- Toyota built just 1,073 Origins, making them exceptionally rare.
- Retro sedan borrows styling cues from the original 1955 Crown.
- Power comes from Toyota’s legendary 2JZ 3.0-liter inline six.
If you like your Japanese sedans with a side of time travel, the Toyota Origin might be worth a closer look. Listed for sale in Texas, the ultra-rare four-door looks like it rolled straight out of the 1950s, but beneath the nostalgic sheet metal lies modern hardware including one of Toyota’s most respected engines.
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Specialist dealer Texas JDM has this 2001 Origin listed for $41,495, and while that’s a healthy chunk of change for an old Toyota sedan, there’s a good reason. Only 1,073 examples were ever built during a brief production run that lasted from 2000 through 2001, making the Origin one of the rarest production cars Toyota has ever sold.
A Tribute To The 100 Millionth Toyota
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The Origin was created to commemorate a major milestone, Toyota’s 100 millionth vehicle produced. To mark the occasion, designers drew heavily from the original 1955 Toyopet Crown, the company’s first mass-produced passenger car, and the first Japanese vehicle officially sold in the United States.
So the front end features round headlights and a towering chrome grille, while the rear adopts distinctive curved pillars and jewel-like taillights. The wraparound rear window is straight out of the 1950s and the back doors are rear-hinged, just like on the original Crown.
Lexus DNA, But Not Looks
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Thankfully, the engineering is much more contemporary than the styling suggests. The Origin rides on the same platform as the first-generation Lexus IS and its Toyota Altezza twin, and packs a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter 2JZ-GE inline-six. That’s the same engine found in several Toyota models, most famously the fourth-generation Supra. Here, it made 212 hp (158 kW / 215 PS) at 5,800 rpm and 217 lb-ft (294 Nm) at 3,800 rpm, sending power to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.
The Origin measures 4,560 mm (179.5 in) long, 1,745 mm (68.7 in) wide, and 1,455 mm (57.3 in) tall, riding on a 2,780 mm (109.4 in) wheelbase. Curb weight is 1,560 kg (3,439 lb).
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According to the listing, this example was recently imported from Japan and shows 74,053 km (46,000 miles). The seller also notes it has received fresh tires, a new battery, and a recent oil and filter service – hopefully all carried out by a technician wearing a set of vintage coveralls and slicked-back hair.
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Is it worth over 40 grand? Not as far as most folks are concerned. It’s just way too niche and you can buy a lot of cool old and new cars for that cash. But for JDM fans hunting something genuinely unusual, this weird factory-built Toyota blend of 1950s style and 2JZ power might just hit the spot. You can check out the listing over here.
Photos Texas JDM
