SHOWA SNAP: A fleet of convertible Toyota Crowns are ready for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

We would be in the first week of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if the coronavirus hadn’t thrown a giant pole vaulter’s bar into the entire world’s plans. The first time Japan’s capital hosted the Olympic Games was back in 1964, as the country stood on the precipice of its unprecedented economic boom. Projects like the first trans-Pacific television broadcast, the bullet train, and the city’s Shuto Expressway were fast-tracked to completion. By the opening ceremony, Tokyo’s first 33 km of highway had been finished, including the stretch connecting Haneda Airport to the city center. In this image, a fleet of specially built Toyota Crown convertibles arrives by police escort, ready to transport athletes and celebrities in parades. Let the games begin!

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7 Responses to SHOWA SNAP: A fleet of convertible Toyota Crowns are ready for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

  1. Love, love, love these Showa-era photos.

  2. nlpnt says:

    They resemble the Soviet ZIL and Chaika parade cars, four-doors with roofs cut off, grab bars tying the B-pillar stumps together and possibly just a parcel-shelf pad instead of a top. Too bad, a true Crown convertible complete with doors lengthened to proper two-door proportions would’ve been nice.

  3. Mark Newton-John says:

    Don’t have to make Crowns two door, there were many four door full size convertibles at the time, Impalas, Galaxies, Cadillacs, for example. But they were likely made like the 2000GT “convertible”, just cut the top off and make it look like there’s an actual top.
    Do any of those cars still exist?

  4. Bob says:

    Trans-Atlantic TV broadcast? From Japan? Am I missing something?

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