars took the land speed record at 127mph in 1906, but steam-powered cars were soon forced to yield to the rapidly-improving combustion-engined variety and the Stanley company died in 1924.
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Cadillac Model 30 (1912)
The Cadillac Model 30 from 1912 was another innovator, namely being the first car to feature an effective electric starter motor and electric headlamps as standard. The electrical system supplied by Delco provided 24 volts for starting and six volts for the lighting.
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Hispano-Suiza 32CV H6b (1928)
French manufacturer Hispano-Suiza was known for its luxury cars, and this 32CV H6b from 1928 was considered one of the finest cars in the world in its day thanks in part to four-wheel servo brakes (derived from aircraft technology) and an overhead cam all aluminium 6.6-litre engine.
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Bugatti Type 35B (1927)
One of the most iconic pre-war Grand Prix cars of all time, the Bugatti Type 35B was blisteringly fast thanks to a supercharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine that produced 138bhp, a lot for the time.
This car is in French blue, while the Bentley behind is in British racing green - the national colours that harked back to the Gordon Bennett Cup run at the start of the 20th century.
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Tsukuba-go (1935)
A real rarity now, just 130 Tsukuba-gos were built over a three-year period from 1935 by Tokyo based car company Jidosha Seizo. Bearing a striking resemblance to the Austin Seven and featuring a 737cc inline-four engine, the front-wheel drive contraption was named after Mount Tsukuba in Kanto province.
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Datsun Model 11 Phaeton (1932)
One of the very first cars to be manufactured in Japan is another Austin Seven look-a-like, the grandly named Datsun Model 11 Phaeton from 1932. Originally launched under the name of DAT, the initials of its founders, the company’s new brand was the son of DAT, hence Datsun.
Bought by Nissan in 1934, Datsun was used as a sub-brand for over 50 years before being phased out in 1986. Datsun saw a revival in 2013 as a budget brand.
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Lancia Astura (1936)
Designed by Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina and unveiled at the 1931 Paris motor show, this stunning 1936 Lancia Astura cabriolet replaced the Lambda model.
Featuring a 2972cc OHC V8, it's one of the most desirable pre-war Lancias, winning top honours at both Pebble Beach and Villa D’Este Concours.
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Cord 812 (1937)
Designed with the sole purpose of turning heads, the 1937 Cord 812 certainly succeeded in standing out. Highly innovative, the 812 featured front-wheel drive, retractable head lamps, a supercharged V8 and a vacuum shift gearbox.
Not that it did Cord much good, as the company died at the end of 1937.
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Packard Twelve (1939)
Seen by some as America's Rolls-Royce, Detroit-based Packard produced luxury cars featuring sophisticated V12s and superb build quality. Indeed, the Twelve was the car of choice for 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D Roosevelt. This 1939 car is the one he was driven in for parades and is adorned with armour plating and bullet-proof glass.
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Cisitalia 202 (1947)
With its iconic and influential styling by Pininfarina, the 202 was honoured by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its innovation and aesthetic excellence. This 1947 Cisitalia 202 took part in the Mille Miglia in 1948.
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Tucker 48 ‘Torpedo’ (1948)
Highly innovative and with a big focus on safety, the 48 featured a 5.5-litre helicopter-derived flat six-cylinder engine mounted at the back and a central directional headlight. Just 51 cars were built before Tucker went bust amid various scandals. Survivors are today very valuable.
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Toyopet SA (1951)
With a name voted for by the public, Toyota's first post war small passenger car features VW Beetle-esque styling , groundbreaking four-wheel independent suspension and column shift gearbox.
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Toyopet Crown RS (1955)
The first generation Toyopet Crown RS was built without technical assistance from overseas, giving a boost to the self-confidence of Japanese car manufacturing. Japan was then slowly recovering from the Second World War that had left much of the industry’s factories devastated by aerial bombing.
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Toyopet Crown RS (1955) - continued
Suicide rear doors created a wide opening inspired by those of a Buddhist Temple enshrining the deity ‘Kannon’. Therefore, the model was described as featuring Kannon opening doors.
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Toyota FJ25L (1955)
The first Toyota 'Jeep' was manufactured as a prototype in 1951 as a military utility vehicle for the Korean war based on the ubiquitous Willys. This second generation FJ25L vehicle built from 1955, was developed for civilian use.
The first car to be named ‘Land Cruiser’, it proved to be one of the best rough terrain vehicles ever built and was exported in large numbers.
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Flying Feather (1955)
The Flying Feather was designed to be as light and economical to build as possible. With spoked bicycle-inspired wheels and no front brakes, it featured a tiny 350cc V2 air-cooled engine - a design commonly found in motorbikes of the day.
Unsurprisngly, the Flying Feather was not a success as consumers were looking for more, not less, in their cars.
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Fujicabin 5A (1957)
This charming little three-wheeled bubble car, the Fujicabin 5A, was designed by Ruichi Tomiya, the same man who penned the Flying Feather.
Powered by an even smaller 121cc engine, the 5A was driven by its singular rear wheel under and was decorated with a full monocoque GRP skin. Just 100 were made.
