A 1997–2017 Toyota Century V12 with just 26,000 miles on the odometer has surfaced, and for serious JDM collectors, that sentence alone is enough to grab attention. The Century — Japan's hand-built, state-occasion limousine — was never officially exported to any market outside Japan, making any low-mileage survivor that crosses an international auction block a genuine rarity. This particular example on Bring A Trailer is now one of the most talked-about JDM lots.Finding a clean Century in Japan is already difficult. Finding one with fewer than 30,000 miles, in the right specification, and legally eligible for U.S. import under the 25-year rule is the kind of collector alignment that doesn't repeat itself often. The window is closing on second-generation V12 examples, and this listing is a reminder that the best ones won't wait. What the Toyota Century Actually Is — And Why It Matters Bring A TRailerJapan has long maintained its own internal hierarchy of automotive prestige, and at the very top of that hierarchy sits the Toyota Century. Produced since 1967 and updated across three generations, the Century was designed from the outset as Japan's answer to the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow — a chauffeur-driven limousine for heads of state, senior executives, and the imperial household. Toyota took that brief seriously enough to hand-build each car, with craftspeople spending hours on fit, finish, and the signature wool-blend interior upholstery that distinguishes the Century from every other luxury sedan on the planet.Bring A TRailerThe second generation, produced from 1997 to 2017, introduced the powertrain that made the Century legendary among JDM enthusiasts: a 5.0-liter V12 engine, the only V12 Toyota has ever put into production. The motor produces approximately 276 horsepower — a figure that reflects Japan's then-active gentlemen's agreement capping domestic output — but the number undersells the engine's character entirely. The V12 was tuned for absolute smoothness and near-silence, not outright power, and it drives through a four-speed automatic transmission chosen specifically for its buttery shift quality. The result is a car that doesn't accelerate so much as glide. Why Toyota Century's Almost Never Leave Japan Bring A TRailerThe Century's domestic exclusivity isn't accidental — it's structural. Toyota built the car for a Japanese clientele with specific cultural expectations around discretion, formality, and longevity. Owners typically include senior government ministers, corporate chairmen, and institutions that hold cars for decades and accumulate very few miles. When a Century does eventually leave its original owner, it tends to stay within Japan's domestic used-car ecosystem, absorbed by the same class of buyer who originally commissioned it.Gray-market exports do happen, but they're uncommon and the cars that make it out are rarely in this condition. Most exported Centuries have high mileage, deferred maintenance histories, or have been modified for right-hand-drive markets that don't align with U.S. import requirements. A 26,000-mile example with a clean history is the exception, not the rule — and the 25-year import rule means that second-generation V12 cars (production began in 1997) only started becoming legally importable to the U.S. in 2022. The pipeline of eligible examples is still very thin. The 26,000-Mile Example and What Collectors Are Watching Bring A TRailerThe specific car now at auction represents almost everything a Century collector would want on paper: V12 power, second-generation body, and mileage so low it qualifies as a time capsule. Cars like this typically present with original wool upholstery in excellent condition, undisturbed lacquer, and mechanicals that have barely been stressed. The Century's build quality means low-mileage examples tend to survive in genuinely impressive shape — these were not disposable luxury goods.Import prices for clean second-generation Centuries have climbed steadily as 25-year eligibility has expanded the pool of legal buyers. While the research bundle does not confirm a specific hammer price estimate for this lot, comparable examples in strong condition have attracted serious collector attention at auction, and a V12 car with sub-30,000 miles commands a meaningful premium over higher-mileage alternatives. For buyers who have been tracking the Century market, this listing is the kind of opportunity that justifies moving quickly.The Toyota Century V12 has always been one of JDM culture's best-kept secrets — a car that could hold its own against any European limousine of its era, built to a standard of care that most luxury brands only claim. As more second-generation cars become import-eligible and collector awareness grows, the days of finding a 26,000-mile example at any price are numbered. This auction is worth watching.
