AutoHyundai Heritage Series Grandeur squares up to the Toyota CenturyWhile Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur imagines the neon-streaked boulevards of a retro future, Toyota’s long-running Century is already parked up and ready to goWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoHyundai Heritage Series Grandeur squares up to the Toyota CenturyWhile Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur imagines the neon-streaked boulevards of a retro future, Toyota’s long-running Century is already parked up and ready to goWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
While Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur imagines the neon-streaked boulevards of a retro future, Toyota’s long-running Century is already parked up and ready to go
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
The original Hyundai Grandeur debuted in 1986, the result of a collaboration with Japanese firm Mitsubishi to build a luxury car for the fast-growing South Korean market. Boxy and strait-laced in a way that now seems thrillingly unconventional, the Grandeur became the country’s best-selling car – it wasn’t available to buy anywhere else. Thanks to an appearance on the hugely popular 90s TV dramaSandglass, the Grandeur not only became a symbol of corporate success but was also the wheels of choice for South Korea’s aspiring criminal classes.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
The company describes the interior as ‘Newtro (newness + retro),’ and the copious use of brown (or bronze, depending on how charitable you’re feeling) is evident throughout, with burgundy velvet front seats finished off with Napa leather seat backs.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
A cigar storage compartment, aircraft-style gear selector and general all-round retro ambience complete the picture. Out of sight but definitely not out of mind is the 18-speaker sound system developed in collaboration with South Korean sound designer Guk-il Yu.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
(Image credit: Hyundai)
The centre console even has a touchscreen piano function you can use when the car is parked, presumably to emphasise the vibe of a smoky cocktail bar. Hyundai is practically alone in its enthusiastic mining of old school designs. The company has already revisited the 1975 Hyundai Pony, which in turn inspired the lines of the current, much praised IONIQ 5. Other remixes are in the works, although sadly there are no plans to put this machine into production.
Toyota Century Third Generation(Image credit: Toyota)
Toyota Century Third Generation
Toyota Century Third Generation
(Image credit: Toyota)
That said, if the reappraisal of 80s style tickles your fancy, there is one current production car that retains a defiantly old-fashioned approach to luxury design. You’ll have to travel to Japan to appreciate it, though, for the Toyota Century is not sold in any other market. The third-generation model is still largely hand-built at Toyota Motor East Japan’s Higashi-Fuji Plant, exactly where the first-ever Century rolled off the production line in 1967.
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(Image credit: Toyota)
(Image credit: Toyota)
(Image credit: Toyota)
(Image credit: Toyota)
The latest iteration of the Century was first shown in 2017 and moves the game on, albeit only slightly. With a 5.0-litre V8 hybrid system – the only one of its kind in the world – it’s longer than before but the basic three-box saloon car architecture is unchanged.
(Image credit: Toyota)
(Image credit: Toyota)
The Toyota Century offers old school style yet with a very modern price. Tick every box and specify every option, and the Century Limousine will set you back around ¥60,000,000 (nearly £400,000). The Rolls-Royce comparisons might be apt, but this is luxury from another generation.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
This article is part ofThe T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
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