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Isuzu PH300 Hillman Minx (1960)
If this looks familiar that’s because it’s a 1960 Hillman Minx built under license by Isuzu from the Rootes Group, initially as a knocked down kit export and called the model PH300. Full domestic production was achieved in 1957 selling an impressive 67,729 units.
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Subaru 360 (1958)
Suburu’s first production car was nicknamed ‘Ladybug’ and featured a straight two-cylinder 356cc two stroke engine. It could carry four people.
Subaru had come from Fuji Heavy Industries, formed by six companies coming together as represented on its logo by six stars. One of the six companies was the Nakajima Aircraft Corporation which had built military aeroplanes during WWII.
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Prince Gloria Super 6 (1964)
Prince Motors, now Nissan, manufactured this stylish Gloria Super 6 in 1964. An overhead cam straight-six 1988cc engine boosted this second generation car’s performance.
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Toyo Kogyo Familia SSA (1966)
Toyo Kogyo, known today the world over as Mazda, marked its introduction to automobile production with a light van and then in 1966 built this Familia SSA. Featuring a four-cylinder 782cc aluminium alloy engine, it was built for just one year.
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Toyota Corolla (1966)
After a lack of success with its very basic Publica model, Toyota went back to the drawing board for the 1966 Corolla. The model added extra luxury and equipment both in the styling with its chromed grill, and in the interior twin instruments dials and added comfort. Performance was also improved over the Publica.
Over 44 million Corollas have been sold to date, making it the largest-produced nameplate on any car, ever.
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Datsun Fairlady (1963)
The pretty 1963 Datsun Fairlady, built by Nissan, was the first full sized mass produced Japanese sports car, selling over 40,000 units in total.
Targeting the foreign markets dominated by MG, Alfa Romeo and Triumph, the Fairlady was built around a Bluebird chassis it featured a 1.5-litre Cedric engine developing 85bhp.
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Toyota Sports 800 (1965)
The Toyota Sports 800 was built using techniques from the aircraft industry to make it lightweight and aerodynamic. Constructed with aluminium and featuring cowled-in headlights, the 800's engine consisted of just two cylinders with a displacement of 790cc - the car was capable of nearly 100mph.
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Toyota 2000GT (1966)
One of the most beautiful sports cars of all time, the Toyota 2000GT was conceived quickly in collaboration with Yamaha and made its debut at the Tokyo motor show in 1965.
It featured a DOHC 1988cc straight six-cylinder engine, but at double the price of a Toyota Crown it was an expensive luxury. Famed by an appearance in the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice’, just 337 examples were built making them rare and very valuable now; it’s widely agreed that this was Japan’s first true sports car.
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Nissan Silvia Coupé (1966)
The radical design of the Nissan Silvia Coupé ensured it turned heads when it was launched in 1966. Built on the Datsun Fairlady chassis, it featured a sporty 1595cc four-cylinder engine delivering 90bhp.
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Mazda Cosmo (1969)
The Mazda Cosmo, precursor to the RX7, featured a twin rotor Wankel engine. Mazda was only the second car manufacturer to use rotary engine technology in mass production, the other being NSU. Its futuristic styling and name echoed the space race of the 1960s.
The technology ended up killing NSU, while Mazda soldiered on with it for decades.
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Toyota Celica (1970)
The Toyota Celica was aimed solidly at the US performance car market to meet the American enthusiasm for ‘Pony cars’, as symbolised by the all-conquering Ford Mustang.
Introduced in 1970 it featured a sporty range of engines and equipment. Seen here is a first generation Celica Coupé 1600GT.
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Isuzu 117 Coupé (1970)
Another launch in 1970 was the Isuzu 117 Coupé with styling by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car proved to be highly popular with its great build quality and perky performance and continued in production for more than ten years.
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Toyota Soarer 2800GT-Extra (1981)
The Toyota Soarer 2800GT-Extra was developed to meet the demands of the professional classes who wanted a bit more luxury, a market that was, at the time, dominated by the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
It featured a 2759cc DOHC straight-six and advanced electronics.
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Lexus LFA prototype (2009)
Widely regarded as the best car Lexus has ever made, the LFA looked very much the same in prototype form as it did the final product. Built using a carbonfibre monococque, the LFA featured a screaming V10 engine and electronic rev counter, as an analogue unit couldn't keep up with the engine.
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Toyota Mirai (2014)
The world’s first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell car, the Toyota Mirai, was launched at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2014. With a range of over 650km (404 miles) it was based on the FCV-R concept unveiled in 2011.
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Toyota Century (2018)
Finally, we come to the 2018 presidential Toyota Century, the luxury flagship model for the Japanese market. This limousine features a 5.0-litre V8 and 165kW electric motor to deliver over 400bhp in total.
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The museum
The museum is open everyday 9.30am to 5pm, except on certain holiday days – check the website for information. Adult entry fee is Y1000 (about £7), while senior citizens cost Y500 and children cost Y400-600 depending on age. There is a free audio guide in English for self-guided tours.
Toyota Automobile Museum:
41-100 Yokomichi
Nagakute City
Aichi Prefecture
480-1118
Japan
Website: https://www.toyota.co.jp/Museum/
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