The past few years has seen Toyota turn a corner when it comes to breathing some life back into the beige Camry reputation that had become the Japanese giant’s MO.
It comes as no surprise then, to see the man behind many of these changes, Akio Toyoda, wouldn’t be ferried around in any run of the mill vehicle.
Introducing the Century GRMN, quite possibly one of the coolest retro-styled limousines around.
Since Akio Toyoda’s ascension to the helm at Toyota, the brand has a number sporty and interesting projects under its belt that has successfully broken the mould.
The brand launched the 86 in partnership with Subaru, the new Supra developed with BMW, and created a dedicated racing division division “Gazoo Racing” (GR).
It’s also introduced a rally-inspired version of the little Yaris, now sporting a turbocharged three-pot sending 200kW to all four wheels, the wide-body GR Corolla with AWD, and a hypercar concept.
What better way to make an entrance to an event than to roll up in the purpose-built GRMN Century, chauffered by none other than professional racing driver Kamui Kobayashi.
The “presidential” version of the classic luxury sedan features unique front, side, and rear lip extensions, along with a lip spoiler, more aggressive looking alloy wheels, and ‘GRMN’ badging.
Not a whole lot is known about the GRMN Century driveline, but it is believed the car is still using some version of the Century’s 5.0-litre hybrid V8, (2UR-FSE, also used in several Lexus models) which in stock form puts out around 320kW.
The standard Century is a massive 5.3m long, weighs in at 2370 kg and will set you back around $240,000.
Rumour has it that this special edition features an AWD drivetrain.
There are two known versions of the GRMN Century, one white, and one black, both built just for the head honcho himself.
So when money is no object, this is what one of the most powerful men in the Automotive industry rolls around in.
