Mar. 19, 2014
Toyota Automobile Museum Marks 25th Anniversary
Special Themed Exhibitions to Start
Toyota City, Japan, March 19, 2014―Toyota Motor Corporation announces that its multi-maker automobile museum in Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture, the Toyota Automobile Museum, will mark its 25th anniversary on April 16. Under its 25th anniversary slogan “becoming a museum that tells stories”, the museum is recommitting itself to its mission to keep the history of the automobile alive and contribute to the future.
The museum will aim to convey to a greater extent the historical significance of its vehicles, the enthusiasm of the people who created them and the culture of their period. The museum plans to hold events such as guest-expert symposiums and to attempt novel ways of communication.
25th anniversary illustration of the Toyota Automobile Museum (Artist: Takashi Matsuyama)
The first of the special exhibits will run from April 19 to July 6, presenting an overview of the museum’s activities for the past 25 years as well as what goes on behind-the-scenes. The exhibition will feature selected items from the museum’s collection of approximately 500 automobiles and 30,000 pieces of related memorabilia and provide information on some of the activities that support the museum. One example is photographs of restoration work on a Franklin (1918, United States), a technologically advanced vehicle for its time with a unique air-cooled engine. On the first day of the exhibition, the Franklin’s bare chassis will be driven.
Starting on May 11, the museum will provide behind-the-scenes tours of such areas as the vehicle maintenance room.
To show its appreciation to the public, the museum will lower entry prices by half and hand out original badges to visitors on a first-come first-served basis) from April 12 to 20. There will also be special family events held during the Golden Week holiday period (late April to early May).
The museum has prepared original illustrations that incorporate the 25th anniversary slogan and plans various changes, such as revamping its website (https://www.toyota.co.jp/Museum/english/) and rearranging its permanent vehicle displays.
Starting on May 11, the museum will provide behind-the-scenes tours of such areas as the vehicle maintenance room.
To show its appreciation to the public, the museum will lower entry prices by half and hand out original badges to visitors on a first-come first-served basis) from April 12 to 20. There will also be special family events held during the Golden Week holiday period (late April to early May).
The museum has prepared original illustrations that incorporate the 25th anniversary slogan and plans various changes, such as revamping its website (https://www.toyota.co.jp/Museum/english/) and rearranging its permanent vehicle displays.
Appendix: Overview of Exhibits and Events
1. Behind-the-Scenes Exhibits at the Toyota Automobile Museum Exhibition
1. Behind-the-Scenes Exhibits at the Toyota Automobile Museum Exhibition
| (1) | Exhibit overview |
| Duration | : | Saturday, April 19 - Sunday, July 6 | ||
| Place | : | Special Exhibition Room, Main Bldg. 2F, Toyota Automobile Museum (a portion of the exhibit will be in the main building in the permanent exhibition zone on the second and third floors) |
Details:
| Display zone | Display vehicles and documents |
| Restoration work | Franklin (1918, USA)
A vehicle with a unique design concept including an air-cooled six-cylinder engine and an aluminum body and wooden frame for reduced weight
・Examples of research conducted for the restoration (photographs and documents)
・Interim reports up to completion of the bare chassis (photographs and panels) |
| Vehicles in collection | Lanchester (1904, UK): Features creative mechanisms including an
engine that controls vibration with two crankshafts and a fully-automatic central oil supply device
Sunbeam Grand Prix (1922, UK): Only four units were manufactured for the French Grand Prix
Toyopet Custom Sports (1960, Japan): The custom car featuring a resin body on a first-generation Crown. A rare vehicle of which only five were produced.
Buick charcoal-gas powered car (1937, USA (replica)): A replica of a charcoal-gas powered vehicle created to verify the performance and usability when the vehicle was made
Land Cruiser FJ25 (1957, Japan): The first Toyota vehicle that was exported on a significant scale to North America and other regions, particularly Central and South America.
