Toyota Automobile Museum: wheeling into chronicles of automotive evolution

What is today known as the world’s largest automobile manufacturer, producing over 10 million vehicles every year, traces its origins to the textile industry. Before transitioning to automobile manufacturing, Toyota produced automatic looms under the leadership of Sakichi Toyoda. His son, Kiichiro Toyoda had bigger dreams which were funded by the sell off of the automatic loom patent to a British firm. The capital was used to set up an automobile division in 1933 and facilitate the production of the company’s first passenger car Model AA in 1936.  

The global automotive giant with its base in Toyota city (formerly Koromo) in Aichi Perfecture of Japan, was earlier known as Toyoda – originating from the family name. Interestingly, Sakichi’s son-in-law Rizaburo Toyoda, who was not born with the same family name, preferred renaming the company to ‘Toyota’. It was simpler to pronounce, took eight brush strokes to write in Japanese – signifying luck, and meant ‘abundant rice fields’ – signifying prosperity.  

Kiichiro Toyoda started Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937 (Photo Credit: Toyota)

The new name was trademarked on August 28, 1937, and the company soon began trading as the Toyota Motor Company. It started developing its first full-fledged car – Toyopet Crown – in 1952, which went on sale in 1955, becoming a great success story for the brand. In nearly 90 years of its existence, having seen many ups and downs, Toyota today contributes a substantial chunk to the Japanese economy. It also held fort as the best-selling auto brand globally in 2023.   

Toyota’s journey over the years has inspired many innovative thoughts, passed on many lessons for improvement and built a new automotive culture. A place that encapsulates its storied past and its technological progression is the Toyota Automobile Museum, located in Nagoya, a small city close to Toyota town. It was established in 1989 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Toyota Motor Corporation.   

The museum encapsulates Toyota’s storied past and its technological progression.

While the museum tells the Toyota story, the larger theme remains the history of automobile evolution in general and the rise of automobile in Japan. With 140 priceless vintage cars on display, the museum traces the progress of automotive styling, technology and culture, ever since the birth of gasoline-powered cars to modern-day vehicles. Besides Toyota, many American, European, German and other Japanese car models from different eras form a part of the era-wise museum exhibits.  

Spread across two floors and 13 zones, the automobile gallery studies the evolution of mechanised vehicles since their dawn, much before Toyota came into existence. The first steam car was built in France in the 18th century, followed by electric and gasoline-powered cars in the 19th century. They arrived practically together in Japan at the turn of the 20th century. Over time, the performance and exterior designs of vehicles improved dramatically. Some notable displays from the 19th century include 1894 Benz Velo and 1899 Locomobile steam car.  

The 1894 Benz Velo had a vertical flywheel engine and a 2-speed belt

A 1909 Ford Model T displayed in zone 3 signifies a big milestone in automobile history. It used Ford’s mass production system that reduced costs and made cars more accessible to a broader segment of people. In 1920s, many European and American makers used airplane technology to enhance the styling and performance of their models. These changes can be seen in cars like 1929 Ford Model A and1925 Chevrolet Superior K Series.   

The Ford Model T owed its enormous popularity to Ford’s mass production system

Between 1920s and 1940s, Japan witnessed the beginning of automobile evolution with several American giants setting assembly lines in the country and emergence of local automakers. The exhibition from this era shows various Japan-made American cars and Japanese models like 1932 Datsun Model 11 Phaeton and 1936 Toyoda Model AA replica. Another section of the gallery focuses on the era of streamline design which Toyota was quick to adopt with its Model AA.   

The 1950s and 1960s saw popularisation of passenger cars in Japan and demand getting better with increase in people’s income and betterment of road infrastructure. A trend of sportier vehicle designs had trickled down from European and American counterparts. Toyota’s Land Cruiser and Toyopet Corona models (displayed in the museum) seized the momentum and brought success to the carmaker.  

The way the cars are displayed when they are positioned next to Toyotas, kind of tells you the story of why Toyota designed certain cars a certain way. When you see big cars from America from say the late fifties and you see a European compact car and then you see the Toyota of the same period; all the other cars there tell the Toyota story in a way. — Krik Garon – Podcast Host, Car Stuff, in an episode called ‘The Toyota Automobile Museum’  

The 1950s and 1960s saw popularisation of passenger cars in Japan and demand getting better

The late 20th century saw new environmental and safety issues emerge, such as traffic, accidents and air pollution. This gave birth to new laws and regulations, proving to be a trying time for automakers. The growing awareness of environmental issues led to diversification of power sources. Toyota pioneered hybrid technology and has championed it over the years. In recent times, electric and fuel cell technologies have also gained prominence, paving the road towards a sustainable future.

The museum showcases the 2014 Toyota Mirai – the world’s first mass produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. Placed along with it are other alternate energy vehicles such as Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Tesla Roadster Sport, and Toyota Prius Model NHW10 – world’s first production hybrid sedan.  

Toyota Mirai is the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

The most outstanding thing about the museum is that most cars have been maintained in a roadworthy condition and displayed spaciously along a natural viewing route. A symbol zone is close to the entrance, featuring a replica of the first passenger car commercially produced by Toyota – the 1936 Toyoda Model AA. The wall behind features some relief sculptures, including one that depicts Toyota’s Koromo plant.  

A replica of 1936 Toyoda Model AA in the symbol zone

The museum possesses more than two lakh automobile-related cultural items collected from Japan and abroad. Of these, 4,000 items – including miniature cars, posters, toys and mascots – have been displayed in a cultural gallery. A section shows how vehicle culture was depicted in the early printed matter. Automobile magazines, catalogs, car badges, stamps, license plates, and automotive literature, cinema and music have also been showcased in the gallery.  

A gallery showcasing automobile-related cultural items

There is a hidden paradise in the 5,03,000-sq ft campus – the storehouse, filled with some 400 vehicles of historic value. The museum rotates vehicles on display to perform maintenance activities. Occasionally, some gems from the stored lot are displayed in special exhibits. Thirteen rare vehicles from the store are currently on display in an exhibition room till 30 June 2024. The special display is called ‘Okuradashi-Ten’, meaning ‘storehouse exhibition’ in Japanese. The most exciting lot of this showcase is a trio of Toyota vehicles which are not found in Japan – 2001 Toyota Bandeirante from Brazil, 2005 Toyota Hilux VIGO from Thailand and 2006 Toyota AYGO from Czech.  

Thirteen rare vehicles from the store are currently on display in an exhibition room till 30 June 2024

It generally takes about four hours to take a detailed tour of the museum. Visitors can opt for guided tours while there also is a free audio guide app available in four languages, including English. The museum periodically organises the Classic Car Festival, hosting private owners of classic cars to participate in a motorcade. Events such as workshops, mini-talks, lectures and ride-alongs are organised frequently. Visitors can also indulge in the offerings available in the museum’s library, cafe, restaurant and souvenir shop.  

The Toyota Automobile Museum has been delighting visitors for over 30 years now, offering them a close look at the oldest of vehicles in the backdrop of an era-wise classification. The automaker operates six historical and cultural facilities in Japan, including this. Three are in Aichi Perfecture while the other two are in Shizuoka Perfecture. Among these is a motorsports museum which puts into context the influence of motorsports on the advancement of automobiles. The Kaikan Museum showcases Toyota’s initiatives to enrich society through automobiles.

A visit to the Toyota Automobile Museum could be a perfect getaway for anyone looking to explore the rich history of automobiles and spend a day soaking in the charm of vintage cars.

(Photo Credit: Toyota Automobile Museum)

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