Nagoya Car Museum: packed with automotive legends!
Toyota’s treasure trove of terrificness celebrates the car industry as a whole, and is a must-see
By Shahzad Sheikh
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You might think that Toyota’s own museum would be packed exclusively with cars pulled from the history of the one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers, but you’d be wrong. This incredible facility opens a window into the wonderful world of cars, wherever or whenever they were made. As part of our trip to Japan with Lexus, during a brief stopover in Nagoya, where one of the head-offices of Toyota is situated (and on route to interview Lexus boss Kiyotaka Ise, interview coming son) – 90-minutes from Tokyo by Bullet Train – we grabbed the opportunity to spend a quick couple of hours in the famous Toyota Automobile Museum.
There are over 120 cars on show (with considerably more hidden below) at the museum which opened in 1989, all in perfect condition, maintained and driven regularly. And there’s more cars in a Annex building opened in 1999, which focuses on the history of Japan’s motorization which exhibits not only cars, but TVs, Radios and household times through the times. Personally spent a while in here after finding an old Sony TV I used to own and thought I’d never see again!
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There’s just too many great cars to list, and the cars on show do rotate and change, particularly when there is a themed display. But here were some of the highlights from my visit.
1964 Honda S500 Model AS280
The manufacturer that you know today for churning out Accords, Civics and CR-Vs, presented it’s very first production model to the world nearly 50 years ago – and it was this. Not a bad one to start with hey? Its high-revving DOHC engine offered performance few rivals could touch. it was followed by the equally brilliant S600 and S800. Amazing! So what happened Honda?
1939 Delage Type D8-120 from France with jaw-dropping bodywork by coach-builder Figoni and Falaschi
Amazing large scale models in showcases are so realistic, you’d swear they were the real thing if you didn’t see them in person. This one of the original Celica-Supra caught my eye. Particularly as I used to own one – one of the best cars I had.
1983 Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 – a legend in its own lifetime!
It’s not just classic metal on display. Here’s a state-of-the-art Lexus LFA on display. With all the cars sold, and most having gone into private collections, this might be one of the few chances to see one!
1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
A perfect example of American automotive decadence in the 1950s. Not just stunning to behold, but packed with technology including air suspension, plus a 6.4-litre V8 with 354bhp.
1968 Toyota 2000GT
Without doubt, Japan’s most exotic classic car – developed in cooperation with Yamaha. A famous part in a Bond movie and beauty comparable to the iconic Jaguar E-Type, makes these rare cars amongst the most valuable Japanese metal in the world.
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Have you been to the museum? What was your favourite car on show there? Tell us below.
I haven’t been to the museum, but really wanted to during my stay in Japan. Japanese nature of extreme commitment to the per-assigned plans prevented me from paying this place a visit despite my numerous requests! Thanks for doing it on my behalf, Shahzad, I only wish you got time to report on the Toyota City as a whole too.