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Long before BMW's iDrive or Tesla's giant center screen, Toyota was already putting touchscreens in a V12 limousine, and it pointed one of them at the back seat. This 2000 Toyota Century is equipped with the factory Dual Electro Multi-Vision package, which added front and rear touch-screen displays, and it is live at no reserve on Bring a Trailer. Bidding sits at $2,000 with two bids as of Tuesday morning, and the auction ends Saturday, October 31, at 2:39 p.m. ET.
What Electro Multi-Vision Actually Was
Toyota announced Electro Multivision in January 1985 for the top-grade Soarer and called it the first system of its kind in the world. The original was a full-color CRT that showed engine speed and shift position, a fuel-economy monitor, maintenance reminders, and warning messages, and it could play broadcast TV or video when the car was parked. It was operated by switches, not touch. Over the following years the system grew into navigation, a reversing camera, and touch control of climate and audio on later Soarer models.
Toyota was not alone in chasing the idea. Buick offered its own CRT touchscreen, the Graphic Control Center, on the 1986 Riviera, then dropped it by 1990 in favor of physical controls after buyers found it distracting and confusing. Toyota kept refining the concept instead of retreating from it, and the Century is where that idea ended up in a car built for people who never touch the steering wheel.
Why Put It in a Century
The Century is Toyota's chauffeur-driven flagship in Japan, a car whose owners are usually in the back seat, and Toyota developed its V12 specifically to take on Rolls-Royce and Bentley. A screen system that only served the driver would have missed the point. Per the listing, this car's rear cabin has a centrally mounted rear EMV screen along with controls for the passenger seat, audio, and climate, and the rear outboard seats are heated, power-adjustable, and fitted with a massage function. Privacy curtains cover the rear glass.
The Car Behind the Screens
Under the hood is the 5.0-liter 1GZ-FE V12 with variable valve timing, factory rated at 276 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque and paired with a four-speed automatic. It was Toyota's first V12 and Japan's first mass-produced one, and the Century was where it lived. An electronically controlled air suspension handles ride duty, and the car sits on polished stainless-steel lower cladding with power-folding mirrors.
This example is a right-hand-drive Japanese-market car that was imported to the U.S. in September 2026, which puts a 2000 model comfortably inside the 25-year import window. It was finished in black at the factory and repainted white by a previous owner in Japan. The odometer reads 259,000 kilometers, roughly 159,000 miles. According to the listing, the timing belt, water pump, and battery were changed before export, and the brake master cylinder was replaced ahead of the sale. Extras include navigation, a front cassette stereo, an aftermarket rear CD head unit, and heated and massaging rear seating. It is offered by dealer Capitaljdm in Temple Hills, Maryland, with a clean Maryland title.
How Rare Is This
Toyota never sold the Century in the United States, and the second-generation cars, built from 1996 to 2016, totaled roughly 9,573 units according to Wikipedia. Only about 100 left-hand-drive examples were exported, mostly to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, so nearly every Century on U.S. roads arrives through the import window like this one. The idea behind the Multi-Vision package did not disappear. It just became ordinary, with a screen in every new car, and the current Century carries a 20-inch screen for rear passengers. The V12 is the part that did not survive: the 2018 generation moved to a V8 hybrid.
What to Check Before You Bid
Start with the screens themselves, since displays from this era can be difficult to source if one fails. Ask the seller to show both the front and rear EMV units booting and responding to touch. The Bridgestone Regno tires carry 2017 date codes, so budget for new rubber, and with roughly 159,000 miles on the odometer, ask for service records on the V12 and the air suspension. The repaint is also worth a close look in person.
Why It Belongs on Your Watch List
A V12 flagship with a massaging rear seat and two touchscreens is trading at a price that would not cover a modern compact. That puts it in the same overlooked corner as the V12 Mercedes S65 AMG that sold for $45,000 in 2018 and is back on BaT, and it shares a luxury-first philosophy with the 1-of-100 Neiman Marcus Lexus LS 600h L. Toyota's habit of building technology years ahead of the market also shows up in the supercharged, mid-engine Toyota Previa, and Japanese tech ambition of a different kind is the story behind the Subaru SVX.
Would you rather have a chauffeur-class V12 with a pair of 25-year-old touchscreens, or a modern luxury sedan that does the same thing with a bigger screen?
