MEET THE OWNER – AMJAD AND HIS TOYOTA CROWN S110

“The Crown was sold to me by its second owner, who had the car for 34 years but had to sell it because of the ULEZ extension last September”. On its launch in 1979, the S110-Series represented the sixth generation of Toyota’s rival to the Nissan Cedric, and Amjad’s example dates from 1983, making it one of the last to be imported into this country.

Toyota GB sold only the four-door saloon with fuel-injected 2.8-litre straight-six and four-speed automatic transmission, and at £8,840, it was cheaper than a Ford Granada Ghia. But while the smaller Cressida provided an alternative to the Vauxhall Carlton or Leyland Princess, the S110’s looks were too Pan-Pacific for the average Briton; its Datsun 280C compatriot suffered from the same issue. However, the sales copy promised “‘your every whim in terms of comfort and space’ would be answered”. Furthermore, the back seat was “as comfortable as any office”.

Most company secretaries and barristers still preferred their Volvo 264s, and Crowns were mainly seen in larger Toyota dealerships. Yet they had a great deal to offer a discerning motorist, not least its decadently luxurious specification, including adjustable steering, air conditioning, and a self-seeking radio-cassette player with an electric antenna. In addition, power operation for the door mirrors, door locks and windows, plus a boot lid and fuel-filler flap opened by remote control, lent the S110 further showroom appeal.

Meanwhile, the rear-seat passengers benefited from a cigar lighter, switches for the climate control and sound system, and a miniature refrigerator on the parcel shelf. To quote the brochure, this was a Toyota in which “standards of comfort and refinement reflect a successful lifestyle” – i.e., you could make your neighbours green with envy. Autocar complained about the “poor rough-road ride and an unremitting degree of understeer”, but, in fairness, Toyota envisaged the Crown as chauffeur-driven transport, at least for some time.

Motor Sport was more enthusiastic, referring to the S110 as “an impressive-looking motor car, rather like a crib of a big Ford or Vauxhall of a few years ago”. Although, the Crown does indeed convey overtones of the Ford Zodiac Executive Mk. IV or the Vauxhall Viscount, the test concluded it was a competitively priced vehicle “For those not addicted to hurrying”.

Production ended in August 1983, and Toyota GB opted not to import its S120 successor. Today, the Crown is now in its fifteenth incarnation and is the company’s longest-running passenger car range. As for Amjad’s very rare S110, he reports:

The Crown starts the first time every time within a second of turning the key. It is very refined. There is a sense of an occasion when driving the Crown. It has a silky-smooth automatic gearbox which you have to pay attention to it to catch the moment it changes gears. The engine is good - refined and measured - but it pulls if you need it to. The seats are very comfortable, and you feel pampered in these soft and smooth velvet/velour covered seats. Bumps are absorbed effortlessly, and this is where the Crown excels with its double-wishbone suspension. I drove her non-stop from London to Hull the day I got her, and she did not miss a beat all the 200 miles journey back. The dashboard is very well laid out with easy-to-read dials…I feel like I am trying to sell the car!

But with a car as magnificently flamboyant as the S110, no sales pitch is necessary. As Toyota claimed all those years ago, the Crown is “fit for a King.

With Thanks To: Amjad