After 11 generations and 51 model years, the Toyota Mark II/MarkX line is coming to an end. Toyota announced the cancellation of the decidedly old school, Camry-sized rear-wheel-drive sedan back in April. Now, with the Final Edition coming to showrooms in Japan, Tohoku Toyopet dealers have issued a video commemorating the once evergreen part of Toyota’s lineup.
It’s a beautifully shot video, with footage of every generation of Mark X driving across beautiful Japanese landscapes. With mountains, forests, and waterways dotting the backgrounds, it drives home just how indelible the Mark II was to the automotive fabric of Japan.
There is also a strong samurai theme, with warriors on horseback flying the various Mark II and Mark X crests that marked each generation. It’s all very beautiful to see and sad to behold. The Mark II has been a staple of Toyota’s lineup since 1968, the dawn of the company’s modern age. The 6-cylinder spinoff from the Corona line eventually spawned three model names (Chaser, Cresta (and Cressida in the US)), and was likely the chassis with the most variation in Toyota’s entire portfolio.
The announcement of cancellation came just a few days before the end of the Heisei Era, which was marked by the rise of Japan’s golden automotive era, from cars like the Nissan Skyline GT-R to the Honda NSX. The Mark X felt like one of the staunchest holdouts from a pre-majority front-drive, pre-hybrid, pre-crossover time, a true Last Samurai. The bittersweet goodbye film captures that sentiment perfectly.
This makes me very sad !
Folks, it’s not called a Mark “Ten” (X), but a Mark “Ex”, as in the letter X.
For those Mark-whatever folks (you insistent Supra people), this is the Mark V (that’s five) version of the Mark X, which was the Mark X (that’s ten) of the Mark II (that’s two). Got it? ?