・Photographs and panels showing curatorial activities in the vehicle maintenance room
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| Library programs | ・Presentation of works ranging from the organization of massive catalogs received as donations to the museum to database creation (photographs and documents)
・Igarashi Collection slideshow: Automobile-related photographs and documents collected by the late Heitatsu Igarashi, an expert on Japanese automobile history (30 items)
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| Materials | Posters: First Paris Motor Show (1895, France) and others
Prints: Multi-color ukiyoe prints from the Edo period and later Tin toys: Tin cars and other toys made in occupied Japan for export (approx. 30 items)
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| Original illustrations | Original illustrations showing the evolution of cars from the 1930s to 1989 (six items) |
| (2) | Toyota Automobile Museum Behind the Scenes Tours |
| Tour days, times | : | Every Wednesday and Sunday from May 11 to July 6, excluding May 25; tours start at 11:45 and last approximately 45 minutes | ||
| Participation | : | Twenty numbered tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the main building reception area from 9:30 to 11:30 on tour days. (Tour days might change and restrictions placed on participation for safety and other reasons.) |
2. 25th anniversary “Storytelling” performance and vehicle driving presentation
| (1) | Presentation on restoration of a Franklin |
| Details | : | Staff will talk about the restoration of a Franklin equipped with an air-cooled engine, a new technology at the time, and drive the bare chassis | ||
| Date/time | : | Saturday, April 19, 13:30 to 15:00 | ||
| Place | : | Annex Building Main Hall (no entry fee) | ||
| Drive | : | Rotary in front of the Annex Building entrance (no entry fee) | ||
| Presenter | : | Toyota Automobile Museum Curator Koji Yamada |
| (2) | Presentation on vehicles from the dawn of the automobile age |
| Details | : | Technical staff will talk about automobiles from the dawn of the automobile age and drive the vehicles | ||
| Date/time | : | Saturday, April 26 (Session 1 from 11:00; Session 2 from 14:00) | ||
| Place | : | P1 Parking area (no entry fee) |
| Vehicles | : | - | Benz Patent Motorwagen (1886, Germany (replica)): World's first gasoline automobile | ||
| - | Baker Electric (1902, US): A quiet and easy-to-operate electric vehicle | ||||
| - | Ford Model T Coupe (1927, USA): Gained the nickname “doctor’s coupe” due to its use by doctors |
| (3) | Presentation on engine development challenges: Learning from the milestones of predecessors |
| Details | : | An easy-to-understand presentation on engine development challenges by Takashi Suzuki, developer of the engine to be displayed | ||
| Date/time | : | Saturday, May 10, 13:30 - 15:00 | ||
| Place | : | Annex Building Main Hall (no entry fee) | ||
| Demonstration | : | Rotary in front of the Annex Building entrance (no entry fee) | ||
| Presenter | : | Takashi Suzuki, Doctor of Engineering (former Executive Vice President of Hino Motors, inducted to the Japan Automobile Hall of Fame in 2011) |
| Demonstration vehicles | : | - | Hino Contessa PC10 (1961, Japan): Independently developed by Hino by making use of technology acquired through production of the Renault 4CV in Japan | ||
| - | Hino Contessa 1300 Coupe (1965, Japan): A coupe with European styling created by Giovanni Michelotti Note: Driving exhibits might be canceled due to inclement weather or vehicle conditions |
3. 25th anniversary week of appreciation
| Duration | : | Saturday, April 12 - Sunday, April 20 (closed on April 14) | ||
| Place | : | Entrance, 1F Main Building, Toyota Automobile Museum | ||
| Details | : | Special visitor benefits and commemorative exhibits | ||
| Benefits | : | (1) Half-price admission (2) Original postcard (first 10,000 visitors) (3) Original badge (First 100 visitors on each day) |
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| Commemorative exhibits | : | DeLorean DMC-12 (1982, USA) |
4. Golden Week Events 2014
| Duration | : | Tuesday, April 26 - Tuesday, April 29 (national holiday); Saturday, May 3 (national holiday) - Tuesday, May 6 (national holiday) |
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| Date/time | : | 09:30 – 16:00 (reception times) | ||
| Place | : | Annex Building 1F, Main Hall (no entry fee) |
Details:
| Event | Participation fee | No. of participants |
| Paper racer | 300 yen | First-come, first-served 100 visitors each day |
| Toyota Automobile Museum original cardboard crafts | 500 yen each | First-come, first-served 50 items/day |
Toyota Automobile Museum
| 1. Location | : | 41-100 Yokomichi, Nagakute-city, Aichi Pref, 480-1118 TEL: 0561-63-5151; FAX: 0561-63-5159 Website http://www.toyota.co.jp/Museum/ (Toyota Automobile Museum 25th Anniversary Commemorative Wallpaper available for download) |
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| 2. Museum hours | : | 09:30-17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing) Closed on Monday (when a National Holiday falls on a Monday, the museum will be closed on the following day) and during the New Year's holiday. The museum will be open on Monday, April 28 and Tuesday, May 6 (a national holiday) The museum will be closed on Wednesday, May 7. |
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| 3. Admission fees | : | Adults 1,000 yen; Seniors (aged 65 or over) 500 yen; Junior and senior high school students 600 yen; Elementary school students 400 yen; Group discounts available Free entry to Annex Building 1F (museum shop, caféteria, etc.) and 3F (library/gallery) are free of charge |
Downloads(Image)
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- 25th anniversary illustration of the Toyota Automobile Museum (Artist: Takashi Matsuyama)
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- 1918 Franklin
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- Exhibit collage
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