Toyota Century Convertible: One-off drop-top revealed

Japan is about to get a new emperor, and Toyota has treated him to a pretty special new car. You're looking at a convertible Century developed specifically for the royal parade on October 22.

The Century is Toyota's flagship sedan in Japan, with power from a V8 hybrid powertrain and all manner of ultra-luxurious appointments. With a hand-carved grille ornament and seven-layer paint finish, it's essentially a Japanese Rolls-Royce.

Besides missing a roof, the Century drop-top carries a number of choice modifications over the sedan. There's no licence plates, instead the gold imperial seal is sitting on the front bumper.

The rear seats have been boosted 4cm higher than stock and their backrests are fixed at 25 degrees to offer the public a clear view of the royals.

After all, the whole point of the 4.6km motorcade is to give the public a glimpse of their new monarch. The route will take around half an hour, according to Japanese Nostalgic Car, and has been crafted to offer plenty of photo opportunities – without disrupting traffic, of course.

Once the parade is done, the drop-top Century will be put on show at palaces around Tokyo and Kyoto. It'll also be used for official duties during next year's Tokyo Olympic Games.

Don't expect to see too much of it, though. The previous Emperor's parade car stuck around for three decades, but only appeared in public twice.

Speaking of the Emperor, the outgoing ruler, Emperor Akihito, actually became the first Japanese royal to abdicate his right to the throne in 200 years. His stepping down, which is reportedly down to poor health, represents the end of the Heisei Era.

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